2 Florida universities get prestigious national honor

The big story: For years, the University of South Florida has toiled in the shadow of other members of the state university system, angling to get the attention and reputation to put it on a national stage.

It got the invitation to sit at the table on Thursday.

The American Association of Universities — an association of top-ranked research universities — welcomed USF to its ranks. It was one of six schools added to the organization this year. Only four universities had been invited to join over the past decade before this.

“Reaching this milestone only strengthens our ambition to improve lives and positively shape the future of our society,” USF president Rhea Law said. Read more here.

The University of Miami also was added to the group, the Miami Herald reports.

Hot topics

National Spelling Bee: Pinellas County eighth grader Dev Shah won the National Spelling Bee. Check out the seven words that put him over the top.

New College: The Null Set is no longer New College’s mascot. The new one is equally offbeat. • Trustees also discussed budgets and admission numbers, the Herald-Tribune reports.

High school yearbooks: The Seminole County school district offered to reprint the yearbook of a school where parents complained about LGBTQ content, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Others are criticizing the district for not standing up to bigotry.

Restroom use: The Clay County School Board approved a new policy requiring students to use restrooms that match their sex assigned at birth, WTLV reports.

Vaping: Citrus County schools will turn to dogs to help them crack down on vaping, the Citrus County Chronicle reports.

Bus safety: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation allowing school buses to use cameras to records vehicles that pass them illegally, the News Service of Florida reports.

School administration: A Flagler County principal who’s being investigated over employee complaints did not appear on the district’s reappointment list, Flagler Live reports. • The Clay County school district is getting three new district administrators and five new principals, Clay Today reports.

New schools: The opening of Bradford County’s first new school in two decades has been delayed because of backordered electrical parts, WCJB reports.

What’s in a name? In Duval County, there’s disagreement over how to pronounce Ribault High School, WJXT reports.

From the police blotter ... A teacher at a Miami-Dade County private school was arrested on accusations of inappropriately touching two students, the Miami Herald reports.

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