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Florida education news: Students’ return, water testing, Amendment 8 and more

A roundup of stories from around the state.
 
Published Aug. 14, 2018

BACK TO SCHOOL: Children returned to classes Monday in Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas counties, with most districts reporting smooth sailing in the day's activities. • Pasco students and staff were enthusiastic, for the most part, about the start of the new year. • Central Florida districts get back to business, the Orlando Sentinel reports. • A driver shortage causes bus route delays in Polk County, the Ledger reports. • More from Bradenton Herald, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida Times-Union, Tallahassee Democrat, Herald-Tribune.

WATER TESTING: The Hillsborough County school district will accelerate its plans to check for lead in the water supply.

AMENDMENT 8: Lawyers for the defense argue that an effort to remove Amendment 8 from the November ballot is more about a policy dispute than about misleading summary language.

MOVING ON UP: A controversial administrator with a questioned past wins a top Pinellas County school district job.

NO CASE: The Florida Ethics Commission finds no legal sufficiency to launch an investigation into two Hillsborough County School Board members.

SECURITY: The Citrus County school district and Sheriff's Office appear on track to reach a deal on placing resource officers in all schools after all, the Citrus County Chronicle reports. • Florida's new director of safe schools visits Sebastian River High on the first day of classes, TC Palm reports. • Palm Beach County schools step up their security efforts, including more vigilant ID checks, as classes resume, the Palm Beach Post reports. • Orange County's sheriff says he can't hire enough resource officers to fill all schools, the Orlando Sentinel reports. • Escambia County schools will no longer let parents walk their children to class without checking in at the office after the third day of school, the Pensacola News-Journal reports. • The Sarasota County school district's new internal police force debuts, the Herald-Tribune reports. • The City of Stuart annexes three Martin County schools into its city limits to help provide security at those campuses, TC Palm reports.

LEADERSHIP: Volusia County superintendent Tom Russell gets mixed reviews in his board evaluation, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. • Gov. Rick Scott says he is contemplating a reprimand for Okaloosa County superintendent Mary Beth Jackson, the Crestview Bulletin reports.

TAXES: The Marion County school district seeks renewal of its 1 mill property tax to support general operations, the Ocala Star-Banner reports.

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES: The Collier County school district increases its mental health resources to encourage positive student behavior, the Naples Daily News reports.

FEEDING CHILDREN: Some Miami-Dade County schools join with a community organization to create gardens that teach children about nutrition and help provide them meals, the Miami Herald reports.

CAMPAIGN TRAIL: A Lee County School Board candidate is arrested on a felony burglary charge, the Fort Myers News-Press reports. • A Leon County district administrator also running for School Board uses his district email to complain about the employee union endorsement of his opponent, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.

LABOR NEWS: Lake County teachers negotiate a new contract just in time for the school year, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

INSPIRED: An Escambia County elementary school posts motivational messages throughout the campus to give students something to think about, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

CHARTER SCHOOLS: The Palm Beach School Board will reconsider two charter school applications they previously rejected, after the state recommends approval, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA: The Escambia County school district devises a plan to allow students to use medical marijuana as prescribed, the Pensacola News-Journal reports.

ICYMI: Yesterday's Florida education news roundup