Latest news with #PalmBeachCountySchoolBoard
Newsweek
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Florida Schools Consider Expanding Phone Ban
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Members of the Palm Beach County School Board in Florida are considering expanding a ban on cellphone use in schools. Newsweek has contacted the school board for comment via email. Why It Matters Florida became the first state to crack down on phones on school in 2023 with a law that requires all public schools to ban student cellphone use during class time. Some states have followed suit—while many others have policies that restrict students' use of cellphones in schools. Supporters say limiting use of cellphones will improve student learning and mental health. But others have noted that the bans could impact safety and not allow students to communicate on their phones in an emergency, such as during a school shooting. A stock photo shows students using cellphones. A stock photo shows students using cellphones. iStock What To Know Lawmakers in Florida have approved legislation that would go further than the law already in effect and ban elementary and middle school students from using cellphones during the school day. HB 1105 would also establish a pilot program for six school districts, which have yet to be named, to ban cellphone use for high school students "from bell to bell," according to The Palm Beach Post. It is expected to be signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. At a meeting last week, several members of the Palm Beach County School Board supported the idea of extending the "bell-to-bell" ban to high school students in the district. Board member Edwin Ferguson said he is in favor of creating a policy for high school students because cellphones are "a huge distraction." He noted that another district, Orange County Public Schools, had already banned phones for the entire school day. Another member, Matthew Jay Lane, said he supported the idea, pointing to studies that have shown it will "increase academic achievement, enhance interpersonal communication, limit distractions and reduce bullying." Another board member, Gloria Branch, said she supported students not being able to use their phones during the school day, but opposed spending money on pouches to keep phones locked in. Board chair Karen Brill noted that parents who oppose the ban want to ensure their children have access to their phones in an emergency. She said: "They don't want their phones collected because they're worried that if there was that emergency and they had to go into a safe room, that they would not have the phones on them." Other board members argued that the district should focus on implementing the bell-to-bell ban on elementary and middle school students. Marcia Andrews said she believes cellphones are "dangerous to our children," but that students "need the phones for emergencies." She added: "We're going to have to follow the law, but I think we don't need to jump out there and begin to overdo this thing. I think high schools do a great job with taking care of the cellphones." Erica Whitfield, another board member, agreed, saying that she is "always cautious when we talk about doing something huge to the school system." What People Are Saying Isabella Mirisola, the board's student representative, said during the meeting that she agrees students "shouldn't be on their phones during the school day." But she said she believes students should be allowed to keep their phones on them "considering that, if there's an emergency in a school, I don't think that the teachers or administration are going to jump at emailing parents or calling parents. I think they're going to try getting rid of the situation first." What's Next The school board will hold a workshop on May 28 to discuss how to implement HB 1105.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Boca Raton Middle employee fired after being accused of trying to meet minor for sex
The Palm Beach County School Board has terminated a man who worked at Boca Raton Middle School following his arrest earlier this week on a charge of traveling to meet a minor for unlawful sex. Stephon McCray, 44, was a 'non-instructional staff member' and was removed from the middle school in February when McCray was initially reported to Delray Beach Police, the school said in a message to parents on Wednesday. The School Board voted to fire him on Wednesday. Officers were called to Sprouts Farmers Market in Delray Beach on Feb. 26 about a 'suspicious incident.' They met with Dustin Lampros, who runs a social media account called '561 Predator Catchers,' according to a probable cause affidavit for McCray's arrest. The account is similar to the 'To Catch a Predator' series from NBC's 'Dateline,' where adult men ran sting operations and confronted those who believed there were meeting up with minors for sex in the early 2000s. Lampros told police that McCray had been inappropriately communicating through the dating app Grindr and through texts with someone who posing as a 14-year-old boy named 'Jordan,' the affidavit said. In reality, McCray was messaging with someone else, a 'decoy.' Lampros showed officers all of the messages. McCray and 'Jordan' messaged for several hours on Feb. 26, and several were about meeting up for sexual activity, the affidavit showed. 'Jordan' early on in their texting purported to McCray that he was a minor. It is not clear in the affidavit who was actually texting McCray. 'do u care if im younger or nah,' the person pretending to be a minor wrote. 'Are you legal?' McCray replied. 