Jacksonville, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a package of education reforms in Jacksonville on Tuesday morning.
The bill covers turnaround schools, book challenges, and more.
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There’s also some changes to help students pursue careers in the military and ensure students pursuing higher education are allowed to work their way through school. DeSantis argued all of these reforms together will continue pushing Florida’s education system forward.
DeSantis signed HB 1285 into law at Jacksonville Classical Academy. If a district’s turnaround plan fails, the new law will expedite converting failing traditional public schools into charter schools.
It also limits book challenges to just one a month for residents of a school district who don’t have a child in the local school system to crack down on serial and frivolous challenges.
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The legislation also requires traditional public and charter schools to offer 11th and 12th-grade students the opportunity to take the ASVAB Test and consult with a military recruiter.
It also encourages school districts to offer dual enrollment so students can earn college credit in high school and prohibits universities from disallowing students from working through school.
DeSantis argued the changes will help improve Florida’s educational standing and make college more affordable for Florida students.
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“So, all in all that’s a lot stuff for one piece of legislation. I think it’s going to be very positive and we’re just gonna continue to lead the way,” DeSantis said.
While DeSantis was signing the new law making it easier for charters to take over failing traditional public schools, the Duval School Board was meeting to discuss the possibility of shuttering several traditional public schools in the district due to declining enrollment rates mostly lost to charters and private schools.
Coming up tonight on Action News Jax, Jake Stofan tell you what the Governor had to say when he asked DeSantis how he envisions the future of traditional public schools here in Florida.
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