Who will lead Florida’s 3rd largest school district? A top choice emerges.

The big story: The Hillsborough County school district might already have its next superintendent in sight.

The School Board on Tuesday named longtime teacher and administrator Van Ayres as interim superintendent, effective immediately. If he does well enough over the next three months, the board will consider calling off any planned search and keeping Ayres in the position permanently.

“I think in three months we will have a snapshot,” board member Stacy Hahn said.

The nation’s seventh-largest district, Hillsborough has had only one non-local superintendent in the past 50 years. Board members said they need to make sure their respect for Ayres does not cloud their judgment as they choose the next district chief executive. Read more here.

Hot topics

AP psychology: Central Florida mental health care providers supported the College Board’s decision not to remove lessons about gender identity and sexuality from its AP psychology course, WMFE reports.

Book challenges: A Leon County parent wants a book about tennis legend Billie Jean King pulled out of elementary schools because it refers to King as gay, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

Career education: The Manatee and Sarasota county school districts are partnering to create an aviation maintenance technician school at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport, the Herald-Tribune reports.

DeSantis agenda: The Florida Department of Education has issued proposed rules relating to “adult live performances,” TikTok access and personal pronoun use in schools, all tied to new laws recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the News Service of Florida reports. The rules are up for consideration on July 19. • Central Florida school districts continue to revise their policies to comply with the laws, WFTV reports. • A federal judge has temporarily blocked implementation of the “adult live performances” law, calling it too vague, NPR reports.

Dress code: The Brevard County School Board adopted new dress code rules that include restrictions on items emulating “non-human characteristics,” Florida Today reports. The concept was added after concerns were raised about “furries,” or students wearing clothing or accessories to mimic animals.

Salaries: Brevard County school maintenance workers asked the school board for a raise after seeing bus driver pay increase by 33%, WKMG reports. “I feel like we’re kind of being left behind,” one Brevard Public Schools employee said.

Security: The Citrus County School Board has created a new position to oversee all threat management for the district, the Citrus County Chronicle reports. • The Leon County School Board approved the use of gun detection technology at its five high schools, WCTV reports.

Vouchers: About 150,000 Florida families received notification that their children were awarded state-funded private school vouchers, WFTV reports.

From the court docket … A federal appellate court heard arguments in a long-running dispute over prayer at a state high school football championship, Courthouse News Service reports. The court did not say when it will issue a ruling. • The Pinellas County School Board signaled its support for joining a lawsuit against social media companies, WTVT reports. The Manatee County School Board decided not to participate in the legal challenge, WFLA reports.

Don’t miss a story. Yesterday’s roundup is just a click away.

Before you go … Who knew the idea of the jungle gym had its foundation in a mathematician’s desire to get children thinking in four dimensions?

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