Education

The University of South Florida has announced a series of cost-cutting measures after saying the state is reducing its funding by about $36.7 million.

The cuts reflect an 8.5% reduction in state funds for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2021.

The Florida Board of Governors had earlier requested the state's 12 public universities make plans reflecting such cuts due to declining state tax and lottery revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as a 10% adjustment for fiscal 2021-2022.

Two fraternities at Florida Gulf Coast University have been suspended for the rest of the semester, the university has reported. Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi were found responsible for holding an off-campus event that was not compliant with the university’s COVID-19 guidelines.

Sorority Delta Delta Delta has been placed on an interim suspension and is going through the school’s conduct process, also for allegations of holding an non-compliant event.

The Florida Department of Education (DOE) is distributing $2 million in CARES Act funding to increase K-12 students' access to virtual counseling and online psychiatry.

DEO Chancellor Eric Hall says leaders want to make sure there’s no gap in mental health services with more students enrolled in distance learning during the pandemic.

“It helps to give them access to that same level of support and engagement with these professionals using these online platforms, so that there’s no breakdown in service.”

Schools across the state are back in session with some students in brick and mortar classrooms and others attending online.

But when it comes to music education, federal and state policy makers don't have much to say.

So these teachers are turning to organizations like the National Association for Music Education for guidance on how to safely move forward with extracurriculars that could contribute to spreading the coronavirus.

Florida A&M University’s Developmental Research School is sending students home for two weeks after several positive cases of COVID-19 on its campus.

The university says one teacher and one non-teaching staffer tested positive for the virus, along with two students. More than half a dozen teachers are being asked to quarantine and volleyball and football games set for this week have been postponed.

The school is also suspending in-person classes for two weeks.

Thrasher sent a statement via email to students today. In it, he thanks those who have been wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing. But he also says students who ignore COVID-19 safety guidelines are putting everyone at risk.

"The choices you make don’t just impact you. They affect your friends, families, professors, FSU staff, and the Tallahassee community at large, as well as our ability to hold in-person classes and future events and provide campus services," Thrasher says.

The New York Times lists Tallahassee as the 2nd metro area where coronavirus cases are rising the fastest, on a population-adjusted basis. Leon County has 7,943 COVID-19 infections.

Florida A&M University will place students who are exposed to the coronavirus in campus apartments but the school is mum about identifying which ones students will be placed in. Since the start of August. 14 students and nearly 20 staff members have tested positive for Covid-19. Two students have already been moved and placed in quarantine.

The Florida State University Alumni Association says its cancelled homecoming amid the coronavirus pandemic. It’s planning to reschedule the annual gathering in the Spring, but hasn’t set dates.

The loss of the homecomings at FSU and Florida A&M University will likely take a bite out of the city’s economy.

K-12 schools across the state began sending people home to self-isolate within days of classes starting. Some districts are releasing the names of schools where close contact with a confirmed positive case has occurred, while others are not disclosing this information.

Thirty-four people at Florida A&M and 129 people at Florida State University have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of August. Both schools are trying to keep the numbers down through restrictions on large gatherings. FAMU has even instituted a curfew on students who live on-campus, though President Larry Robinson says he’s not yet had to suspend or expel any students for violating it.

Florida State University’s former student senate president is suing the Student Government Association and the school over his removal. Jack Denton lost his position earlier this year over online comments he made regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and Transgender people.

Denton’s attorneys say student senate leaders and the university discriminated against him for expressing his religious views.

Academic institutions across the country are grappling with how to keep campuses open while keeping students and faculty safe during the pandemic.

At Florida Gulf Coast University, reports of off-campus parties have already put the future of the fall semester in jeopardy.

At FGCU, faculty members like Lutgert College of Business professor Michael Zahaby are taking the responsibility of trying to prevent the spread of COVID-19 seriously.

Florida State University classes are in full swing. Students walk across campus and lounge on Landis Green. Some wear masks—others don't. University policy requires faculty, staff, and students to mask up—whether they're outside, in classrooms or residence halls. But that's not always happening, says Jennifer, who lives in one of the dorms on FSU's campus.

The state finished presenting its case in the legal challenge to Florida’s school reopen order Thursday.

The high-profile lawsuit was brought by statewide teachers union, the Florida Education Association. It alleges state education commissioner Richard Corcoran’s order calling for brick-and-mortar campuses to operate in the fall violates the state constitution, which requires public schools be “safe.”

Less than 48 hours after reopening to students, COVID-19 cases were reported at three Manatee County schools.

The annual move-in day at the University of West Florida looked a lot different this year.