Florida schools must teach about communism. Does that mean kindergarten too?

The big story: To mark the 63rd anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a requirement that all public schoolchildren learn about the ‘atrocities’ of communism.

“My view is, we might as well give them the truth when they are in our schools, because a lot of these universities will tell them how great communism is, so we are setting the proper foundation,” DeSantis said at a news conference at the Hialeah Gardens Museum.

What many people heard is that the lessons will be required instruction for K-12 schools. That could include children as young as 5 years old. They wondered how this might happen. The law says the materials must be age- and developmentally appropriate, and it leaves it to the Department of Education to determine what that means. Read more here.

Hot topics

Book removals: Florida public school principals now face possible penalties for removing books from classroom and library shelves. The State Board of Education approved the rule, saying they do not want educators to politicize the state’s book challenge process by preemptively pulling titles. The state also has encouraged schools to “err on the side of caution” when it comes to book content, leaving some people to say principals are caught in the middle of conflicting expectations. • Dozens of residents of Escambia County held a “Bring Back Our Books” rally outside school district headquarters, WUWF reports. The Escambia district has removed large numbers of books, including the dictionary, prompting the state’s latest rules aimed at controlling the process. More from the Pensacola News-Journal.

Charter schools: Residents of Newberry rejected a proposal to convert three Alachua County public schools that serve their community to charter status, Main Street Daily News reports. The group backing the plan issued a statement raising questions about the integrity of the result. More from the Gainesville Sun. • The State Board of Education said it will monitor whether the Broward County school district follows through on its agreement to pay charter schools a share of past years’ referendum funds, the Miami Herald reports. The state had accused the district of violating statute on revenue sharing.

New schools: A planned new K-8 school in Gadsden County is stalled and could lose its state funding as officials debate where to place the campus, WFSU reports. It would be the county’s first new school in 50 years.

Research school: Parents of children at the University of Florida’s PK Yonge Developmental Research School are upset with a university proposal to make the school’s admission requirements more selective, WCJB reports.

School closures: Broward County officials are exploring possibly closing at least five under-capacity schools, WTVJ reports. Some board members clamored for the administration to move more quickly.

Security: The Brevard County School Board agreed to join the state’s school guardian program, which includes having armed employees other than law enforcement officers, Florida Today reports. Instructional staff would not be used as guardians.

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Taxes: The Hillsborough County Commission took a step closer to seeking renewal of a local “community investment: sales tax that would give schools 5% of the revenue.

Year-round education: Two Alachua County schools won tentative approval to use a year-round academic calendar as part of a state pilot program, the Gainesville Sun reports.

From the court docket ... The Duval and Putnam school districts have joined the list of school systems suing major social media companies, contending they have contributed to mental health problems among students, WJXT reports. • Flagler County school district officials said they are looking into legal action to recover some of the $719,000 the system lost in a phishing scam, Flagler Live reports.

In higher ed

Tuition rates: University of Miami students will see a 6% cost increase, to $93,000 for the coming year, the Miami Herald reports.

Student survey: Florida’s latest survey of university students asks whether politics have soured campus friendships, Fresh Take Florida reports. Past versions of the “intellectual freedom” survey have netted poor response.

Faculty pay: About 50 University of Central Florida faculty members protested for higher pay, saying they can’t afford the cost of living in the Orlando area, WMFE reports.

Career education: St. Petersburg College announced the creation of three new four-year degree programs aimed at meeting labor market demands.

Branding: Tallahassee Community College unveiled a new logo and marketing effort as it changes its name to Tallahassee State College, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

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

Before you go ... This gives new perspective to parents’ question, If your friend jumped off the roof, would you do it too?