Charter schools: Pinellas County's University Prep organizes a local board and moves forward in the search for a new principal. Tampa Bay Times. A proposal for a charter school on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa still awaits a recommendation from Hillsborough district staff. Tampa Bay Times.
Private schools: Florida Air Academy in Brevard County has done away with text books and moved to iPad-only classes. Florida Today.
Virtual school: The exponential growth Florida Virtual School and online learning have experienced will continue as we transform education worldwide, writes Julie Young for the Tallahassee Democrat.
Special needs: Special needs students in Hillsborough County are treated to music lessons. Tampa Bay Times.
Hydroponics 101: A Cape Coral high school's aquaculture and hydroponics class draws students from around Florida and even outside the state. Fort Myers News-Press.
Lawsuit: The Hillsborough County School Board will vote next week on a decision to pay more than $500,000 to the family of a special-needs child who drowned behind her Riverview middle school. Tampa Bay Times. More from The Tampa Tribune.
Quality teachers: The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida launches a fundraising campaign to raise $50 million to pay for more high-quality public school teachers in high-demand areas like math and science. Florida Trend.
Security: As the Hillsborough County School District contemplates a multimillion-dollar school security plan, it is losing its longtime security chief. Tampa Bay Times.
Teacher evals: The release of evaluation ratings for public school teachers reignites the conversation among educators and lawmakers about whether the state should use a system that many say is flawed. Florida Times-Union. The teacher ratings don't come close to reflecting reality, writes the Tampa Bay Times.
Meningitis: A Broward County elementary school reports a case of bacterial meningitis. Sun Sentinel.
Conduct: A Madison County school employee is arrested on a charge he sent sexually explicit material over a cell phone to a girl who was a former student. Tallahassee Democrat. An Imagine Schools principal in Manatee County is on paid administrative leave after the county sheriff's office recommends charges of failure to report child abuse. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. More from the Bradenton Herald. A Polk County high school athletic director wants his job back after being charged with sexual battery and attempted sexual battery against an employee. The Ledger.
