When must Florida schools lock doors? Lawmakers rewrite the rules.
The big story: After some give and take on the details, the Florida Legislature has sent a school security update bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his consideration.
The measure includes several provisions, including an expansion of the school guardian program that lawmakers first created after the 2018 Parkland school shooting massacre.
One of the most keenly watched portions of the bill (SB 1470) aims to provide relief to school districts that struggled to implement strict rules related to when doors and gates must be closed and locked. School officials said the law requiring all access points to be either staffed or locked whenever students are on campus created situations that might place students on the wrong side of a locked door during emergencies.
Among other problems, the law also created access issues for students and families before and after classes, when fewer staff members were present yet activities continued.
The update would ease the door locking requirements before and after the school supervision time, and also allow schools to allow unlocked doors and gates in a school's interior and in areas such as parking lots, as long as all access points leading directly to student areas remain secure. They called this area a 'secure exclusive zone.'
Sponsor Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrills, called the changes 'common sense reforms,' noting they would 'help balance the need for safety against efficiencies.'
School districts including Pinellas County had made this subject a priority for this legislative session. The proposal now heads to the governor's desk for consideration. Read more from Florida Politics.
Today in Tallahassee ... It's the final day for lawmakers to bring any outstanding non-budget bills in for a landing. Several education-related items remain available for votes, including a handful of train bills that have gone back and forth between the chambers already. The Senate is scheduled to convene at 10 a.m. and the House is set to convene at 11 a.m.
Charter schools: The Florida House signed off on legislation allowing charter schools to have stricter codes of conduct than district schools, WTVJ reports. It heads to the governor's desk. • The Alachua County school board held an emergency meeting to shutter a charter school amid concerns of safety and leadership failures, the Gainesville Sun reports.
Preferred names: At least two additional Brevard County teachers have been reprimanded for using a students' preferred names without parental permission, Florida Today reports.
Rezoning: Parents whose children attend Venice High in Sarasota County don't like the school district's plans for redrawing attendance boundaries for a new high school opening in 2026, the Venice Gondolier reports.
School zones: Drivers in Palm Bay are complaining that cameras in school zones are inaccurately reporting violations, Spectrum 13 reports. Police officials said they are working to fix the problems.
Student health: Florida health officials seek to reduce youth smoking by working with schools, WUSF reports.
Trump agenda: A day before Pinellas County officials and civic leaders discussed extending plans to improve Black student achievement, the Trump administration announced a civil rights investigation into an Illinois school district for its Black Students Success Plan, The Guardian reports.
Don't miss a story. Here's a link to yesterday's roundup.
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Reactions to Padilla incident fall mostly along party lines
A day after federal agents forcibly restrained and handcuffed U.S. Sen Alex Padilla at a Los Angeles news conference, leaders of the country's two political parties responded in what has become a predictable fashion — with diametrically opposed takes on the incident. Padilla's fellow Democrats called for an investigation and perhaps even the resignation of the senator's nemesis, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, for what they described as the unprecedented manhandling of a U.S. senator who was merely attempting to ask a question of a fellow public official. Noem and fellow Republicans continued to depict Padilla as a grandstander, whose unexpected appearance at Noem's news conference seemed to her security detail to represent a threat, as she tried to speak to reporters at the Federal Building in Westwood. Republicans continued Friday to chastise Padilla, using words like 'launch,' 'lunge' and 'bum rush' to describe Padilla's behavior as he began to try to pose a question to Noem at Thursday's news conference. The Trump administration official was just a few minutes into her meeting with reporters when Padilla moved assertively from the side of the room, pushing past a Times photographer as he moved to more directly address Noem. He did not lunge at Noem and was still paces away from her when her security detail grabbed the senator. Read more: Arellano: Sen. Alex Padilla's crime? Being Mexican in MAGA America Padilla and his staff described how the veteran lawmaker went through security and was escorted by an FBI employee to the room where the press conference was held, saying it was absurd to suggest he presented a threat. Padilla spoke out after the secretary asserted that her homeland security agents had come to L.A. to "liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that the governor and the mayor have placed on this country.' The former South Dakota governor would have some reason to recognize Padilla, since he questioned her during her Senate confirmation hearing. A spokesperson at the Homeland Security Department did not respond to a question of whether Noem recognized Padilla when he arrived at her press conference. As has become the norm in the nation's political discourse, Republicans and Democrats spoke about the confrontation Friday as if they had observed two entirely separate incidents. