Pasco County Schools

Vacancies remain, but most local districts are beginning this school year ahead, with solid progress in both teaching and transportation staff.

The school board says the goal is to recognize educators working in high-need areas and to help recruit more staff in those schools.

School districts across the nation are struggling to budget for the upcoming school year as the federal government continues to hold onto around $5 billion. Tampa Bay area school leaders say they're looking at other potential funding sources.

Pinellas and Sarasota counties earned A’s, while Polk was the only district to improve its grade. Factors used to determine grades include state testing in English, math, science and social studies and grad rates.

With continuous glucose monitors, students with Type 1 diabetes no longer have to visit the school nurse for a finger prick. But some parents say it falls to them to keep an eye on blood sugar levels from home or work.

Facing declining enrollment at three schools, the Pasco County School Board unanimously voted last week to move the students to a combined K8 school site.

According to unofficial results, 11 of the 23 candidates backed by the governor lost, while six won and six were headed to runoffs.

School districts in the Tampa Bay area are continuing to regulate cellphone use. New policies in Pasco and Pinellas schools will largely bar students from using their phones during class.

Pinellas and Pasco County schools released bell schedules for the upcoming school year. They remain largely unchanged as the districts figure out how to push back start times by 2026.

A landmark settlement of the Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics call "Don't Say Gay," clarified that safe space stickers are allowed. Advocates are now urging the district to reverse a decision it made two years ago.

The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday announced that it has reached a settlement with the Pasco County school district after an investigation into alleged discrimination against students with disabilities on issues such as discipline.