Sparkman Receives Keys to City

Posted on May 2nd, 2017 by

Sparkman Receives Keys to City

18192629_10154295965192257_5739566775070123350_oTwenty-years of military services is a great accomplishment in itself– that on top of twenty-years of educational services to remarkable.  On Sunday, April 30, 2017 the City of Crystal River agreed when, Mayor Jim Farley gave Crystal River High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Senior Chief Sparkman, USN (ret.) the key to the City of Crystal River for his 20 years of dedication to the CRHS and the Navy Science JROTC program.

Thank you Senior Chief!

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Thank you Teachers & Staff

Posted on May 1st, 2017 by

teacher_staff

We are so grateful for the commitment each of you have in your work for students, schools and community!

Thank you!

 

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Legislature Tells Schools Boards No Standing Required for Pledge

Posted on April 25th, 2017 by

Legislature Tells Schools Boards No Standing Required for Pledge

Law passed in 2016 session, School Board Disagrees

CaptureA year ago the Florida State Legislature passed a “train bill” HB 7029 by huge margins.  I was against that bill (as I remain today) for many items that were in that bill.  Tuck into HB 7029 at the last minute was language that mandated that local school boards must, “… student shall be informed by a written notice published in the student handbook or a similar publication pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge. Upon written request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from reciting the pledge, including standing and placing the right hand over his or her heart.” This bill was signed into law and is now Florida Statute 1003.44.

The law previously permitted students to opt out of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance but still required students to stand.  Citrus County School’s policy reflected that as well.  I shared about this new change in Florida Statute last year in two articles; https://thomastalks.org/2016/07/06/misleading-report-learn-the-real-facts/ and https://thomastalks.org/2016/03/19/floridas-bright-future-a-legislative-session-review/. Unfortunately, at the time few people seem to me upset about it then.

Today during our School Board Workshop when the policy was presented for review I spoke out again about this new Florida Statute.  The rest of the school board also spoke up and disagreed with this law.

The Board asked the School Board’s attorney, Wes Bradshaw to present alternative language which would meet Florida Statute but emphasizes that students are required to stand for the Pledge, unless requested in writing by the parent or guardian.

If you are interested in watching the video on this part of the School Board Meeting visit; https://youtu.be/BdjRztAqptg

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Varsity Sports Exemption Gets Boost from Senate

Posted on April 20th, 2017 by

Varsity Sports Exemption Gets Boost from Senate  

Senator Flores Introduces Amendment

envision2-COLLAGEEvery train has some ‘cool’ cars too!  SB 926 maybe this year’s educational train bill and there are some good parts to it. This amendment is one of the good parts.

For a number of years I have been lobbying anyone that would listen in the Florida legislature to revise Florida Statute 1003.4282 to better apply participation in competitive athletics to the physical education wavier in high school.

This session Citrus County’s Florida House of Representative Ralph E. Massullo, MD, graciously ran HB 6015 and Senator Debbie Mayfield ran the Senate companion bill SB 782.  Yesterday in SB 926’s final committee stop in the Senate Rules Committee, Senator Anitere Flores introduced an amendment that includes the language that Rep. Massullo and Sen. Mayfield have in their bills respective bills and included it in SB 926.  This is most encouraging and positive. Sen. Flores’s SB 926 with this amendment passed Senate Rules Committee unanimously. Next SB 926 moves to the full Senate floor.

If passed what could result is a significant number of students that participate in interscholastic sports would no longer have to also take P.E. at the school or virtually and thereby give up other course options.

Florida law requires that a student achieves one-credit in physical education for graduation.  Currently there are P.E. waivers that a student can get if they successfully complete marching band, JORTC, dance and on a stricter basis, interscholastic sport, due to the courses’ physical endurance work. This amendment would improve the current statute to read, “Participation in an interscholastic sport at the junior varsity or varsity level for two full seasons shall satisfy the one-credit requirement in physical education.”

I appreciate Sen. Flores bring forward this amendment and Senator Wilton Simpson, who has also been encouraging and helping improve this statute.

Stay tune…

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Gradebook Podcast talks to FSBA about 2017 Legislature

Posted on April 7th, 2017 by

Gradebook Podcast talks to FSBA about 2017 Legislature

Andrea-Messena-2015Please listen to the Tampa Bay Times Gradebook podcast with host Time Education Reporter, Jeffrey Solochek as he interviews Florida School Boards Association’s executive director Andrea Messina to talk about the current Florida Legislative session.

Ms. Messina I have the highest respect for and she is one of our state’s leading public educational policy experts.  Ms. Messina is a former English teacher, Charlotte County School Board Member, and FSBA Professional Development Coordinator.  She was my new school board member, teacher when I was first elected to office and she is still someone I reach out to on many school board issues.

This Gradebook podcast addresses several issues that the Florida legislature is working on– in particular, capital dollar funding for school districts.

Ms. Messina does an excellent job explaining how current proposed legislation looks to further reduce, the already reduced capital funding to local school districts.

Please take the time and listen to the Gradebook Podcast: http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/gradebook-podcast-floridas-legislative-session-at-halftime-and-school/2319534

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Citrus cleans up at Florida State Science and Engineering Fair

Posted on March 31st, 2017 by

Citrus cleans up at Florida State Science and Engineering Fair

C8QAQcGU0AMelv-District Science Special, Richard Crowley shared today that Citrus County students performed well at the 2017 Florida State Science and Engineering Fair. Congratulations to the winners and to all the students that advanced to the State level.

Citrus winners from the state science fair:

Kelly Laplante: 4th Place, Senior Division, Engineering category; AES

Truman Roland: 4th Place, Senior Division, Microbiology category; CHS

Joshua Brunk: 4th Place, Junior Division, Environmental Engineering category; IMS

Raine Leonard: Honorable Mention, Junior Division, Earth & Environmental Sciences category; CSMS

Alisa Luthra: Recognition Award, Senior Division, Environmental Engineering category; AES

Elise Leturno: Recognition Award, Junior Division, Animal Sciences; LMS

Bayley Edwards: Special Award ($25 from Lake County Regional Science & Engineering Fair), Senior
Division, Environmental Engineering Category, CRHS

Sierra Creasy: Special Award ($150 from American Society of Civil Engineers, Florida Section), Junior
Division, Engineering category, LMS

Robert Fowler: Special Award ($25 from Hillsborough Regional Science & Engineering Fair), Junior
Division, Animal Sciences category, CRMS

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