The Brevard County high school teacher who was essentially fired by the district because she used a student’s preferred name without parental permission won an arbitration in the case. Talking to News 6 on Friday, Melissa Calhoun called the decision a win for all teachers, even though BPS still has no plans on rehiring her.

News 6 has obtained internal documents that show a teacher in Seminole County who was arrested this week on sex and drug charges had been warned before about her communication with students, and other actions during her time with the school district.

Orange County's Eccleston Elementary is one of seven schools the district is considering shutting down, citing declining enrollment and rising costs. But parents fear their students will now be forced to walk a longer and more dangerous route to their new school if that happens.

A confrontation between neighbors about a man allegedly speeding down a South Daytona road led to gunfire and a man’s arrest Wednesday afternoon, prompting a large police response and forcing South Daytona Elementary School to alter its dismissal procedures, authorities said.

A workshop in Orange County on Tuesday discussed a plan to potentially consolidate seven public schools to deal with falling enrollment.ng enrollment.

An Osceola County school is trying to reassure the community after someone posted a picture of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on the school’s morning TV announcements.

A 9-year-old and his mom are sorting out a scare in Brevard County. On Monday afternoon, Alicia Aiken said Endeavour Elementary School sent the boy home and told him to walk to his house two miles away across a major highway.

A Florida Senate bill would allow parents to opt out of vaccines if they conflict with their conscience, adding to an already-existing exemption for religious beliefs. The bill would also allow Ivermectin to be sold without a prescription.

An Osceola County mother says her 13-year-old son was put in an unsafe situation after multiple students were forced to sit on the floor of a school bus due to overcrowding.

The State Board of Education on Wednesday took up a report that showed the greatest needs for teachers. For example, about 8,900 of the 37,200 total English courses taught in Florida's public schools had teachers during the 2024-2025 school year not certified in the field, according to the report.

School threat hoaxes can cost upwards of $10,000 to respond to and investigate, on Central Florida sheriff said after a trio of school threat hoaxes in a five-day-span. But the ripple effects extend beyond wasted taxpayer dollars.

Statewide, the Florida high school graduation rate is at 92.2%, up from 89.7% the previous year. Central Florida's school districts are also touting improved rates.

Truancy is a significant issue across Central Florida, where six counties—Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola and Volusia—have rates above the state average for students missing 21 or more days. To intervene early, legislators are considering HB 1181 and SB 1190, which would create a mandatory alert system. This system would require school districts to notify parents when students reach truancy levels.

Ongoing construction along Oxford Road near English Estates Elementary School in Seminole County has parents concerned about student safety as children navigate blocked and damaged sidewalks during their daily walks to school.

Bonneville, Chickasaw, Eccleston, McCoy, Meadow Woods, and Orlo Vista elementary schools, and Union Park Middle School in Orange County could all potentially close. An email obtained by News 6 explains what could happen to the schools after.

Cape Canaveral city leaders got their shot at convincing the Brevard County school board not to close Cape Canaveral’s only school on Tuesday, saying if the city loses the school, it also effectively loses its identity.

A police report obtained by News 6 Thursday reveals more details about why law enforcement was concerned about a possible threat earlier this month at a Seminole County middle school. The boy seen on school security cameras holding the clarinet “in the position of a shouldered rifle” was also dressed in camo and wearing a tactical vest.

Orange County school board members will hold a special meeting on Tuesday at 1 p.m. to discuss the possible closure of several schools as the district grapples with declining enrollment.

Orange County school board members expressed concern and confusion Tuesday surrounding the potential implications of a recently enacted law that allows charter schools to move into underused schools in the district.

Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell is meeting with families at the two schools to learn more about how they feel about possibly closing Cape View Elementary and doubling the enrollment at Roosevelt Elementary, seven miles away in Cocoa Beach.

Orange County Public Schools wants to know if it should move its start times.

Eustis Elementary School has been around for 100 years, which is why the district is prioritizing community input on this project. The county school board is discussing the proposal at its board meeting on Monday evening at 6 p.m.

