WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Clay County Commissioner Kristen Burke offers her voice to Russell Landing contamination concerns. “Residents worried that Solite’s operations left behind carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals that made their way into …
Read More »The Point, April 26, 2023: Behind the scenes of schools purging ‘improper’ books
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: 2021 Swamp Car Wash murder case defendant changes plea again. “Under the former plea deal, Patrick was facing up to 15 years in prison. Now, if he is found guilty …
Read More »Alachua County Public Schools seeks to build better future for Westwood Middle
Community leaders, parents and teachers gathered at Westwood Middle School on Monday morning to celebrate the school’s “Raising the Wall” ceremony. Beginning with speeches from school district administrators and the developers behind the renovations, the ceremony reached its end once the first of many two-story concrete walls was lifted into …
Read More »Students from Alachua County middle schools learn about government during sixth annual civics challenge
On Thursday, 50 students from middle schools across Alachua County competed in the sixth annual civics challenge at the Alachua County administrative offices. High Springs Community School, Kanapaha Middle School, Lincoln Middle School, Oak View Middle School and Westwood Middle School each sent two teams of five seventh grade students …
Read More »Alachua Habitat for Humanity builds home for local school employee
Correction to the video story above: Gloria Lewis is an executive assistant at Westwood Middle School, not a teacher. The sound of clapping filled Gloria Lewis’ new front yard in the Duval Heights neighborhood. What started as a piece of land is now a beautiful green home with white columns. …
Read More »Alachua County Schools see ESOL population bounce back from the pandemic
The number of English for Speakers of Other Languages students in Alachua County increased by more than 100 in 2022 from the previous year, when it dropped during the pandemic. Most ESOL students speak Spanish as their first language.
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.
Read More »Two Gainesville fifth graders qualify for the Robotics World Championship
In just six months, two fifth graders from Glen Springs Elementary Schooljoined their school's robotics club and earned the right to compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship from May 10 to 12.
Read More »How Florida’s Public Schools Have Been Affected By COVID-19
Public schools with failing grades will get another year to improve.
Read More »Alachua County Prioritizes Efforts To Increase Attendance At Public Schools
Eileen Roy, chairwoman of the Alachua County School Board, has expressed concern for the low attendance rates at some local schools. “It just is shocking really,” Roy said. “We just have to do something about this absenteeism.” The average attendance rate for Alachua County public schools in the 2018-2019 school …
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