'im bout to be 15 just being honest its hard af being gay nowadays hope u not madd,' the person wrote back. 'I'm not mad… but being under age can get someone like me in prison if it were to become anything but clean and clear conversation,' McCray replied. In the messages that followed, McCray told the decoy that their conversations had to be 'PG-13 or better,' according to the affidavit. They talked about meeting up at a store, and 'Jordan' asked what they would do if they were to meet. 'Not sure yet. I'm still trying to figure out and decide if you're an undercover law enforcement agent or not,' McCray wrote. 'What store would it be?' McCray in one message to 'Jordan' described exactly the situation he did not know he was in; he wrote that he had a friend who works as 'a child predator victim agency' and had told him about how people pretend to be minors online 'and then try to catch adults who setup meetings to 'abuse' them,' the affidavit said. 'bruh I aint got time for that,' the decoy replied. After McCray allegedly messaged that he was hoping 'Jordan' would engage in sexual activity with him and went to the supermarket to meet up, Lampros confronted McCray inside the store and recorded the encounter, a video posted on YouTube showed. Lampros's stings have resulted in numerous arrests in Palm Beach County. The probable cause affidavit was signed by an officer a week later. McCray was booked into the Palm Beach County jail earlier this week and has been released after posting bail on a $20,000 bond and must follow certain conditions, including not using the internet, social media, a computer, a smart phone or emailing or text messaging. His defense attorney did not respond to a request for comment. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge. The message sent to Boca Raton Middle School families on Wednesday said that McCray had not been allowed to interact with any students since he was removed from the campus in February. 'The safety of our students is our utmost priority. Following an internal investigation, the School District is proceeding with the termination of Mr. McCray's employment,' the message said. 'We were informed (Tuesday) that Mr. McCray has been arrested. Current information suggests this incident did not involve any students from our campus.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'The threat was real': Palm Beach County School board to end DEI programs over objections
The Palm Beach County School Board voted Wednesday night to repeal the district's diversity, equity and inclusion rules and statements, heeding a threat from the Trump administration to pull federal funds from districts, colleges and universities that don't drop them. Board member Edwin Ferguson blasted the push for anti-DEI changes, calling the administration's actions "child-like" and "bullying" and castigating as an "idiot" those who might unwittingly back threats forcing the district to scrap policies that help women as well as minorities. Because the changes were approved on an emergency basis, they will go into effect immediately and remain so for 90 days. During that time, the district will get input from the public and from district staff, which can suggest alterations. Board members would need to take a second, final vote before the changes become permanent. Staff recommended the emergency changes because the Trump administration demanded that state education leaders across the country have school districts in their state sign a "reminder of legal obligations" acknowledging that some DEI programs could — in the view of Trump administration officials — violate anti-discrimination laws and subject a district to the loss of tens of millions in federal funding. Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz forwarded that reminder to the Palm Beach County School District on April 10, and Superintendent Mike Burke signed it a week later. The district got $300 million from the federal government in fiscal year 2025 and is using the money to recruit, train and retain teachers working in schools with a high percentage of poor students. The money is also being used for student meals and to educate special needs students as well as those still learning English. In addition to the threatened loss of federal funding, the district could have its fiscal year 2026 state funding cut by as much as $47 million, which would make it more difficult for high schools to continue offering AP, IB and AICE programs. Ferguson was alone in opposition during a series of 6-1 votes Wednesday night as the board repealed district language calling for racial diversity in hiring and promotion and business utilization. He launched an impassioned, prolonged verbal assault on repealing the provisions, repeatedly likening the Trump administration's threats to "children leading the adults." "My 7-year-old comports herself in a much more forward-thinking and professional manner than some of our leaders in D.C.," Ferguson said. None of the board members spoke at length in support of the anti-DEI changes, though Gloria Branch told Ferguson she thought that scrapping the district's policy on diversity in business practices was a good idea. And she rejected the notion that she was only voting in favor of the anti-DEI changes because of the threat to the district's federal funding. "I just want to be clear," she said. "I'm not voting in fear on any of these policies." Board members were otherwise silent as Ferguson continued to blast away at the proposed changes and urged his colleagues to shrug off fear and call the administration's bluff. Burke said he understood the difficulty of voting for what his staff