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) said Noem 'should step down,' adding: 'This is ridiculous. And she continues to lie about this incident. This is wrong.' Lujan urged his Republican colleagues to support Democrats in asking for 'a full investigation.' 'This is bad. This is precedent-setting,' Lujan told MSNBC. 'And I certainly hope that the leadership of the Senate, my Republican leaders, my friends, that they just look within. Pray on it. That's what I told a couple of them last night. Pray on this and do the right thing.' Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus went to Speaker Mike Johnson's office to protest Padilla's treatment. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) spoke out on X and on the floor of the Senate. He said the episode fit into 'a pattern of behavior by the Trump administration. There is simply no justification for this abuse of authority …. There can be no justification of seeing a senator forced to their knees.' Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) went on X to repeat the call for an investigation and to say that 'Republican leadership is complicit in enabling the growing authoritarianism in this country.' Most Republicans remained silent, or accused Padilla of being a provocateur. 'I think the senator's actions, my view is, it was wildly inappropriate,' said Johnson, the House speaker. 'You don't charge a sitting Cabinet secretary.' Johnson added that it was Padilla, who should face some sanction. 'At a minimum … [it] rises to the level of a censure. … I think there needs to be a message sent by the body as a whole that that is not what we are going to do, that's not how we're going to act.' Rep. Tom McClintock, (R-Elk Grove) zinged Padilla on X, with some 'helpful tips.' '1. Don't disrupt other people's press conferences. Hold your own instead. 2. Don't bum-rush a podium with no visible identification. ... 3. Don't resist or assault the Secret Service. It won't end well.' Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Big Bear Lake) also sought to reinforce the notion that agents protecting Noem sensed a real threat, having no way of knowing that Padilla was who he said he was. The congressman said on Fox Business that Padilla had obtained "the outcome that they wanted. Now they have a talking point.' Read more: L.A. braces for multiple 'No Kings' demonstrations across the city Saturday None of the officials in the room, several of whom know Padilla, intervened to prevent the action by the agents, who eventually pushed the senator, face down, onto the ground, before handcuffing him. Noem did not back off her earlier statement that Padilla had 'burst' into the room. "Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem,' Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant Homeland Security secretary, said in a statement Friday. McLaughlin also said that Padilla 'was told repeatedly to back away and did not comply with officers' repeated commands,' though video made public by Friday did not show such warnings, in advance of Padilla's first statement. The senator's staff members said he privately had received messages of concern from several Republican colleagues, including Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) Speaking publicly only one Republican lawmaker sounded a note of distress about the episode. 'I've seen that one clip. It's horrible,' said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). 'It is shocking at every level. It's not the America I know.' Padilla told Tommy Vietor of the "Pod Save America" podcast that Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown is an attempt to distract from many other failures — continued instability with the economy, a lack of peace in Ukraine and Gaza and a federal budget plan that is proving unpopular with many Americans. 'He always finds a distraction," Padilla said, "and, when all else fails, he goes back to demonizing and scapegoating immigrants. … He creates a crisis to get us all talking about something else." Padilla said repeatedly that Americans should be concerned about how everyday citizens will be treated, if forces working for the Trump administration are allowed to "tackle" a U.S. senator asking questions in a public building. On Friday afternoon, he sent a mass email urging his constituents to sign up for the protests planned for Saturday, to counter the military parade Trump is holding in Washington. "PLEASE show up and speak out against what is happening," Padilla wrote. "We cannot allow the Trump administration to intimidate us into silence." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
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Lawmakers, media dinged for blaming Trump or ripping Israel on Iran: 'You think Kamala could've stopped them?'
