Florida high school football marred by early incidents, 2 teams suspended

The big story: Part of the excitement of a new school year in Florida is the enthusiasm over high school football.

The intensity of Friday night lights already is shining hotly on two schools, where off field activities have led to the cancellation of practices and games until further notice.

Pasco County officials suspended the Land O’Lakes High program on Tuesday, after video surfaced of two junior varsity players fighting in the locker room. Other players recorded the incident and egged it on, rather than stopping it, according to the district.

A similar event occurred at Brevard County’s Viera High. A video of team players simulating sex acts with one another and attempting to pull the pants off one boy circulated, prompting the Superintendent Mark Rendell to halt the program, suspend the involved players and also suspend the coach, Florida Today reports.

Rendell announced Tuesday that practices would be allowed to resume, with changes made to locker room supervision, Florida Today reports. But he did not say when the team would be allowed to play games. It has forfeited its upcoming match.

Investigations are taking place in both counties, with some decrying the activities and other suggesting it was just horseplay.

In Leon County, meanwhile, school and district leaders are calling for change after a preseason game between Leon and Rickards high schools was canceled at halftime after violence broke out, with rumors swirling that someone had brought a gun to the stadium, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

State governance of high school athletics got a new look Tuesday, with Gov. Ron DeSantis appointing eight new members to the FHSAA Board of Directors, WGCU reports.

Black history: The Indian River County NAACP chapter is calling for change to the state’s Black history standards, WPTV reports.

Book challenges: Manatee County schools have dealt with 43 library book objections since new Florida law regarding challenges was implemented, the Bradenton Herald reports.

DeSantis agenda: As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slips in the Republican presidential polls, observers question whether the hard line education platform he campaigns on can gain traction with a majority of voters, Education Week reports. • DeSantis has used the schools to hone his image as a culture warrior, Associated Press reports.

Hot weather: Miami-Dade County schools are enforcing hot weather protocols to ensure student safety during athletic training and events, WLRN reports.

Math lessons: Polk County educators are adopting new methods to attack the district’s poor performance in math, as compared to other districts, Lakeland Now reports.

Proclamations: The Polk County School Board decided to stop issuing proclamations, after running into criticism over its plans to recognize Pride Month, WFTS reports.

Teacher pay: Duval County teachers have begun receiving bonus pay from a recently approved property tax referendum, WJXT reports. • Seminole County teachers and the district have reached a tentative pay agreement that includes raises up to $2,100, Spectrum 13 reports.

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Today in Collier County ... The State Board of Education meets at 9 a.m. at the Collier school district headquarters in Naples. It will take up more than 30 rule changes. Among them is a proposal for how to deal with restroom and locker room use in schools, Florida Phoenix reports. Here’s the agenda. You can watch on The Florida Channel.

From the police blotter ... A Broward County teen was arrested on accusations of bringing a loaded gun to school, WTVJ reports. • A Hillsborough County charter school custodian was arrested on accusations of possessing child pornography, WTVT reports. • A Bay County middle school student and relatives were arrested on allegations of starting a fight in the school cafeteria, WMBB reports.

Four candidates are finalists to lead Pasco-Hernando State College. The group includes Eric Hall, who leads the Department of Juvenile Justice in the DeSantis Administration, Suncoast News reports.

Florida colleges face new rules about restroom use. The State Board of Education is set to consider the proposal today, WFOR reports.

New College officials told student orientation leaders to remove Black Lives Matter and Pride pins from their shirts and bags. The students pushed back, noting the school recently had a discussion about respecting everyone’s views, the Herald-Tribune reports.

Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.

Before you go ... Just couldn’t pass up a video touting “Dueling Banjos” by a steel drum band.

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