The big story: The Pasco County school district’s proposal to remove rules for peaceful student assembly from its code of conduct prompted students to protest Friday after classes.
Pushback by the students and others, including at least one school board member, got district leaders looking for the middle ground.
A couple of dozen teens, mostly from Land O’Lakes High school, rallied across the street from the district headquarters, waving signs asserting that they have rights. Several spoke about how when they attempted to hold a protest against federal immigration actions in late February, the school administration blocked the activity.
One student said the school shouldn’t be trying to silence student voices, adding that they will find a way to be heard. Some said they planned to attend the school board’s Tuesday meeting to express their dismay at the proposed code of conduct changes.
Superintendent John Legg said he understood the concerns, particularly at this moment in time. After reflecting on the issue further, Legg said, he would change his recommendation to add peaceful assembly to the section in the code of conduct that lists student rights and responsibilities.
That list includes, among other things, the right to hear and express divergent points of view, and to decide whether or not to participate in symbolic or religious activities.
Assembly is equal to these other rights, Legg said, and should be included there. That does not in any way undo the requirement that students must not interrupt regular school activities, he added.
Pasco is not the only district re-examining its rules on student assembly and protest. The Brevard County school board is considering tougher penalties for students who walk out of class and anyone encouraging walkouts, Florida Today reports. A Sarasota County school board member also announced on social media her district has updated its “disruptions and demonstrations” policy.
The issue gained attention after education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas warned school officials that the state would discipline educators who support actions that disrupt instructional time. He said educators must not indoctrinate students.
Hot topics
Book bans: Two First Amendment advocacy groups cheered the demise of legislation that would have stopped schools from considering literary merit when removing books that contain sexual content, Florida Politics reports.
Campus politics: The Florida Federation of College Republicans disbanded its University of Florida chapter amid reports of members engaging in an “antisemitic gesture,” the Independent Florida Alligator reports.
College enrollment: A proposal to cap out-of-state student enrollment at Florida public universities failed to gain traction in the state Senate, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Internet access: Citrus County school district officials are exploring ways to improve their internet service after a February outage disrupted classes and district operations, Paxton Media reports.
Legal counsel: Florida lawmakers paved the way for the Duval County school board to hire its own attorney, the Florida Times-Union reports.
Pay raises: Leon County school district support staff employees reached a tentative deal for 2% raises, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Payroll: The Volusia County school district overpaid thousands of employees, and several have yet to pay the money back, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.
Private schools: A private school group with ties to Florida’s new voucher funding organization led the effort behind a bill to allow small private schools to operate in commercially zoned buildings, Florida Phoenix reports. The provision landed in train legislation that passed in the final days of session.
Special education: The Lee County school district is altering its exceptional student education model to cluster schools rather than keeping it spread across multiple campuses, Cape Coral Breeze reports.
Spring break: Forty-four of Florida’s 67 school districts are on break this week, TC Palm reports.
Weather report: Three Panhandle school districts will delay classes Monday and a fourth will cancel because of anticipated severe weather, WMBB reports.
From the court docket … A Hillsborough County high school teacher was sentenced to one year and a day in federal prison for conspiring to provide weapons to a transnational criminal organization.
In their own words
“The same people with the same grudges have come back to the same place to try to do the same thing — and not very well.” — State Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, on the relative lack of accomplishments from Florida’s 2026 legislative session (Tampa Bay Times)
“If they can eliminate teacher unions, if they can cripple the teacher union so that they have no voice, that will help them the next time they want to pass more legislation that is even more harmful to public schools. This is simple politics.” — Diane Ravitch, education historian, on the Florida Legislature’s passage of an anti-union bill (WTVJ)
“Unless a school is found guilty in a court of law of criminal activity, that school should be something that people can choose.” — Neal McCluskey, Center for Educational Freedom director, on the Florida Legislature’s passage of a bill that could prevent Islamic private schools from receiving voucher funding (The Hill)
Quick quiz
The Broward County school board will ask voters to renew a property tax referendum that’s intended to boost safety initiatives, mental health services and employee pay. What item does the board plan to exclude?
a) Metal detectors at entrances, because they create long waits
b) Bonuses for top administrators, who received money they weren’t supposed to get
c) Bonuses for support staff, because they don’t teach classes
Find the answer from the Sun-Sentinel.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to Friday’s roundup.
Jeffrey S. Solochek is a reporter covering education as a member of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.
