Florida roundup: Common Core, summer camps, digital classrooms & more

Common Core: Sen. John Legg tries to clear up confusion about the Common Core State Standards. Tampa Tribune.

florida roundup logoStepping down: An elementary school principal makes good on his threat to retire following an ethics complaint against a Palm Beach County school board member whose children attended the school. Palm Beach Post.

Going digital: Students at Cardinal Newman High, a private school with less than 700 students, will either lease an iPad from the school or buy their own and bring it in to school next year. Palm Beach Post. Lawmaker says state needs to phase out pencil-and-paper school tests and go digital. StateImpact Florida. Lakes Wales’ charter school hosts technology summit – for teachers. Ledger.

Failing: Poor performance that is not acceptable at a charter school is just as unacceptable at other public schools, editorial notes. Tampa Bay Times.

CAPE: Pinellas County school board looks at district’s career academies and number of student certifications. Tampa Tribune.

STEM camp: Hillsborough County is seeing more summer camps devoted to the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math. Tampa Bay Times.

Special Ed: Hillsborough County schools will use the summer to focus on special education needs and train workers, including aides and bus drivers. Tampa Bay Times.

Lawsuits: A mother sues the Pinellas County School Board, alleging her son was beaten so severely by other students that he had to have a testicle removed. Tampa Bay Times. An Atheist group sues the Orange County school district for blocking the distribution of pamphlets in schools. Orlando Sentinel.

Longoria: The Rays’ third baseman kicks off a summer reading program to encourage children to read more and visit the library regularly before returning to school in the fall. Tampa Bay Times.

Charters: Athenian Academy charter school continues to seek a resolution with the Pasco County school district over whether charter school can expand enrollment. Tampa Bay Times. Academy at the Farm may get a 15-year contract extension. Tampa Tribune. Boston Avenue Charter in DeLand will close after losing its appeal against the Volusia County school district, which chose not to renew the school’s contract. Daytona News-Journal. Steele-Collins Charter Middle School, Leon County’s oldest, will become an all-male school starting in the fall. Tallahassee Democrat.

Flag etiquette: Brevard County school board looks at educating students on showing the proper respect toward the American flag. Florida Today.

Thrifty: Classrooms at the Literacy Council Gulf Coast are transformed into a temporary thrift shop to tutor students. News-Press.

Arrested: A Bartow middle school teacher is accused of having child-pornography on two school district computers. Ledger.


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BY Sherri Ackerman

Sherri Ackerman is the former associate editor of redefinED. She is a former correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times and reporter for The Tampa Tribune, writing about everything from cops and courts to social services and education. She grew up in Indiana and moved to Tampa as a teenager, graduating from Brandon High School and, later, from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/news editing. Sherri passed away in March 2016.