During a town hall-style meeting at city hall, concerned parents of the 270 students who could be relocated from Cape View Elementary to Roosevelt Elementary, seven miles away in Cocoa Beach, spoke before the Cape Canaveral city council and BPS superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell, who was in attendance as well.

For the past nine years, Boys2Men has mentored nearly 400 boys in Orange County. This year alone, Ings says the program is working with 150 students, helping them process emotions and make better decisions.

A Sabal Point Elementary paraprofessional resigned after self-reporting “concerning thoughts” to a school resource officer, according to Seminole County Public Schools.

What were you thinking about when you were in middle school? On Friday morning in Osceola County, these teens were telling community leaders why they wanted to pass a law.

Vineland Lakes is a tuition-free charter school that works with the Osceola County School District to provide an accelerated learning program for students behind on credits.

Four Volusia County high schools now have metal detectors in place as part of their security protocol, according to an update from the school district Tuesday. More metal detectors are on the way.

The new building, funded in part by the half-cent sales tax, brings a modern media center, new administrative offices, art and music classrooms, and redesigned pick-up and drop-off areas to the Spring Hill community in DeLand.

Brevard County public school buses are now equipped with AI-powered cameras that capture drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. Starting Wednesday, those caught will receive a $225 ticket in the mail.

It’s official: the Florida Department of Health is beginning to create the rule that will get rid of some vaccine mandates in Florida. Here's how you can stay up-to-date on it.

After conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was killed during a college event on Wednesday, Florida’s education commissioner is putting out a warning to teachers in the state.

Orange County’s public school district was expecting a large decrease in enrollment this year, but officials say it’s more than they expected. Now the district is going to reassign more than 100 teachers to deal with the changes.

Police officers in Ocala took a student into custody after a gun was found on a bus to a Marion County elementary school.

The announcement that Florida leaders will try to eliminate vaccine mandates in the state drew praise and criticism across the state.

A portable on an Orange County Public Schools administrative campus along John Young Parkway may look unassuming, but inside are shelves of donations for some of the county’s most needy students.

Galileo School for Gifted Learning’s Skyway campus is making waves with a unique water science project funded by the Blue School Grant from St. John’s River Water Management District.

Students at South Sumter Middle School in Webster were evacuated while law enforcement investigated a reported bomb threat.

LGBTQ+ History and Awareness Month will remain on the Orange County Public School Board calendar after the school board voted down a proposal to remove it this week.

Data obtained by News 6 from Orange County Public Schools shows the district identified 8,828 homeless students last year, up over 50% since the 2019 school year. What that means for families and for the district.

Starting Aug. 13, drivers caught speeding in one of three school zones in Mount Dora will receive a warning. After the 45-day warning period, those warnings could lead to a $100 fine.

Marion County Public Schools announced test scores from the 2024-25 school year, showing notable year-over-year improvements using the state’s new testing procedures across all grade levels.

Jacob Tolle just finished his sophomore year at Lake Howell High School, where his teachers selected him for a once-in-a-lifetime educational trip to Iceland. The sticky situation: he didn’t think his family could afford it. The sweet solution: his great-grandmother’s famous strawberry and fig jam recipe.

On the 105th day of what was supposed to be a 60-day legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a bill to allow charter schools to “co-locate” inside traditional public schools.

A group of Orange County high school students will protest Tuesday afternoon against proposed changes to advanced academic programs, a move they say could impact their access to college-level coursework.

When people think of homelessness, the image is people living on the streets or panhandling. But there are 3,485 students in Seminole County Public Schools, according to district data. Why Central Florida is seeing more homeless youth.

Orange County currently leads the state in student homelessness, according to the school district. Our partner, Vox Populi, looked at how schools help homeless students in west Orange County.

Among the 73,558 students in Osceola County schools, there is a segment of students—3,314, at last count—who struggle with more than projects, peer pressure, testing, and tardiness. These students face all those things in addition to some form of homelessness.

Volusia County Public Schools says it will pursue “all available legal remedies” to get a school developed on a piece of land in DeBary, despite threats of legal action from the city.

