Tag Archives: Duval County

The 2015 scores for the National Assessment of Education Progress exam (NAEP) are out, and the overall results were low for Florida and the nation as a whole. The scores for Florida's eighth graders in the national math exam were lower than two years ago. Despite these low scores, Duval County Public schools were ranked among the top districts in the U.S. in both reading and math.

A lack of accountability with standardized testing is a common problem facing Florida schools, causing Parent Teacher Associations around Florida and other organizations to promote more positive learning environments. Alachua County Public Schools has recognized the frustration the local educators are feeling.

United For Care has turned in about 100,000 out of 683,149 validated signatures needed to put the Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Medical Conditions bill on the 2016 ballot. So far, Marion, Levy and Alachua counties have not yet received any signatures, according to the supervisor of elections offices in these counties.

Local bands Flat Land and Bells and Robes and event company Phairground won $15,000 for music projects at the One Spark festival in Jacksonville. The group founded Future Music Makers Youth Enrichment Program, a project aimed at creating music programs in local schools.

Infant fatalities are on the rise in Duval County, but the Department of Children and Families is strategizing how to bring awareness to parents and caretakers about unsafe sleeping practices. It has made resources and information available to the community about past child fatalities and how to prevent them.

Several programs in Florida are helping individuals sign up for health insurance. The services assist with creating email accounts, filling out paperwork and selecting the best coverage options.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage ended statewide at the stroke of midnight Monday, and court clerks in some counties wasted no time, issuing marriage licenses and performing weddings for same-sex couples in the early morning hours. But they were beaten to the punch by a Miami …

More than 27 Florida counties are participating in a campaign to help fight influenza this season by giving free inhaled flu vaccines to students enrolled in elementary through high school. The campaign is being promoted by Healthy Schools LLC and Families Fighting Flu.

Finalists for the Alachua County Schools superintendent position to meet with public in May.

Clay County officials have hired a First Amendment lawyer to rewrite what they call an unconstitutional ordinance concerning adult entertainment businesses. The proposed ordinance would apply only to the county's unincorporated areas, which make up over half the county.