Pledge of Allegiance: A Florida House committee approves a bill that would give school districts options on how and where to post notice of a student's right not to say the Pledge of Allegiance at school. Objections to prominent disclaimer notices in classrooms in Santa Rosa County schools prompted the bill. Miami Herald. Politico Florida.

Testing troubles: About 15 percent of Florida students say they had computer problems during the Florida Standards Assessments testing last spring, according to the Department of Education. Orlando Sentinel.

School threats: Experts talk about the uptick in school threats across the United States, how real the threats are, how they're being made and how schools might respond. Mother Jones.

Teacher evaluations: Of the 54,000 teacher evaluations done in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties from 2010-2015, only 18 were rated as unsatisfactory, according to the Department of Education. Sun-Sentinel. In Orange County, the number of teachers rated highly effective drops from 81.2 percent to 2.4 percent. Across the state, 98 percent of teachers are rated either effective or highly effective. Orlando Sentinel.

Loan forgiveness: A study by the Center for Analysis and Longitudinal Data in Education Research finds that teachers who get loan forgiveness in return for working in high-need areas stay on the job longer than other teachers. GoodCall News.

No-tobacco zones: Brevard County schools are eliminating the use of all forms of tobacco on all school properties, officials announce. WKMG. (more…)

Black achievement: A group of black activists say it's time the Pinellas County School Board takes responsibility for the failure rate of black students, which is higher than almost every school district in Florida. The group, the Concerned Organization for Quality Education of Black Students, also discussed a recent report from the Southern Poverty Law Center that found black students were disciplined more harshly and were twice as likely to drop out of school as white students. Tampa Bay Times.

School threats: School districts in central and south Florida and Texas are the latest to receive threats against schools. None were deemed credible. Associated Press. Miami Herald. Orlando Sentinel. Flagler and Volusia school officials say they take threats seriously and follow a strict process in determining the credibility of the threats. Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Critical audit: A state audit shows that Broward County's school system is improperly placing students in special education programs and hiring teachers who don't have the proper certifications. Sun-Sentinel.

Charter schools: Florida Charter Educational Foundation chairman Rod Jurado says his group will appeal the Pasco County School Board's decision to reject his group's application to start a charter school in the county. The group is affiliated with Charter Schools USA. Gradebook.

New magnet programs: Pasco County will launch magnet programs at two middle schools next fall that focus on science, technology, engineering and math. Tampa Bay Times.

Contract negotiations: The Hillsborough County School District and the teachers union reach an agreement that gives teachers the potential for performance pay and provides a small raise for classroom aides. Tampa Bay Times.

Whooping cough case: A student at Palm Beach Central High School is diagnosed with whooping cough, a highly contagious disease. He's fine, but school and health officials quarantine seven classrooms. Palm Beach Post. Sun-Sentinel.

School start times: School districts around the nation increasingly are following the advice of scientists and moving to later start times for middle and high school. Research shows that later start times help combat sleep deprivation in teens and improve academic success, attendance and mental health. Associated Press. (more…)