Charter schools: At Oasis High School, one of Cape Coral’s city-run charters, students from the Model United Nations team are heading to MIT for their next conference. Fort Myers News-Press.
Tampa Prep’s robotics teams qualify for a state tournament. The Tampa Tribune. Chinese exchange students make friends at Carrollwood Day School in Tampa. The Tampa Tribune.
State testing: A state senator, a civil rights attorney and the mother of a young student say the Florida Department of Education is sending a bad message to public school children and their teachers by having lower achievement goals in reading and math for minority students. The Florida Current.
AP Capstone: Hundreds of Pinellas and Hillsborough county students could soon be among the first to earn a new academic distinction with no enrollment caps through the AP Capstone program. The Tampa Tribune.
School legislation: A state House panel approves a draft bill that bars school districts from suspending students for “brandishing a partially consumed pastry or other food item” bitten into the shape of a weapon or “possessing a toy firearm or weapon made of plastic snap-together building blocks.” Tallahassee Democrat. The House K-12 Subcommittee approves a measure that requires middle schools to identify students who get suspended, fail English or math courses or miss more than 10 percent of their classes. Tallahassee Democrat. Sen. Alan Hays files a bill to remove the Department of Education from the selection of textbooks and instructional materials. Tampa Bay Times.
School funding: Tax collections for Miami-Dade County Public Schools could fall $60 million short for the second consecutive year. Miami Herald.
Superintendents: Palm Beach County school board members harshly criticize their superintendent during his yearly evaluation, but he still receives an overall “effective” rating — the second highest mark. Sun Sentinel.
Class size: A review finds about 70 Lake County students in crowded core classes were assigned to a “leadership skills” class — which existed on paper only – during the week that the state was verifying school class sizes. Orlando Sentinel.
Bullying: A 14-year-old girl tells Polk County school officials she is being attacked by other students at her high school because she wears a Muslim head scarf. The Ledger. The Hernando County School Board is pushing back against a new state cyberbullying law that requires school districts to investigate certain incidents that happen outside school. Tampa Bay Times.
Conduct: A Broward County school bus driver is accused of inappropriately touching a 14-year-old middle school girl. Sun Sentinel. The teacher caught in the middle of a fight at Gibbs High School in Pinellas County says she called the office for help, but got a busy signal. Tampa Bay Times.
Lawsuit: Parents of an eighth-grader who committed suicide sue the Seminole County School District and a teacher. Orlando Sentinel.
Signing Day: In the four years since lawmakers approve of legislation to highlight student scholars, few districts follow through with a special day dedicated to top academic performers. Naples Daily News.
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