Below are news briefs from the Leon County School Board agenda review/workshop meeting that was held on January 15, 2025. The Board heard a presentation from the Florida Civil Rights Museum, Inc. Conceptualized in 2013, the Florida Civil Rights Museum has been working both in Tallahassee and across Florida to educate and inform about the evolution of civil rights in Florida. Most recently there have been lecture series held at Leon County Libraries and Tallahassee State College. The Florida Civil Rights Museum is helping to publish a children’s book on Miss Lilyan Spencer, a Tallahassee native who won 10 state tennis championships playing with Lincoln High School and FAMU. In 1937, she won the national tennis title at the Southern Open Championship. On January 16th, 2025 at 7:00pm in the Tallahassee State College Student Union Ballroom, the Florida Civil Rights Museum will honor her alongside other individuals for their contributions to civil rights and education. The Board discussed at-length school choice and vouchers. Bill Mattox from the James Madison Institute, a conservative think tank, went in front of the board to talk about the benefits of the school choice and vouchers. Mr. Mattox explained that not all public schools fit all students, and that parents should have the ability to put their kid in a school that best fits them. Mr. Mattox described school choice as an “Education Freedom Movement”, and that it is here to stay in Florida. Superintendent Rocky Hanna pushed back on Mr. Mattox, arguing against school choice. Superintendent Hanna explained that Leon County has spent $60 million in charter school payments in the last 5 years, and that the county should not spend taxpayer dollars on schools that don’t have accountability. According to Superintendent Hanna, Florida is already near the bottom of per pupil funding, indicating there is not enough money to go around. The Board discussed policy updates for the upcoming School Board meeting. Many of the amendments to existing policies are due to new state statutes that require changes in language. For Policy 5730, the policy was amended to ensure equal access for non-district sponsored student clubs and activities. In regard to Policy 8407, individuals who are to become Safe-School Officers must satisfy background screenings, psychological evaluations, and drug test requirements that are all approved by a sheriff before beginning any training.