The big story: As the popularity of artificial intelligence grows, schools across Florida and the nation have aimed to establish rules and practices that permit for responsible use of the technology before letting it run rampant.
With the specter of plagiarism and cheating ever present, officials have looked to set ethical guidelines and strict consequences for violators. They’ve also sought systems that won’t put personal data at risk.
The Leon County school district is the latest to find that spot, its school board adopting a new AI policy at its most recent meeting. The approval allows staff to begin looking at the possibilities for the coming school year. Read more from the Tallahassee Democrat.
In other classroom technology news, the Broward County school district’s inspector general is scrutinizing the district’s troubled efforts to purchase thousands of student laptops in time for the coming school year, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Hot topics
Budgets: Citrus County school district officials told employees their jobs are safe even as the district works to overcome a $3.5 million shortfall, the Citrus County Chronicle reports. • Marion County schools are facing $65 million in cuts to their spending for the next fiscal year, the Ocala Star Banner reports.
Charter schools: The entire leadership team resigned from a Leon County charter school, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
Dress code: Bay County schools will begin enforcing their student dress code for the first time since Hurricane Michael in 2018, WJHG reports.
New schools: The superintendent of Bradford County schools is asking lawmakers for money to support a new junior-senior high school in his district, WCJB reports.
School zones: Miami-Dade County law enforcement will continue to enforce school speed zones during the summer, WLRN reports.
Start times: The Santa Rosa County school district announced its school start times for the fall, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. They do not follow the state guidelines that lawmakers eased during their session.
Student discipline: The University of Florida suspended a law school student who wrote on social media that Jews must be “abolished by any means necessary,” HuffPost reports.
University presidents: Bethune-Cookman University selected a new president after a contentious search, Central Florida Public Media reports. • Half the presidents in the Florida university system now have connections to Gov. Ron DeSantis or the state Republican Party, Inside Higher Ed reports.
University trustees: Gov. Ron DeSantis reappointed Adam Kissel of the Heritage Foundation to the University of West Florida board of trustees despite the Senate’s rejection of Kissel, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.
From the police blotter ... A Volusia County private Christian school teacher is accused of trafficking child pornography on school grounds during class hours, WFTV reports. • A Miami-Dade County school custodian was arrested on allegations of of attacking a fellow employee, WPLG reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to Friday’s roundup.
Before you go ... Yo-yo Ma posted this video last week without any added explanation. Perhaps none is needed.
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