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TALLAHASSEE — A small Central Florida Christian college has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that state education officials are unconstitutionally blocking its students from taking part in a popular grant program.

Florida Christian College says its students have been shut out of the Florida Resident Access Grant program because of a disagreement with the Department of Education about whether the college has a secular purpose. In the lawsuit, filed this month in Tallahassee, the Kissimmee college argues that state officials are violating First Amendment rights and that it is being treated differently from other colleges with religious underpinnings.

The constitution forbids government from penalizing conduct because of its religious purpose,’ the suit says.

The Florida Department of Education said it does not comment on pending litigation.

The long-running program provides grants to Florida residents to help pay tuition at private colleges. Lawmakers set aside nearly $80.8 million for the program during the current fiscal year, with most students receiving grants of $2,149, according to the state budget.

The court challenge stems from part of state law that sets eligibility criteria for the program. Among the criteria is that students attend private colleges with a secular purpose, so long as the receipt of state aid by students at the institution would not have the primary effect of advancing or impeding religion or result in an excessive entanglement between the state and any religious sect.

A different standard applies to colleges that were in the program before 1989, when laws were changed, according to the lawsuit. That includes a wide range of colleges that have religious ties, including Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Florida Christian College has 380 undergraduate students, and the lawsuit estimates 211 are Florida residents who could be eligible for FRAG money. The college’s website makes clear religion is a critical part of its programs. Simply put, our students are trained to think critically about their world, through the lens of a biblical worldview, the website says.

We just finished a momentous week, and have spring break next week. Looking back, what was the best thing that happened to you in your classroom, at a meeting, on your commute, or in your increasingly limited downtime? Did you learn a new skill of particular interest or have a breakthrough with a student?

Today Kristen Graham has been tweeting from celebratory events at Stanton and Sheppard elementaries. So let’s make some space to reflect on those positive moments, space that is important even in challenging times.

Thanks to Daniel Victor for this post idea.

Its been almost two weeks since we launched our LipDub on YouTube.  We’ve almost hit 8000 views. As usual, T-Bird spirit has been contagious – even a number of our Shep alumni have commented on how they wished they were in the LipDub.  We received some great coverage by the Edmonton Examiner on Wednesday, March 21.  And today (March 22nd), we were asked to come down to GlobalTV Studios to talk about the LipDub. Congratulations to Yasmine Al-Hussein, Corey Sadoway and Florance Park who did an exceptional job representing Ross Sheppard.  Like our Facebook page do get updates from the exciting events at Shep.  You’ll see some pics from today’s coverage of the interview with Gord Steinke. 

Teacher absenteeism can adversely affect students.

The AJC has an interesting piece this morning on absenteeism among metro Atlanta teachers. The story by education writer Ty Tagami and database specialist Kelly Guckian is subscriber only and will not appear online so I cant share a link. But I can provide a summary.

The AJC analyzed metro Atlanta attendance data for the past three years and found that teachers in nearly all districts missed on average more than 10 days due to illness, training, personal leave or jury duty. Sickness was the most common cause.

The story examines whether “mental health” days are increasing because of class size, diminishing respect and increasing responsibilities and accountability.

“It used to be that teachers only worried about teaching,” said Connie Jackson, president of the Cobb County Association of Educators. “Now, they have to worry about paperwork, evaluations, test scores, data management, keeping your students happy and keeping your parents happy. There’s so much more on teachers, that I think it’s contributed to absences.”

The piece says that research shows that when a teacher misses school, students learn less. Research suggests that the impact of a teacher missing 10 days a year compared with one who has perfect attendance is like the difference between a new teacher and one with three to four years experience.

Here is a brief snippet of the story:

“Nationally, teachers are out one day a month or about 10 days a year, said education researcher Raegen Miller, whose work on teacher absence is widely cited. “If in Georgia it’s more than that, that inevitably raises the question — what’s going on?”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution analyzed data reported by school systems to the Georgia Department of Education. The newspaper also used the state Open Records law to obtain figures on how much money each school district spent on substitute teachers.

Gwinnett County Public Schools, the largest system in Georgia, was the only large metro district to match the national average in each of the past three years. Elsewhere, though, the rates were higher. Last year, for instance, in Atlanta Public Schools and in Fulton and DeKalb counties, teachers were absent on average about 13 days. They were out 11 days in Cobb County.

Studies show a link between teacher absence and lower student test scores, especially in math something that students, parents and educators have always known.

The College of Charlestons Office of Sustainability will be hosting the campuss inaugural Sustainability week, April nd-5th. Partnered with the Master of Environmental Studies Program, the School of Science and Mathematics, The Citadel, and various student organization, this event will feature a number of events that pertain to the theme of sustainable communities. This event is a chance for the entire campus community and the general public to get better informed regarding important issues that pertain to sustainable communities.

The event schedule includes the following events:

Monday 4/2:

• Transportation Expo at Rivers Green from 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Tuesday 4/3:

• Local Organization Fair hosted by College of Charleston Student Groups at the Cistern Yard from 12:00-3:00 p.m.
• Documentary showing and panel discussion of Between the Harvest at the New Science Building Auditorium, beginning at 5:00 p.m.   This event is hosted by graduate student groups MESSA, MBGSA, and PCMI.

Wednesday 4/4:

• Local Farms Fair on George Street from 12:00-2:00 p.m.
• Dr. James Gustave Speth Discussion Building the Future One Community at a Time at the Stern Center Ballroom from 4:00-5:30 p.m.
• All Campus Trash Audit on Cougar Mall from 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. .

Thursday 4/5:

• The Office of Sustainability Greenbag Lunch Panel featuring Dr. James Gustave Speth, Colonel Mark Mykleby, Dr. J Baird Callicott, and Dr. P. Brian Fisher at the Stern Center Ballroom from 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
• 10th Annual Conrad D. Festa Community Lecture; Bill McKibben at Sottile Theater beginning at 6:00 p.m.  This event is hosted by the School of Science and Mathematics.

Leaders from three Multnomah County school districts have responded to Wednesday’s wintry weather with schedule adjustments:

Corbett School District: Closed.

Gresham-Barlow School District: Morning buses on snow routes.

David Douglas School District: Morning buses on snow routes.

– The Oregonian