fbpx

Teachers, locked and loaded

Today during the Senate Education Committee senators discussed and passed SPB 7030. This bill would remove the prohibition against classroom teachers’ participation in the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program. The Guardian Program was created as part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act passed in 2018 (SB 7026).   If passed school districts could request educators and school personnel to volunteer to be trained to carry a firearm for the express purpose of engaging an active shooter on campus.

Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) attempted to amend the bill to restore the prohibition of classroom teachers from being eligible to volunteer.  The amendment failed on a party-line vote. FEA was joined at the podium in support of the Berman amendment by several speakers, including two classroom teachers and students with Mom’s Demand Action, the Florida PTA and the League of Women Voters.

We thank Sens. Berman, Janet Cruz (D-Tampa) and Bill Montford (D-Tallahassee) for speaking out in opposition to classroom teachers being asked to carry firearms to protect their students and ultimately voting in opposition to SPB 7030. However, the bill passed on a party-line 5-3 vote. The bill was introduced as a committee bill, and we now wait to see what other committees of reference it will receive in the Senate and whether a companion committee bill will be filed in the House.

U.S. District Judge Rules Part of Florida’s 2023 Union Busting Bill Unconstitutional

Key takeawaysSB 256, which removed the ability for automatic payroll deduction for union fees, was ruled unconstitutional and in violation of the federal government's contracts clause.This ruling reaffirms that collective…

Read more about U.S. District Judge Rules Part of Florida’s 2023 Union Busting Bill Unconstitutional

Students Win with Pro-Public Education Measures Passed Across State

Key takeawaysVoters overwhelmingly passed funding referenda, elected pro-education school board candidates and rejected Amendment 1 during this general election.Across party lines and demographics, voters supported public education and students.FEA remains…

Read more about Students Win with Pro-Public Education Measures Passed Across State

Students Win as Voters Show Support for Neighborhood Public Schools; Push Back on DeSantis Agenda 

Voters throughout Florida showed their support for students and educators in public schools during Tuesday's primary, with school board candidates endorsed by the Florida Education Association and its local unions…

Read more about Students Win as Voters Show Support for Neighborhood Public Schools; Push Back on DeSantis Agenda 

Member Profile: Ruby Encarnacion, Volusia United Educators

Ruby Encarnacion faced struggles as an educator with disabilities. With the help of her union, she is now thriving as are the students she teaches.This past…

Read more about Member Profile: Ruby Encarnacion, Volusia United Educators

Member Spotlight: Carla Cundiff, Indian River County Education Association

In serving on IRCEA’s executive board, Cundiff carries on a family legacy. Her mother was a founding member of IRCEA in the 1970s. Cundiff maintains a large, diverse classroom library.…

Read more about Member Spotlight: Carla Cundiff, Indian River County Education Association

Cover Story: Local Profiles — A Growing Union Family

Florida has the fourth largest economy in the United States. In fact, if Florida were a country, it would rank in the top 15 countries in the world for total…

Read more about Cover Story: Local Profiles — A Growing Union Family