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RICHARD CORCORAN

Florida Board of Education appoints its first Hispanic commissioner

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Board of Education unanimously voted to appoint Republican Sen. Manny Diaz as the state’s first Hispanic education commissioner. Corcoran leaves the position on Monday, but the delay will allow Diaz to take part in a special session DeSantis called to address rising property insurance rates. The Board of Education appointed Senior Chancellor Jacob Oliva to act as interim commissioner during the gap. The South Florida Republican has also been a teacher, coach, assistant principal and school administrator. His dedication to Florida families will endure as he steps into the role of Commissioner of Education,” Corcoran said in a news release.

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Watch at 9 a.m.: Gov. DeSantis to make announcement in The Villages

DeSantis news conference A group of demonstrators demanding to speak with Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of a scheduled news conference in Jacksonville on Tuesday. (WFTV.com News Staff)THE VILLAGES, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis will make an announcement in The Villages this morning. READ: Federal judge voids national mask mandate for travelersCheck back and watch Eyewitness News for updates.

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Florida DOE rejects 54 math textbooks citing references to critical race theory

ORLANDO, Fla. — According to the Florida Department of Education, state leaders have rejected more than 50 math textbooks from the curriculum next school year, citing references to critical race theory as one of the reasons for being rejected. DeSantis signs ‘curriculum transparency’ bill in Daytona BeachThe state banned the teaching of critical race theory last year. “We’re going to ensure that Florida has the highest quality instructional materials aligned to our nationally recognized standards,” said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. “Florida has become a national leader in education under the vision and leadership of Governor DeSantis. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

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Florida Education Commissioner stepping down

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced he will be stepping down from his position at the end of April. Ron DeSantis praised Corcoran as a “champion for Florida students.”“He is driven by his principles and has never shied away from making the difficult decisions needed to improve the quality of education in Florida,” DeSantis said. Video: Florida Senate passes controversial Parental Rights in Education billCorcoran has served as Commissioner of Education since his appointment in 2018. Corcoran said that he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife Anne and their six children. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

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Happening today: Gov. DeSantis to speak in Central Florida

WILDWOOD, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis will speak in Central Florida Wednesday morning. READ: Osceola County sheriff launches anti-bullying campaign after school fight video goes viralThe event will be held at the Ezell Regional Recreation Center in Wildwood. Channel 9 will livestream the news conference when it begins. READ: Central Florida becoming the Wild West of real estate scamsClick here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.

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Happening today: Gov. DeSantis, Florida education commissioners speaking in Osceola County

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to speak in Osceola County on Wednesday. He is set to be joined by Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran at Canoe Creek K-8. Their news conference is scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m.Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates. READ: Florida election supervisors question need for new $6 million election police forceClick here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

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Happening at noon: Gov. DeSantis making announcement in Eustis

EUSTIS, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to host a news conference in Eustis on Friday. DeSantis is scheduled to speak at noon along with Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran at Lake Technical College. Stay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates. READ: State of Florida files lawsuit against Biden administration over COVID-19 vaccine mandatesClick here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

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Happening at 11 a.m.: Gov. DeSantis speaking in Titusville

Ron DeSantis to hold news conference from Florida’s Space Coast on MondayTITUSVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis will be in Titusville on Wednesday holding a news conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum. DeSantis is set to speak at 11 a.m. READ: Florida’s property insurance mess cause isn’t being addressed, lawmaker saysStay tuned to Channel 9 Eyewitness News for updates. Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

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State School Board Will Meet to Police 11 School Districts’ Compliance with Ban on Mask Mandate

School boards in five counties — Miami-Dade, Broward, Orange, Alachua and Leon — filed legal challenges against the Department of Health rule. [The Flagler County School Board on Aug. 17 voted against adopting a mask mandate in any form.] The initial and revised rules were aimed at allowing parents to “opt out” their children from school mask requirements. The revised Department of Health rule, issued Sept. 22, included a change that targeted the districts requiring such medical documentation. As of Wednesday morning, the state Division of Administrative Hearings website did not show challenges filed against the revised rule.

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DeSantis to speak at school near Kissimmee with new surgeon general

Election 2024-Republicans FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, file photo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrives at a news conference, near the Shark Valley Visitor Center in Miami. Ron DeSantis will host a news conference at NeoCity Academy near Kissimmee on Wednesday afternoon. DeSantis will be joined by Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and Dr. Joe Ladapo, whom the governor appointed Tuesday as the state’s new surgeon general and health secretary. Read: Florida’s new surgeon general: State will ‘completely reject fear’ on disease mitigationHe is a physician with a background in health policy, and his writings on COVID-19 are much more in line with DeSantis, which was an issue with the previous surgeon general.

