Broward Schools School Pride and Peace Week
From David Volz
School Pride and Peace Week takes place Monday, October 11 – Friday, October 15. The initiative was created in response to recent TikTok challenges, which urge students to participate in negative, potentially dangerous and criminal activities at schools and then post videos of their actions to the social media platform.
During School Pride and Peace Week, students will take part in activities that promote kindness, express positive messages and encourage responsible use of social media through the District’s Think B4U Post program. Examples of activities include school assemblies, door decorating contests, making school pride banners, student volunteer activities, T-shirt decorating, and creating Peace Walls designed with cards created by students with the theme “If you could make one positive change in the world, what would it be?”
Middle and high school students are invited to enter a social media video challenge. Videos will be judged based on students’ creativity and portrayal of positive messages about their schools. Students and schools will submit videos to the District’s School Climate and Discipline Department for a chance to win prizes and have their videos showcased by BCPS.
| The Biden administration recently awarded Broward Schools $421,000 for standing up to the state ban on mask mandates. However, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has threatened to remove this money. The Broward Public Schools District received a letter on October 5 from Corcoran that said the penalties to the district will be increased over the mask mandates. Florida has withheld $70,000, the equivalent of two months’ salaries of School Board members. The Biden administration agreed to offset reductions from the state and gave the district a grant for $421,000, the equivalent of a year’s worth of School Board salaries. In the recent letter, Corcoran said he plans to recommend the State Board of Education not only continue to withhold money equivalent to the board member salaries but also to withhold money in the exact amount of any federal grants the district receives for non-compliance with the state emergency rules.This is the latest item in a two-month conflict between Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration and the Broward school district over mask mandates. The Department of Health has issued two emergency orders saying parents must be able to opt out of any mask mandates imposed by school districts. |