Lawmakers and mainstream media figures were blasted online Friday morning over some of their responses to the development that Israel executed a widespread bombing campaign against key Iranian targets. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT., wrote on X that Israel's attack was "clearly intended to scuttle the Trump administration's negotiations with Tehran," and is "further evidence of how little respect world powers - including our own allies - have for President Trump." Murphy, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe, was later mocked for using the situation to slam Trump: "Do you think Israel respected Biden, Obama, or Bush? Now is not the time for a partisan bromide," one critic replied. "You think Kamala could've stopped them?" riffed another. Former Ohio State Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, an occasional media figure and former campaign staffer for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., replied to Murphy's critics, saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "always wanted a broader war." Read On The Fox News App "This was inevitable, given the U.S. foreign policy towards Israel. Arms embargo now," Turner added. Left-wing former ESPN and MSNBC host Keith Olbermann informed Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on X that "your soul is lost" after the lawmaker celebrated Iran being attacked. "Game on, pray for Israel," Graham originally wrote. The oft-profane pundit did, however, receive some backhanded support from the right for the remarks, with one respondent saying, "you know society is about to collapse when I agree with Keith" – while another shared a "holy s---" meme featuring actor Keegan Michael Key. Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who has become one of President Donald Trump's loudest critics, went after Trump's supporters following the bombings. "Yesterday: Trump scared to death of action against Iran." On X, several pro-Trump ripped Kinzinger, saying he "lives in a bottle," "was too scared to run for reelection" in his swing Kankakee district because of his break with Trump, and should "cry harder." Kinzinger, however, did appear to celebrate Israel's killing of Iranian military commander Hossein Salami -- sharing a grinning GIF of the late Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain in response to a news alert. Global Calls To Avoid Escalation Pour In After Israel Strikes On Iran Several "Squad" members also got in on the action Friday, including Rep. Gregorio Casar of Texas. Casar said Netanyahu's "reckless strike risks provoking a wider war and pulling in the United States." He called on Trump to oppose Netanyahu's escalation and "not violate the Constitution" by involving U.S. troops without congressional approval. Reaction to Casar was mixed, with some respondents asking what his own strategy would be, while one defender of the Austin lawmaker shared a meme of Trump dressed as a chambermaid standing aside Netanyahu in his office. Meanwhile, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., actively sparred with critics of her statement that "regardless of what Trump thinks, Israel knows America will do whatever they want and feels confident about their ability to get into war and have the American government back them up." "Everyone in America should prepare themselves to either see their tax dollars being spent on weapon supplies to Israel or be dragged into war with Iran if this escalates." "Somalians belong in Somalia," one critic responded. "And in Congress," Omar shot back. Olbermann Leads Liberal Meltdown Against Cnn, Calling To 'Burn It Down' After Biden's Performance When another critic said she should focus more on issues in her Minneapolis district, the congresswoman replied, "I am focusing on my district and we don't believe our tax dollars should go to war. Thank for your input." "This is all planned," tweeted "Squad" colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. "Both [U.S. and Israel] are liars." Tlaib then claimed Jerusalem's government is "genocidal" and that "war criminal Netanyahu will do anything to maintain his grip on power." "Squad" member Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., followed by tweeting support for her "Block the Bombs Act" to withhold weapons sales to Israel in response to actions in Gaza. The far-left lawmaker, who took over longtime moderate Democrat Dan Lipinski's district, said that Netanyahu "cannot be trusted with offensive weapons that enable dangerous actions like what we saw last night." Elsewhere on social media, other liberal figures were raging at the Trump administration for other recent developments, like the brief detainment of Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., after he crashed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's Los Angeles press conference. Col. Alexander Vindman, now retired, but a key figure in the Trump-Ukraine impeachment saga and a twin brother of Rep. Yevgeny "Eugene" Vindman, D-Va., railed against Noem multiple times, calling her a "fascist b---h." "Hey Kristi, f--- off," Vindman wrote. Frequent "Special Report" All-Star panelist Mollie Hemingway responded to Vindman, remarking on how the mainstream media regularly characterized him as a "stable," nonpartisan article source: Lawmakers, media dinged for blaming Trump or ripping Israel on Iran: 'You think Kamala could've stopped them?'
