Education

Excitement and emotions are running high among people on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. FGCU begins its 27th academic year on Monday, August 19.

At issue is a directive from The Board of Governors to “conduct a keyword search on course descriptions and course syllabi for the following keywords: Israel, Israeli, Palestine, Palestinian, Middle East, Zionism, Zionist, Judaism, Jewish, or Jews.”The directive had made many university professors and others uncomfortable.

The Big Backpack Event began with the idea that not all Southwest Florida children had the supplies they needed to get a good education.Twenty-five years later, that's still the idea.That need could be seen Sunday in Fort Myers. Again, as has been the case at every Big Backpack Event, a line of those needing school supplies snaked around the distribution area.

Recently, school officials, teachers and volunteers gathered at Franklin Park Elementary School to help put together that new furniture, stock library shelves and prepare for the children who will flock here in less than three weeks.

University of Florida’s president, Ben Sasse, unexpectedly announced his resignation late Thursday after just 17 months at the helm of the state’s flagship university, citing his wife’s health issues and a need to spend more time with his family.In a short statement emailed across campus, Sasse — the former Republican U.S. senator for Nebraska — said he would leave his job on July 31, less than two weeks away. The surprise announcement comes during a period of a fraught relationship between Sasse and the longtime chairman of UF’s board of trustees, developer Mori Hosseini, chairman of Daytona Beach-based ICI Homes Inc.

The Florida High School Athletic Association on Tuesday opened the door for student-athletes to earn money from business agreements such as endorsement deals, with the organization’s president calling the move a “good starting point.”The FHSAA’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve a seismic change in the organization’s bylaws to allow athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness, or NIL. The changes will be in effect for the upcoming school year.

The Duval County School Board is set to discuss the contract for hiring its new superintendent pick, Christopher Bernier, Tuesday.Days before he abruptly resigned as Lee Schools superintendent in April, Bernier was the subject of a previously unreported whistleblower complaint that accused him of “bullying” and “racial profiling” of an employee, according to public records reviewed by Jacksonville Today and interviews with Lee County district employees and community stakeholders.

Several students from Lee and Sarasota county schools were among those scored winning entries in the annual Florida History Day contest administered by the Museum of Florida History. This year’s state contest was held at Tallahassee Community College on May 6 with the top student entries from the 32 Florida counties participating. Winners were announced today.

The Curriculum Advisory Committee for Lee County public schools had their final meeting of this school year last evening, to vote on a contentious issue.

Flanked by veterans who served in the Bay of Pigs invasion, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a measure that will lead to the history of communism being taught in grades as low as kindergarten.The governor, standing behind a placard that read “anti-communism education,” touted lessons that will be required under the bill.

Christopher S. Bernier has lead the 9th largest school district in the state since May 2022. Ken Savage is expected to take over as interim superintendent — again.

A behind-the-scenes look of the new Mote Science Education Aquarium was provided recently as construction continues and the facility gets closer to its anticipated 2025 opening date. Mote SEA differs from other aquariums and attractions since science and education is in its name and is the focal point for all guest experiences.The new facility will embody Mote’s vision of Oceans for All, doubling the number of visitors exposed to marine science each year and providing no-cost opportunities for schools to utilize specialized STEM teaching labs to ensure that every child has hands-on marine science and technology experiential learning opportunities.