was recommending. "I respect your position as a board member," Burke told Ferguson. "I know this is a tough vote for everyone. We're trying to navigate this to the best of our ability. I'm not a real fearful person myself, but I can't look at just my own personal situation. I need to look at the district and their finances. I felt like the threat was real." The Trump administration has already withheld billions in federal funding from some universities, actions that are being challenged in court along with attention-grabbing administration moves in the areas of immigration, staffing and law. Many of the early court rulings in those cases have gone against the administration, and it is possible — likely even — that some school districts, following the lead of Harvard University, will contest the threat to their federal funding. Jane Tierney, a board member for the Coalition for Black Student Excellence, urged school board members to delay the implementation of any changes "until such time as the legal questions are resolved." Tierney said the policies the district had in place "did not create excellence or equity." "Black students are still disporportionately undereducated," she said. "Black educators do not have an equal chance at promotion. Black businesses still do not get their fair share of contracts from the school district." The district, the largest employer in the county, has had a program in place to certify and track contract work awarded to businesses owned by women and minorities. Unlike other local governments, the district does not require large firms to share some of the work with firms owned by women or minorities. The district moved away from that program in 2017 in favor of one aimed at helping small businesses, many of which are owned by women and minorities. The district said it "will be evaluating over the next few weeks" whether to continue with the certification of women- and minority-owned fims and the tracking of contract work awarded to them. "We acknowledge that continuing to track this information is important for the district and the public to know," a district spokesman said. While much of the focus of DEI programs is on their benefit to racial and ethnic minorities, they are often a boon to women. Ferguson said those who oppose DEI programs and are happy to see the Trump administration push for their demise "will soon realize, 'Oh, shoot. That was something that could have benefited my daughter. I have dreams and aspirations for my daughter. You mean I'm stopping that from happening?' Yeah, idiot, you are. Yes, you are." Trump and other Republicans have described DEI programs as as a form of reverse discrimination against whites that put minorities in positions of authority without merit. They also argue that the programs violate federal laws against discrimination. Democrats counter that the programs are a necessary tool to ensure that women and minorities are included in job candidate pools and that the views of people in marginalized communities are taken into account as policy is crafted. Ferguson told his colleagues that the administration's threat to pull the district's federal funding over DEI is an empty one. "If you're fool enough to pull our federal funding, guess what's going to happen?" he said. "Those same persons who put you in office are going to see you out of office because — guess what? — they have a fair number of people who are receiving (federal) funds. All those monies that we rely on to make this machine hum? A lot of their children are going to be suffering if you pull that $300 million." Ferguson's faith in electoral consequences for Trump if he pulls federal funding from school districts doesn't square with the president's political history. Many of Trump's most ardent supporters are low- and middle-income workers who back him and other Republicans despite their opposition to unions, expanded access to Medicaid and a higher minimum wage. Still, Ferguson told board members they should not fear the administration's threat to pull the district's federal funding. "We should let them do it and see what happens," he said. "I promise you they'll flip flop just like the silly tariffs that are implemented one day and then flipped off the next. It's the exact same thing. You know who you're dealing with." Many of those who have spoken out against Trump have subsequently faced political and physical threats from the president and his supporters. Ferguson indicated he understood that reality. "I'm willing to stand on the line in this regard," he said. "I may be making a target of myself, but I didn't expect to be here forever anyway. I'm going to do what I was asked to do by my constituents while I can do it. This foolishness that we're having to capitulate to, I can't tacitly support." Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@ Help support our work; subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County School Board to end DEI programs heeds Trump threat
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Schools could end DEI programs for business, staff, students to avoid potential $300M loss
