Education

UCF Halts Greek Fraternity and Sorority Activities On Campus Due To Alcohol And Hazing Abuses

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Thu, 02/21/2013 - 13:37

Orlando, Fla. -

The University of Central Florida, the nation's second largest university, has halted Greek fraternity and sorority activities on campus citing several alcohol and hazing incidents, some of which lead to injuries and saying the Greek community on campus needs a change in culture.

There are currently about 3,200 students involved with the 48 Greek fraternities and Sororities on campus out of the 60,000 students who attend the university.

SUV Crashes Into Pine Hills Day Care Center, 2 Injuried

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Fri, 01/25/2013 - 10:45

Orange County, Fla. -

The driver of an SUV lost control and crashed into the 'A Place for Tots' child daycare center in Pine Hills early this morning, injuring both the driver and a passenger of the SUV.

The daycare center was empty when the SUV crashed. Witnesses say the SUV was speeding when it lost control.

According to the daycare center, 26 children attended the center.

Florida Gov. Rock Scott Proposes $2,500 Pay Raise For Teachers

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Wed, 01/23/2013 - 18:05

Orlando, Fla. -

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), was in Orlando today and proposed a $2,500 pay raise for teachers, costing $480 million. Florida has had its first budget surplus in six years and Gov. Scott wants to use that revenue to pay for the raises.

In a speech today in Ocoee, Scott said "Now that our economy is back on track and we can afford to make major investments again."

Scott was able to force teachers to pay up to 3% towards their retirement contributions last year and that law was upheld recently by the state supreme court.

Florida's Supreme Court Rules Teachers Must Contribute To Pension Fund

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Thu, 01/17/2013 - 14:46

Tallahassee, Fla. -

Florida's State Supreme Court has rules that teachers must contribute to their pension funds. The legal challenge follows a change in Florida's rules on teachers and their pensions retirement funds.

Under Florida's new law enacted in 2011, teacher were required to contribute to their pension fund, something teacher's unions disputed and brought the suit against the state.

Had the state lost the challenge, it would have been required to issue nearly $1 billion to teachers across the state.

Flu Sweeps Across Nation Becoming Widepsread, Reaching Epidemic Levels In Some Areas

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Thu, 01/10/2013 - 16:17

The flu has spread across much of the country, hitting the south, east and midwest especially hard, with a few places managing to squeek by relatively uninfected such as parts of Maine, Wisconsin and California.

So far there have been 24 deaths, 18 in Mass. and 6 in Illinois, with widespread severe illness and symptoms in 41 other states.

In Boston, over 700 cases have already been reported, that's nearly 600% higher than an average year's total.

The most common variants of the flu this year are the H3N2, H1N1 and Influenza B, with H3N2 being by far the most common.

Florida To Adopt National State Standards In Education System

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Wed, 12/26/2012 - 15:59

The Common Core State Standards will become Florida's academic standard for K-12 schools across Florida as it joins 45 states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. Territories in an attempt to put all U.S. children on an even playing field and compete better on an international level.

The expected backlash never appears and Florida educators say they hope it will raise Florida's school systems up, which ranks near the bottom of the list of the 50 states.

UCF President John Hitt To Get $26,500 Annual Raise As School Rises

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Thu, 11/15/2012 - 16:48

Orlando, Fla. -

UCF Trustees have approved a $26,500 annual raise for the school's president, John Hitt, bringing his annual salary to $490,000.

Hitt's 6% pay increase is the first since 2006 when pay raises were frozen.

Hitt is also among 10 other current and former administrators who will share a $448,887 in performance based bonuses. Hitt will receive $188,740 of the total, with most of it coming from private funds.

The bonuses were tied to overall graduation rates, SAT scores and fundraising for the campuses.

Osceola County School Teacher Lillian Gomez Fired For Putting Hot Sauce On Disabled Kids Crayons

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Wed, 11/14/2012 - 10:02

Kissimmee, Fla. -

The Osceola County School Board has voted unanimously to fire Lillian Gomez, a teacher who worked with special needs students.

The decision comes after a previous administrative committee recommended that Gomez keep her job.

During the investigation, Gomez admitted to putting hot sauce on some crayons used by special needs students in an attempt to stop them from eating the wax based crayons.

Florida Adopts Controversial Race Based Student Achievement Goals

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Mon, 10/15/2012 - 12:21

Tallahassee, Fla. -

A controversial new race and income based achievement goals has been adopted by the Florida Board of Education which sets different goals for students depending on your race and family income.

Under the new six year measure that was approved by the Florida Board of Education, the goal is to get 88% of white students up to grade level reading proficiency, and 81% of hispanic students to that same level, while goal for black students is just 74%.

Currently only 38% of black students read at grade level, 53% of Hispanics, and 69% for white students.

Pakistani Police Arrest Suspects Believed To Have Shot 14 Year Old Schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai

Submitted by News Desk 2 on Fri, 10/12/2012 - 15:02

Police in Mingora, Pakistan have arrested several suspects they believe have material information or part of the group responsible for shooting 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, an outspoken girl who championed education for girls and criticized the Taliban.

Malala Yousufzai was shot in the head and neck after leaving school recently and has been in critical condition since. Yesterday she was transferred to a hospital in the nations capital while two british medical doctors arrived to help consult on Yousufzai medical care and recovery.