GOODBYES: Longtime Hernando educator and administrator Sue Stoops retires after 35 years with the district. (Times photo, Octavio Jones)

DISPUTE: Prominent Tampa lawyer Barry Cohen rattles Berkeley Prep with e-mails he sent to the headmaster and parents questioning the school's security. 

DAY OFF: Some south Florida parents say they're too scared to send their children to school on Friday, the Miami Herald reports. • Citrus school officials debunk rumors of pending violence, the Citrus County Chronicle reports. • More on doomsday worries across the country from the NY Times.

MERGER: Two neighboring Lee schools will combine into a single K-8 campus, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.

LABOR NEWS: Brevard teachers reach a tentative two-year contract that paves the way for layoffs, Florida Today reports. • Palm Beach school employees appear headed for raises, the Palm Beach Post reports. • Okaloosa teachers approve contract with step increases, the Northwest Florida Daily News reports.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION: Federal officials instruct the Palm Beach school district to revamp its discipline policies, the Palm Beach Post reports.

FINED: The Duval school district faces a $7.4 million penalty for failing to meet class size mandates, the Florida Times-Union reports.