The Palm Beach County School Board is considering a broad series of rule changes that would end diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in a bid to avoid losing $300 million in federal funding. If the changes are approved during the board's meeting on Wednesday, the Palm Beach County School District would end its women -and minority-business enterprise program, which was created to give businesses owned by women and minorities a better chance to get district contract work. The district would repeal its majority-to-minority transfer rule, which gives students who are in the racial or ethnic majority in their current school first priority in transferring to a school where they would be in the racial or ethnic minority. That rule was put in place to encourage more racial and ethnic balance in schools. More: Education Department cuts: Loss of money could affect 100,000 Palm Beach County students District rules would still bar discrimination, but they would no longer require efforts to provide racial, ethnic or gender diversity in hiring or retaining staff. Principals would no longer be required to select faculty advisers, directors, coaches, sponsors and staff "who are diverse in racial, ethnic, and gender composition." A staff-generated justification for the rule changes noted that they are being proposed "due to the imminent danger to the health, safety, and welfare posed to the public" if the district continued to administer DEI programs in defiance of the Trump administration, which has repeatedly threatened to pull federal funding from school districts, colleges and universities that do not end those programs. Republicans have ripped DEI programs as a form of reverse discrimination against whites that put minorities in positions of authority without merit. They also argue that the programs violate federal laws against discrimination. Democrats counter that the programs are a necessary tool to ensure that women and minorities are included in job candidate pools and that the views of people in marginalized communities are taken into account as policy is crafted. Much of the Trump administration's anti-DEI efforts have been focused on higher education, with elite institutions like Harvard, Columbia and Penn coming into the administration's crosshairs. The anti-DEI push has now come to K-12 education. On March 14, Superintendent Mike Burke said the district was reviewing its DEI policies to "ensure compliance with evolving state and federal guidelines." The U.S. Department of Education sent state education leaders an order on April 3 demanding that they have school districts in their state sign a "reminder of legal obligations" acknowledging that some diversity, equity and inclusion programs could — in the view of Trump administration officials — violate anti-discrimination laws and subject a district to the loss of tens of millions in federal funding. Craig Trainor, the department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement that federal financial assistance is a "privilege, not a right." He added that, "when state education commissioners accept federal funds, they agree to abide by federal antidiscrimination requirements." A Palm Beach County School District spokesman said that the district received the reminder of legal obligations notice from Education Commissioner Manny Diaz on April 10 and that Burke signed it a week later. The district is already facing state funding cuts in the upcoming fiscal year that could reach $47 million and threaten the availability of AP, IB and AICE classes. Possible federal funding cuts have added to district fears. "The potential loss of approximately $300 million in federal funding would have an immediate and detrimental impact to the school district's budget and its ability to support student education, operate schools, pay employee salaries, and maintain essential services," district staff noted in statement justifying the proposed DEI pullback. The district is the largest employer in Palm Beach County, and the end of its W/MBE program would likely rankle the women and minority business owners who have relied on it to give them a better shot at district contract work. These programs have often been viewed, like other DEI efforts, as a form of reverse discrimination. Still, the business programs have survived numerous legal challenges, with federal courts determining they are legal if they could survive "strict scrutiny," meaning they have a compelling government interest and were put in place to address specific, documented instances of discrimination. School districts and local governments must first undertake a market disparity study to determine whether discrimination is hampering opportunities for women and minority business owners before they can put a program in place to address the problem. One of the anti-DEI changes being proposed in Palm Beach County is the repeal of language authorizing the school board to hire a consultant to conduct a disparity study. It is not clear, however, that the district needs to end its W/MBE program to avoid the potential loss of federal funding. The "reminder of legal obligations" districts were required to sign included DEI programs among what the Trump administration views as impermissable racial classifications that "advantage one's race over another." But a footnote of that reminder states: "The only exception to this prohibition on the use of racial classifications is where their use satisfies 'strict scrutiny.'" An attorney for the school district signed off on the proposed elimination of its women and minority business program, noting that "the proposed revisions to this policy eliminate references to an advantage or disadvantage conferred on a group based on race, ethnicity, or national origin." The Palm Beach County School District is the 10th largest in the nation and got $150 million from the U.S. Department of Education in fiscal year 2025. The district used the money to recruit, train and retain teachers at schools with a high percentage of poor students. Some of the money also went to educate students whose first language is not English and to provide