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Oregon lawmakers pass bill allowing striking workers to receive unemployment benefits
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon legislature passed a trimmed-down version of a bill on Thursday that would allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits. Senate Bill 916 repeals a law that denies unemployment insurance benefits to unemployed Oregonians due to an active labor dispute, allowing striking workers who are otherwise eligible for UI to receive the benefits under the bill. The bill passed on Thursday after failing in the Senate. DON'T MISS: Oregon bill offering unemployment benefits to striking workers could 'destabilize' school services, superintendents warn Initially, the bill allowed striking workers to receive up to 26-weeks of benefits, except during a recession or as the economy recovers from a recession, when workers are less likely to strike. Lawmakers in the House passed the bill, however the legislation hit a snag in the Senate. On Tuesday, lawmakers held a Conference Committee hearing in a group made up of members of senators and representatives. There, the lawmakers discussed amendments to the bill. This included deductions in backpay for teachers who claim unemployment during a strike and trimming the initial 26-weeks of unemployment benefits to 10 weeks, which lawmakers passed on Thursday. During the Conference Committee hearing, Representative Dacia Grayber (D-SW Portland East Beaverton) said she felt the 10-week amendment is a 'massive compromise.' Newberg vineyard workers arrested in targeted ICE raids: Salinas 'It's not something I'm entirely thrilled with,' Grayber said. 'When unemployment insurance was developed in Oregon, I do believe that we were living in very different economic times in a very different political reality where we have over the last few decades watched systemic disenfranchisement.' Grayber, who was among chief sponsors of the bill, told KOIN 6 News in a statement on Friday, 'This is a historic win for the working people of Oregon. Nobody should starve or lose their health care while a fair contract is being bargained—and SB 916 was crafted to expedite ending strikes by bringing parties to the table with more urgency for a last, best, and final offer.' 'In addition to the previous House changes made to be responsive to the revenue forecast, protective of the UI fund, and streamline the process for schools, the changes adopted by the Conference Committee limit striking workers to receiving benefits for ten weeks, a sixteen-week reduction from the bill we passed out of the House last week. While I am disappointed with this reduction, it is a testament to the power of compromise, and the ability of legislators to bridge divides to secure policy wins for working Oregonians,' the representative added. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now During the Conference Committee hearing, Senator Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) voiced his opposition against the amendment or the underlying bill, decrying the bill's provision allowing both public and private sector employees to receive unemployment benefits while on strike. 'For me, it's too much to ask of the system and structure that we have in place,' Bonham said. ' We have a healthy fund today due in no small part because all the agreements over the years have been honored. It is a healthy enough (unemployment) fund that I don't know that this will be a massive draw on it but again, the kids will lose if teachers are incentivized to strike. We've always been able to negotiate for backpay but then the framework coming back from strike, incentivizing strikes in this way, in my opinion, you're decreasing the threshold for which someone wouldn't be burdened by a strike and thus I think you're incentivizing a strike.' Portland leaders address community ahead of weekend demonstrations Bonham issued a press release after the bill's passage, calling the bill a 'terrible idea.' 'Democrats just made it easier to strike against schools and public services—and stuck taxpayers with the bill. But the people who will suffer most are the kids, the ones without a lobbyist or a vote, whose school days will be lost so unions can cash in,' Bonham said. After passing the House and Senate, the bill heads to Oregon Governor Tina Kotek's desk for signature. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
