Leon County School District

Hundreds of students in Leon County’s schools are receiving free basic dental care. It’s a joint effort of the school district, the Florida Department of Health in Leon County and the United Way of the Big Bend.

The Leon County School District is opening a new health center at Rickards High School. The district has partnered with Neighborhood Medical Center to provide healthcare for Southside families and students.

Leon County School officials are taking another look at high school start times.

In the wake of recent bombs threats against New York, Los Angeles and Miami school districts, Leon County officials are re-evaluating school safety.

Julie Arasi of Kate Sullivan Elementary is Leon County’s Teacher of the Year.

Leon County Schools will be experiencing a teacher shortage in the upcoming school year. The district is struggling to replace some 50 retiring teachers.

7:05 p.m.: Leon County School Board members expressed shock at more than two dozen audit findings reported by the state Auditor General.  District officials say the issues represent paperwork problems more than they do any wrongdoing.

Leon County Sheriff officials arrested a Tallahassee high school student Thursday after he pulled a gun during a fight on school grounds.

According to a report from the Leon County Sheriff’s office, the 16-year-old student attempted to pull a gun out of his jacket when a fight broke out near the Godby high school cafeteria Thursday morning. The gun fell to the ground and Leon County Schools spokesman Chris Petley says a Godby administrator recovered it.

Leon County School district officials are taking aim at what they call “politically motivated” attacks against Superintendent Jackie Pons. The district used a workshop meeting on construction to address allegations Pons steered construction contracts to his political donors.

For weeks now, the Leon County School district has been facing allegations of wrongdoing when it comes to how officials award construction and maintenance projects. The primary target of those claims, is Superintendent Jackie Pons. The district is trying to push back against those claims but that's proving hard to do, when the group making the charges remains anonymous.

Schools in Leon County are resuming online FCAT testing this week after students encountered log-in issues Tuesday. State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart says testing company Pearson is to blame.

Some of the students unable to complete their tests Tuesday resumed testing Wednesday with no reported difficulties. Leon County Schools spokesman Chris Petley says not all students in the district were affected by the mishap.

For the first time in years, Florida’s public, K-12 schools are slated to get state money for construction and maintenance. But school officials say while they’re grateful for what’s been proposed, they’re not ready to start counting those dollars just yet.

Governor Rick Scott’s proposed budget allocates  $80 million for new roofs, air conditioners and other overdue maintenance projects at the state’s more than 3,500 public schools. It may sound like a lot of money, but Halandale Beach Democratic Representative Joe Gibbons says it won’t go very far.

The scene is Tallahassee’s Leon High School. Right now, it’s also the Leon County Sheriff’s Adventure Camp, students from the Leon County school district are learning CPR and getting lessons on operating an automatic external defibrillator, or AED. Deputies also give lessons on leadership skills, as well as drug abuse and gang prevention. And students build positive relationships with the officers—even calling them by nicknames.

“The deputy at my school, we all call him Big Daddy,” said Abrianna Simmons, a student at Rickards High School.