equipment, programming and instruction for disabled students. Beyond the $150 million in federal education money, the district got $120 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which was used to help cover the cost of student meals. It is not clear if that food money is also under threat if districts don't shut down DEI programs. The reminder of legal obligations only mentioned the potential loss of "federal funding" and did not specify what type of federal funding was at risk or if all of it was at risk. Critics of the Trump administration's anti-DEI push view its citing of federal anti-discrimination laws as a painful irony. Minorities fought hard for and in some instances were beaten or killed in the quest to have the federal government pass laws banning discrimination. Now, those laws are being used to threaten funding that, in many places, disproportionately help minority students. The NAACP has filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education and its top leaders to stop the department from following through on its threat to strip federal funding from school districts that have DEI programs. The organization said the department's order to state education officials advances "a misrepresentation" of anti-discrimination laws "to deny Black children equal opportunities." Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@ Help support our work; subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County School District considers ending DEI programs, rules
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
High schools starting at 8:30 a.m.? Florida legislators may kill that plan before it kicks in
Starting Florida's public high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. may be a plan that gets scrapped before it is ever implemented. Two years ago, Florida approved the start time rule to begin in the 2026-27 school year, setting up a major shift for the state's public high schools, which on average ring the first bell at 7:45 a.m. and even earlier on most Central Florida campuses. But now the Florida Legislature has plans to reverse the law it enacted two years ago. A Senate education committee approved deleting the 2023 rule in a 6-to-1 vote Monday afternoon. The earlier law made sense, given numerous studies have shown students do better when high schools don't start classes as early as they do in Florida, several senators said. But it ran into 'practical realities,' mostly that it would be 'cost prohibitive,' said Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Clay County Republican who is sponsoring this year's law. Most districts use the same buses for all their students, staggering start times for their elementary, middle and high schools. If they pushed back high school start times, they'd have to buy many more school buses, an expensive proposition. Or they would have to start elementary schools earlier, in the current high school time slot, and that could mean young students waiting at bus stops 'at 6 a.m. in the dark,' Bradley said. 'The feedback is overwhelming,' she added, noting that most school administrators opposed the shift. Numerous school officials, including those from Orange and Seminole counties, filled out cards at Monday's meeting indicating they approved of the new law (SB 296) that would axe the mandate for later high school start times. 'I did vote for the bill when it came through, and I do love the idea of having later start times for our older students,' said Sen. Lori Berman, D- Boynton Beach. But members of the Palm Beach County School Board told her 'it was just impossible for them to be able to meet this mandate,' she said. 'I wish we could figure out a way to make it work.' As soon as the 2023 law passed, school district leaders said they worried they could not afford the switch the state wanted, even as they acknowledged the benefits. Researchers in Minnesota and Washington, among others, determined that pushing back high school start times to about 8:30 a.m. meant teenagers slept more, had better grades, test scores and attendance rates and got into fewer morning car crashes. 'The science is very clear,' said Rep. John Temple, R-Wildwood, the 2023 bill's sponsor, as it was discussed in a legislative committee that spring. Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, who sponsored a Senate version two years ago, on Monday said, 'I 100% believe in the science, as we all do.' But even with a 'three-year glide path' school districts could not make it work. 'I think we've heard the feedback.' The state provides only about half a school district's transportation funding. To keep bus transportation costs in check, most Central Florida school districts stagger start times, typically opening high schools first, then elementary schools and then middle schools. That is the most efficient way to use available school buses and drivers, as many can make 'triple runs,' dropping students at a high school, then an elementary school and then a middle school. The only way to keep costs the same and meet the law's requirements would be to start elementary schools in the earliest time slot, they said. In 2023, the Osceola County school district estimated that to start high schools later but leave elementary school schedules alone would mean buying 150 more buses and hiring that many more drivers. The cost for the buses alone would be about $22 million and finding the drivers would be challenging, officials said, as there is a statewide shortage that continues now. The only senator to vote against the bill was Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, though he did not share his reason.
