102 Schools selected for phase two of Florida Civics and Debate Initiative
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 2, 2021 – Today, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran announced that 102 Florida schools have been chosen to participate in the second phase of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative. These schools will expand on the success of the program’s first year and its work to elevate civic knowledge, skills and disposition for middle and high school students through speech and debate.
During the 2020-2021 school year, the initiative established competitive speech and debate teams in 30 Florida school districts, with 59 schools and over 2,000 student competitors. With the addition of 102 schools in Phase Two, a total of 161 schools from 48 districts will participate in the 2021-2022 school year. This is more than four times the number of districts offering competitive debate programs in Florida since the program began. Before the initiative began, Florida saw co