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DeSantis announces bill to eliminate Florida Standards Assessment

Florida will not use standardized tests for graduation, promotion for 3rd grade studentsDORAL, FLA. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a bill on Tuesday to eliminate the Florida Standards Assessment. DeSantis said the bill will be presented to the Florida legislature during the next legislative session. READ: Florida requests waiver from feds for student state testing requirement due to pandemicHe said the outdated FSA will be replaced with progress monitoring. READ: Boys caught planning ‘next Parkland massacre’ at Florida middle school, sheriff saysFlorida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said the announcement is a huge victory for schools.

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U.S. Dept. of Education to investigate Florida’s mask mandate ban as possible civil rights violation

ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Education is investigating Florida’s ban on mask mandates in schools as a potential violation of civil rights for disabled students. Masking, physical distance, COVID-19 testing, and improved ventilation are all part of a successful #BackTogether strategy for schools. The Florida Department of Education will have a week to provide data and other information for the investigation, according to the letter. Ron DeSantis and his administration Friday, allowing the ban to be reinstated after another Judge made a ruling to stop enforcement of the ban. The American Academy of Pediatrics has also recommended that all children aged 2 and older wear masks in schools.

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A St. Pete cop dies of COVID. His widow shows us true selflessness | Editorial

Uncommon selflessness. On a day of unspeakable loss, Karen Weiskopf had more to give. Speaking at her husband’s funeral Tuesday, the widow of St. Petersburg police officer Michael Weiskopf, who died Aug. 27 after battling COVID-19, used her own tragedy as a warning. “I promise you,” she told the crowd at The Coliseum, speaking of the coronavirus, “it’s grueling, dangerous — and it will destroy ...

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Judge Issues Written Ruling Barring DeSantis from Banning Mask Mandates or Enforcing Order, But Appeal Is Imminent

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper on Thursday released a written ruling that said Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his constitutional authority in a July 30 executive order that sought to prevent school districts from requiring students to wear masks. Cooper issued an injunction barring the state Department of Education, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and the State Board of Education from enforcing DeSantis’ order. DeSantis’ executive order triggered a state Department of Health rule that, in part, said parents must be able to opt out of student mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. DeSantis has maintained that he is confident that the 1st District Court of Appeal will overturn Cooper’s ruling.

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Officials withhold school board salaries over mask mandates

Florida state education officials on Monday began to make good on threats to withhold funding from local school districts that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' ban on mask mandates, despite a circuit judge last week ruling the ban unconstitutional. Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced that the Florida Department of Education has withheld an amount equal to monthly school board member salaries in Alachua and Broward counties, as directed by the State Board of Education.

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U.S. Department of Education ‘Stands With You,’ It Tells Florida Superintendents Willing to Enact Mask Mandates

Ron DeSantis’ executive order seeking to ban school mask mandates and is ready to help districts directly, the federal agency said in a letter to the governor Friday. The letter also said President Joe Biden’s administration will work with school districts and educators directly if the Florida Department of Education does not distribute federal pandemic aid to the districts. In a separate letter to Florida district superintendents Friday, Cardona wrote that the U.S. Department of Education “stands with you” in enacting universal student mask policies despite the state’s efforts to prohibit them. State education officials have argued the mandate violates a Florida Department of Health rule that helped carry out DeSantis’ July 30 executive order against mandatory masks. Corcoran wrote a letter Tuesday to Broward school officials demanding a response “documenting how your district is complying” with the health department rule.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis seeks $1,000 payments for in-person teachers, principals

Ron DeSantis is requesting the Florida legislature approve $216 million to provide $1,000 bonuses for principals and classroom teachers. DeSantis made the announcement at Palm Harbor University High School in Pinellas County Wednesday afternoon. DeSantis did not mention virtual or online-only teachers in his request for bonuses. Some parents have said they plan to opt out of in-person testing to keep their students home due to pre-existing conditions. The Orange County Classroom Teacher’s Association said following the announcement that teachers are happy for the bonus, but it fails to address long-term priorities with education.

Florida schools will have more time for standardized testing

The executive order issued Monday suspends certain Florida statutes regarding testing to allow schools to modify testing schedules for spring 2021 by two weeks. Florida schools in nearly all 67 counties welcomed students back for in-person learning in August after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic last spring. According to the executive order, 1.85 million or approximately 65% of all Florida students are learning in person. Here’s how Florida school testing now looks under the extension: Grade 3 English language arts and reading testing will run from April 3-20. AdWith this modification of the spring 2021 testing windows, results will also be released later than Florida statue records, according to the executive order.

