Sumter County School officials are hoping to regain the trust of the district, parents and students after a 50-plus page report revealed the district had created so-called 'shell schools' to help with school grades.

The inquiry began on Nov. 17, 2023, when an anonymous complaint was forwarded to the OIG, which stated that the district, under Former Superintendent Richard Shirley, created “shell schools” to remove low-performing students from school grades, thereby increasing state funding.

A Sumter County elementary school has been evacuated over a bomb threat.

A Sumter County public school teacher was arrested this week, accused of abusing a special needs student in their class.

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – A bomb threat caused an evacuation at Wildwood Elementary School on Tuesday but the campus has since been deemed safe, according to the Sumter County School District. Further details about the threat have not yet been provided. [TRENDING: Fla. leads nation in cases with new COVID variant | 12-year-old Orlando girl still missing | Biden inauguration will be different]“The school followed the district protocols and staff and students were safely evacuated while the school was searched. We would like to thank all of the law enforcement officers that assisted during this threat,” district officials wrote in a tweet. The normal release of students began around 3:20 p.m.