Over 5,000 petitions call on Disney to drop property tax lawsuits that could drain money from Orange County schools

The school district that is already in a financial crisis and has been forced to close schools over declining enrollment and budget concerns.

by McKenna Schueler July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

Florida News

Florida teacher fired after Charlie Kirk post fights for professional survival

“This might not be the obituary we were hoping to wake up to, but this is a close second to me,” she initially wrote.

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix July 5, 2026July 5, 2026

Florida News

Florida blocks undocumented immigrants from state colleges, GED programs

Undocumented immigrants will be blocked from adult general education programs in high schools and state colleges

by Ana Goñi-Lessan, News Service of Florida July 1, 2026July 1, 2026

Orlando Area News

Leftover Disney property tax settlement money set aside by schools could go back to teacher salaries

Orange County Public Schools has set aside $119 million to settle property tax lawsuits filed against the county by Disney World and other corporations, should the plaintiffs prevail.

by McKenna Schueler June 17, 2026June 17, 2026

Education

News orgs urge Orange County schools to change policy that ‘chills First Amendment-protected speech’

The call-to-action is part of an initiative that spotlights policies that restrict the reasonable flow of pertinent information to the public.

by McKenna Schueler June 11, 2026June 11, 2026

Florida News

Florida schools directed to add AI to internet safety policies

All districts already have an “Internet Safety” policy in place, and now the DOE is requiring districts to amend the policy to include AI

by News Service of Florida June 8, 2026June 8, 2026

Florida News

University of Florida presidential hopeful Stuart Bell says he won’t bring ‘woke’ back

“I’m certainly not coming to Florida to bring DEI or any form of woke back. Period,” Bell said Wednesday afternoon

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix June 4, 2026June 4, 2026

Florida News

Florida school choice advocates push back against union’s ‘frivolous’ voucher suit

Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas called the statewide union a “special interest group” on a “never-ending quest to harm students and families in our great state.”

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix May 18, 2026May 18, 2026

Orlando Area News

UCF students boo commencement speaker over AI praise

“No, they’re saying Boo-urns”

by Chloe Greenberg May 11, 2026May 11, 2026

Florida News

Florida teachers union, parents sue state over crumbling public school system starved by state vouchers

Plaintiffs argued the state has failed to uphold students’ constitutional right to a high-quality education through the public school system.

by McKenna Schueler May 7, 2026May 7, 2026

Education

Florida average teacher pay remains at bottom of national data, union says

“When public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can’t afford to stay in the profession, it’s students who lose”

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix April 28, 2026April 28, 2026

Florida News

Florida’s 28 state colleges remove sociology as general education course

The 12 state universities also recently removed the course

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix April 20, 2026April 20, 2026

Florida News

Florida seeks to bar undocumented immigrants from state colleges

Students would have to “provide clear and convincing documentation that he or she is a citizen of the United States or lawfully present in the United States,” before admission

by Ana Goñi-Lessan, News Service of Florida April 17, 2026April 17, 2026

Florida News

Florida rural school districts’ financial stress is the ‘canary in coal mine’

The distressed finances of two districts could be just an inkling of what’s to come, state leaders say, as enrollment continues to decline

by News Service of Florida April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

Florida News

Uthmeier says Florida can now fund religious charter schools, ‘encourage’ Christianity

The First Amendment doesn’t bar the states from “encouraging” religion, especially Christianity, Uthmeier asserts

by News Service of Florida April 3, 2026April 3, 2026

Florida News

Florida scraps sociology as a general education course at universities

The decision comes after state rulemakers and faculty tugged back and forth over what a sociology curriculum will look like

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix March 27, 2026March 27, 2026

News

Florida universities face DeSantis-backed freeze on H1-B visas

Florida’s university system decision-makers voted to pause H-1B visas at state universities until next year

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix March 3, 2026March 3, 2026

News

Florida adds Maduro overthrow to anti-communist curriculum

The Florida Education Association said the new communism curriculum included ‘ideologically charged rhetoric’ when it was adopted last fall

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix February 23, 2026February 23, 2026

Florida News

Bill to put cameras in special education classrooms moves ahead

The Florida bill seeks to provide an objective eye in situations in which students, particularly those who are nonverbal, might be abused or mistreated

by Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix February 5, 2026February 5, 2026