Florida schools to ‘stay the course’ following CDC guidance on reopening schools, education commissioner says

Reacting to the long-awaited CDC guidance, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran released a statement saying Florida’s schools have been operating safely since August 2020 and will continue to do so. “CDC guidance is informative, although Florida school districts, public charter schools and private schools should stay the course they began in Summer 2020. Each school district in Florida had to submit a reopening plan to the Department of Education last summer itemizing their COVID-19 safety protocols. Orange County’s summer school will be open five days a week “because of extensive learning loss over the past 11 months,” the district announced earlier this week. OCPS deputy superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez said students learning at home have struggled during the pandemic academically, socially and emotionally.

Central Florida school districts respond to governor’s education plan for spring semester

Another change leaders explained going into the spring semester is regarding students struggling with online learning. Under the new executive order, all Florida school districts and charter schools must submit a new learning plan to the Department of Education by Dec. 15. For those virtual students who are not making adequate progress, we are asking them to return to in-person instruction. Flagler CountyFlagler County school officials say they’re also encouraged by the new executive order. In addition, all school districts will continue to offer virtual learning platforms as an alternative option for families.

Florida’s COVID-19 spring education plan: No school closures, intervention for struggling virtual students

Ron DeSantis revealed changes to Florida’s education plan for the spring 2021 semester as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Speaking in Kissimmee Monday afternoon at Boggy Creek Elementary School, DeSantis said virtual and in-person learning options will remain available but with several changes. Schools across the U.S. have reopened but amid a rising surge in COVID-19 cases, individual schools and entire school districts have been forced to close again. School districts had been waiting on guidance from the state about whether online options could continue to be funded. “Parents must be notified if a student is struggling with virtual learning,” DeSantis said.

Appeals court refuses to revisit Florida school reopening ruling

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – An appeals court Monday refused to reconsider a decision that backed Gov. The plaintiffs in October asked for a rehearing before a three-judge panel or by the full appeals court, a request known as seeking an “en banc” hearing. The Tallahassee-based appeals court posted the orders online Monday afternoon, shortly after DeSantis and Corcoran held a news conference in Osceola County announcing plans for the second half of the school year. In his Aug. 24 ruling that granted a temporary injunction, Dodson said the order left school districts with “no meaningful alternative” about reopening classrooms. But the panel of the appeals court overturned Dodson’s ruling on a series of grounds.

Remote learning will be allowed in spring, Florida education commissioner says

Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin previously asked Florida’s Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to forgo school grades for the 2020-2021 school year because of the circumstances created by the pandemic. In fact, Corcoran said the Florida Department of Education plans to continue all three learning options for parents: Florida Virtual School, face-to-face learning and each district’s distance learning method. Under an emergency order for the fall 2020 semester by the Florida Department of Education all school districts could offer virtual learning options as long as they offered face-to-face education. School districts had to submit their reopening plans to the state for approval. Central Florida school district officials said after Wednesday’s decision that they hope to receive the same state funding for remote learning in the spring as they did in the fall semester to continue making it an affordable option.

OCPS teachers to receive pay increase, union says

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Public School teachers will receive a pay increase, according to the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. | News 6 anchors share drama stories]The union said a base salary for full-time teachers who make less than $47,500 will be brought up to at least $47,500. Any teacher who makes more than this will get a bump of 1.27 percent in their salary, according to the union. Ron DeSantis signs bill that would provide over $500 million to raise teacher salaries]Back in June, Gov. DeSantis signed a bill saying base salaries of K-12 classroom teachers would be at $47,500 for public school teachers in Florida.

OCPS medical committee asks education commissioner to allow virtual learning in spring

“Without a virtual platform, students' ability to access their curriculum and make effective progress would be significantly impacted,” Dr. Vincent Hsu, the medical advisory committee chair, writes. Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins commended the medical advisory committee’s continued efforts to safeguard OCPS students and staff. Two doctors on the medical committee Thursday explained why virtual learning is key through the pandemic. School districts had to submit their re-opening plans to the state for approval. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the department has received similar questions and suggestions from other school districts around the state.

Seminole County superintendent requests eliminating school letter grades due to COVID-19

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County Superintendent Dr. Walt Griffin sent a letter this week to Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran requesting to forgo school grades in 2021 due to the difficulties presented by the coronavirus pandemic. “This letter is a respectful request to consider not assigning 2021 school grades and teacher valued-added scores due to the unprecedented educational impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Griffin wrote, adding this would help lift one layer of anxiety from "an already overwhelmed educational system. Using school grades for the 2020-21 school year may result in misrepresentation of student and school achievement this year, Griffin wrote. The superintendent’s proposal comes as the school district sent an email to families Wednesday notifying them of surveys about the next semester. In the survey, families will be asked whether they would continue with in-person learning or online given the option.