Manatee County Schools

The Hillsborough County School District was the only one in the Tampa Bay region to have more schools improve their grades since 2019 than decline.

The textbooks need to be ordered as soon as possible to have them in time for teacher training, said one Manatee County official.

Superintendent Cynthia Saunders reached a settlement earlier this month with the state.

Saunders will pay a $2,000 fine to the Education Practices Commission, have a letter of reprimand placed in her file, and take courses on ethics.

In Pasco County, there were 649 teacher vacancies on Monday, with most related to COVID-19. It has forced the district to double up classes, or pull in staff members with teaching backgrounds to fill in.

The policy lasts through Aug. 25, and will be considered again at a school board meeting next week.

In the past week, Florida has broken records for new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But schools can no longer require students to wear masks or take other safety precautions.

In the past week, Florida has broken records for new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But schools can no longer require students to wear masks or take other safety precautions.

Parents were split almost evenly on whether they will send their students to Manatee elementary schools wearing masks.

A survey sent by the school district might influence whether fall classes are separated based on mask preference.

After weeks of contentious meetings that included racially-charged public comments, the board unanimously voted to end face mask requirements.

The vote won't affect the current school year, since it comes a day after students' last day of class, but would make masks optional at graduation and summer school.