Brevard school board: Close alternative learning centers; split meeting public comments
The Brevard School Board unanimously approved closing offsite learning facilities for expelled students and implementing a revised public comment policy.
Alternative learning centers (ALCs) will be replaced with an in-school diversion program, offering students who would have been expelled the option to remain in a structured educational setting rather than attending separate facilities.
The board has repeatedly revisited its public comment policy following a lawsuit from Moms for Liberty. In October, the Eleventh Circuit Court ruled that the policy’s prohibition on "abusive" speech was unconstitutional. However, Judge Roy Dalton Jr. issued a temporary restraining order blocking its enforcement in January, citing potential "irreparable injury."
NASA chooses 3 university teams to help solve aviation challenges
NASA has selected three university teams to tackle aviation challenges and enhance flight technology.
The teams are from the Florida Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Embry-Riddle. Each team will receive a share of $20.7 million in funding over three years. They will collaborate with faculty and students from various universities and industry partners.
People with developmental disabilities visit the Florida Legislature to raise awareness
Tuesday was Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day at the Florida Legislature. People with disabilities and their allies say the opportunity to share their stories with lawmakers is invaluable.
Lauren Modawell [MOD-ah-well] is a self-advocate. The main thing she’s advocating for this year is more job opportunities. She says many people with disabilities would love to have jobs…
“...but they need assistance with opening the mind of employers," she said, "to the idea of hiring people with disabilities that would love to work but don’t often have the opportunity to do so because doors are being shut in their face.”
Tina Cordova [core-DOH-vah] is a member of the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council. She’s also the executive director of Posability, a nonprofit and an advocate for her 14-year-old daughter.
Cordova says the legislative awareness event is vital to the disability community.
“Being able to present our personal stories and really taking the politics out of their decisions and helping them make it more personal is absolutely vital to our work here," she said. "Helping them connect the decisions that they make for our families, for our communities, for our state -- it’s an opportunity that I would advise no one to pass up.”
Some of the advocates’ concerns include access to services and resources -- especially those needed for some people with disabilities to live outside an institution and in a community setting.
Environmental groups sue feds over lack of phosphate wastewater restrictions
Environmental groups are suing the federal government to place more restrictions on wastewater from phosphate production. It comes as the state held a public hearing TUESDAY to consider letting Mosaic pump wastewater deep underground.
The lawsuit aims to close a loophole in federal law that allows wastewater from fertilizer manufactures to be released with minimal treatment.
Rachael Curran is a Public Interest Law Clinic attorney at Stetson Law School. She says it would force the Environmental Protection Agency to make mining companies further treat their wastewater.
“So the only reason that this is even being considered as an option is because of this exemption and the fact that we're able to call it nonhazardous industrial waste.”
Curran says by reclassifying phosphate wastewater as hazardous, it would also affect Mosaic's request to inject wastewater deep underground.
More: www.floridatoday.com
