Why we reported this story the way we did This news article covers the Alachua County Public Schools’ removal of an LGBTQ title from the Eastside High School library. The story explains why the book was removed and describes passages from the book that the district determined run afoul of …
Read More »A quarter of Alachua County’s middle and high school students use vape products. Here’s what’s being done to combat usage.
As a respiratory therapist, Alisha Berry knows firsthand the medical dangers e-cigarette and vape products have for kids. “They start coughing, and their lungs will literally collapse,” she said. From hospitalizations to addiction, Berry said the next generation of children need to be careful not to fall into a nicotine …
Read More »Parents raise concerns about proposed redrawing of Alachua County Public Schools zones
Melissa Meadows stood before members of the School Board of Alachua County Tuesday to weigh in on the proposed new districtwide school zones. “This is my son, Ansel,” Meadows, a parent of a third-grade Littlewood Elementary School student, said to the School Board members. “He’s physically disabled.” Meadows said her …
Read More »Not cool for school – Alachua County students struggle inside gyms without A/C, with no plans of installation
Filing into the school gymnasium is an all too familiar feeling: The squeak of glossy pine floorboards, the reek of sweat, rubber balls and cheap body sprays. But for some Alachua County students, there’s an added woe: The heat. “It’s very hot. Too hot,” said Layla Robinson, a seventh grader …
Read More »Alachua County School Board investigating club allegedly limited to Black male students
The Alachua County School Board acknowledged at its meeting Tuesday night that it is investigating a student club at Gainesville High School that purportedly limited participation to Black male students. Superintendent Shane Andrew disclosed that a parent of one of the students who attended the club submitted a complaint to …
Read More »Students question school safety day after bomb threat
Gainesville students are trying to understand why an 8th grader would allegedly send bomb threats before getting arrested Monday afternoon. The thirteen-year-old female is enrolled at Kanapaha middle school and was arrested after sending emails to Kanapaha Middle School and Buchholz High School on Monday, according to an Alachua County …
Read More »Controversial PragerU curriculum approved for Florida classrooms, but it’s unclear where it will be used
Amid the flurry of changes to Florida public school curriculum before the beginning of the academic year, a new set of curricula, published by PragerU, has emerged as approved content for public school teachers in the state. It’s unclear whether the content — controversial because it is seen as conservative-leaning …
Read More »The Point, June 9, 2023: Special Report: Futures
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News Special Report: Today WUFT News continues The Price of Plenty, a special report on the fertilizer industry by student journalists from the University of Florida and the University of Missouri. …
Read More »Alachua County parents say they’re fearful of book banning implications
Alachua County Public Schools are reviewing their media school library catalogues to make sure the content abides by state and district standards in preparation for the 2023-2024 school year. Some parents say they are worried.
Read More »Hawthorne Middle/High School has a new principal
When Ginger Stanford threw her graduation cap in the air and earned her high school diploma from Hawthorne High School in 1991, she knew she would come back to her high school after college. But, she didn’t envision herself being the principal. Stanford became the new principal at Hawthorne Middle/High School in September after being a teacher and assistant principal for more than 25 years.
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