Tracking down missing students
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The pandemic has students scattered online and home-schooled in some places. The state says there are thousands unaccounted for, but we recently learned that Volusia County has a whole department dedicated to finding these missing kids and then getting them back on track.

Teachers stepping down due to pandemic
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Return to the classroom or resign. That's the decision many teachers across Central Florida say they are faced with during the pandemic. We dug into the numbers and we are seeing more of them have stepped down this year.

Scholarships sought for Ocoee Massacre descendants

There is a push to pay reparations to the descendants of the Ocoee Massacre victims. The massacre, which occurred the day of the U.S. presidential election in 1920, was the result of a violent attack by a white mob on African-American residents. State Senator Randolph Bracy wants the proposed reparations to come in the form of an expanded scholarship program.

Standardized testing must be done on school campuses, Florida education commissioner says

Florida will extend the standardized testing period in the spring to allow for in-person testing for students who have not yet returned to campus due to COVID-19 concerns, the state's education commissioner said in a new order.

CDC says strong evidence in-person schooling can be done safely

The CDC on Friday provided a roadmap for reopening schools in the middle of a pandemic, emphasizing mask wearing and social distancing and saying vaccination of teachers is important but not a prerequisite for reopening.

Polk deputies arrest middle school PE teacher for DUI after crash in Winter Haven

According to deputies, the middle school teacher's eyes were red and watery after the crash as she said, "I am in so much trouble" and "I messed up bad." The sheriff's office said she's been charged with DUI twice before.

Florida House seeks to tie school money to enrollment

House Republican leaders in the upcoming budget will seek to base public school funding on "actual enrollment," after the state made a change this year that helped bolster districts financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seminole County parents, students fired up over changes to prom, graduations.
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Parents and students in Seminole County are fired up after learning that the coronavirus will impact proms and graduation ceremonies for the second year in a row for seniors.

White House defers to CDC for COVID-19 guidance on school reopenings

The White House says it's aiming for a full reopening of schools but will defer to science experts on how to get there in the middle of a pandemic.

Osceola County committee debates SRO policy
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A new policy committee in Osceola County is meeting to talk about a recent incident involving a school resource officer who body-slammed a student during an altercation. Both parents and students have been calling on the district to take the officers out of schools. The goal of this committee is to come up with guidelines for officers to follow.

US school leaders might extend remote learning into fall 2021

Parents of schoolchildren learning from home shouldn't necessarily count on reclaiming the dining room table any time soon.

Missing students costing Florida millions
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Florida is still missing 90,000 public school students. The state is trying to find them because each student is money for the districts. Lawmakers say our school shouldn't be paying for the kids who aren't in class and the state is paying about $700 million for these phantom students.

Enrollment in Florida's public schools plummets during pandemic

Public school enrollment estimates have plummeted during the pandemic. Education officials and Florida lawmakers are trying to figure out where those students have gone.

Enrollment in Florida's public schools plummets during pandemic
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Public school enrollment estimates have plummeted during the pandemic. Education officials and Florida lawmakers are trying to figure out where those students have gone.

Lawmaker: Parents should decide to hold back child because of ?COVID slide?
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A South Florida lawmaker has filed a bill that gives parents the option to have their kids repeat a grade if they have fallen behind during the coronavirus pandemic.

Democrats urge Biden to cancel up to $50k in student loan debt by executive action

The resolution called on President Biden to take executive action to "administratively cancel up to $50,000 in Federal student loan debt for Federal student loan borrowers" using "existing legal authorities" under the Higher Education Act of 1965.