A bill in Tallahassee which would require EpiPen and anaphylaxis training for some schools is one step closer to becoming law.

The Florida Legislature passed a bill that will allow school districts to get around 2023 requirements for later start times for public and charter middle and high schools this week, sending the bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.

The Trump administration is moving to cancel $1 billion in school mental health grants, saying the award reflect the priorities of the previous administration.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis announced a program to bring Hope Florida to school districts at an event at Fruitland Park Elementary School in Lake County Wednesday.

A bill championed by an Orange County mother that would require EpiPen and anaphylaxis training in some school programs is a step closer to getting to Gov. DeSantis’ desk.

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s guidance forbidding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in K-12 public schools.

Supporters of a Brevard County teacher losing her job next year because she used a student’s preferred name without parental permission took their protests to the school board on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the district superintendent defended the decision in an exclusive interview with News 6’s Lisa Bell.

Volusia County Schools is considering spending $8 million on a piece of land in DeBary to build a new school. However, the city has already stated that the land cannot accommodate a new school.

At dismissal Thursday, students at Satellite High School rallied in support of a teacher who won't be returning to the classroom next year.

Thousands are signing a petition to try to help a teacher get her job back at Satellite High School. Brevard Public Schools said it isn’t renewing Melissa Calhoun’s contract for next year because she called a student by the name they wanted to be called by, not their legal name.

Florida lawmakers have hit snooze on a repeal of later school start times for middle and high schools, revising the House and Senate versions of the bill to keep the new times but adding exemptions for schools that aren’t yet able to comply.

Lawmakers in 2023 approved the requirements, citing a need for older students to get more sleep. The requirements are slated to take effect in 2026, but as the deadline has neared, districts have said they are struggling to comply.

Orange County Public Schools says it prioritized venues for graduation based on graduating class size, not how close the venues were to the school. But Jones High School parents say many parents or students may not have transportation across the county to UCF.

An Orange County Public Schools math teacher is turning learning into a slam dunk by combining her two passions: education and basketball. Jennifer Lopez teaches fourth grade at Stonewyck Elementary School and has developed what she calls “Magic Math.”

The Supreme Court has agreed to take on a new culture war dispute: whether the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school should be allowed to open in Oklahoma.

It is not known exactly why Jessie Thompson is stepping down as school board chair, but Thompson came under fire in December after Deltona’s mayor shared a video of Thompson’s remarks at a Moms for Liberty Summit last August.

The Orange County School Board will begin meetings with five cities in January regarding school resource officer contracts.

Volusia County schools have a new way to detect weapons on campuses: a weapons-detecting dog. K9 Maverick just started his job as an extra layer of security.

Orange County Public Schools may swap school resource officers for guardians in some district buildings next school year.

The Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida and the City of Winter Garden broke ground on their new location in the historic East Winter Garden.

Members of the Orange County Classroom Teacher Association continue to fight for better teacher pay.

After Hurricane Helene made its way up Florida’s west coast late Thursday night and into Friday morning, Brevard, Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia school districts all opened Friday, but with backlash from parents.

Some Florida school districts are rolling back a more comprehensive approach to sex education in favor of abstinence-focused lessons.

Flagler County Public Schools has waived its $50 usage fee for devices for the 2022-23 school year, according to its website.

A career fair in Brevard County will be looking for support staff on Tuesday as Central Florida sees a shortage in public school staff.

More than a half-dozen public high schools in Washington, D.

Smaller and more nimble than the D.C. Public Schools system, the charters have been able to adapt and modify practices on the fly, trading information and pushing the limits of pandemic-era education. It's a process that the D.C. Public Schools system has watched closely as it plans its own return to the classroom. “There’s a tremendous amount of trial and error,” said Shannon Hodge of the D.C. Charter School Alliance, a nonprofit that advocates for the charter system. “There are real innovations coming out of it.”Each of the three student “cohorts” at the Social Justice School are assigned a specific bathroom to use. The school received its approval from the D.C. Public Charter School Board over the summer and opened its doors for the first time this fall.