The Alachua County School Board approved a contested grade-reconfiguration plan Tuesday night, voting 3-2 to keep Irby Elementary as a K-2 campus while moving grades 3 through 8 to Mebane Middle School. Board members Sarah Rockwell, Tina Certain, and Thomas Vu backed the plan as a compromise, while Leanetta McNealy and Janine Plavac voted against it. The vote came after roughly two hours of debate and a dispute earlier in the day over a presentation shared with teachers that some described as confusing and lacking transparency.
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Sources: WCJB TV20 · The Gainesville Sun
A federal judge denied the University of Florida’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by expelled student Preston Damsky, clearing the case for a jury trial set to begin May 27. Damsky was removed from the university after posting what defense attorneys describe as an antisemitic threat against Jewish students on social media. Judge Allen Winsor issued the ruling following a telephone hearing on Monday.
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Sources: WCJB TV20
A teacher at Terwilliger Elementary School in Alachua County has filed a complaint alleging the decision not to renew their contract was unjust. The educator contends the non-renewal was unfair, according to a report from The Gainesville Sun.
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Sources: The Gainesville Sun
University of Florida scientists have determined that bacterial blotch, a disease that has damaged white button mushroom crops for more than a century, is caused by a combination of bacteria rather than a single pathogen as long assumed. The UF/IFAS research team used DNA analysis to reach the finding, which upends longstanding assumptions about the disease. Researchers say the discovery should lead to more accurate diagnostics and more effective treatments, with potential benefits for mushroom growers across the country.
Sources: UF News
