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The University of Florida international student arrested near campus and sent to an immigration detention center has returned to Colombia, according to a new statement from his mother there.Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, was arrested March 28 for driving with a U.S. driver’s license that had been suspended since January 2024 and with an outdated vehicle registration. He was taken to Jacksonville by federal immigration agents after his arrest and told he could await his case’s resolution in jail in the United States or sign his self-deportation and return to Colombia, according to an interview on April 2 with his mother, Claudia Velásquez, by NTN24. The University of Florida international student arrested near campus and sent to an immigration detention center has returned to Colombia, according to a new statement from his mother there.Felipe Zapata Velásquez, 27, was arrested March 28 for driving with a U.S. driver’s license that had been suspended since January 2024 and with an outdated vehicle registration. He was taken to Jacksonville by federal immigration agents after his arrest and told he could await his case’s resolution in jail in the United States or sign his self-deportation and return to Colombia, according to an interview on April 2 with his mother, Claudia Velásquez, by NTN24. -
File/Lee Ann Anderson/Fresh Take FloridaA new cell phone ban could go into effect at the start of the next school year should the Lee County school board give an expected nod to the proposal when it meets Tuesday evening. -
In this installment from the StoryCorps Mobile Tour visit to Fort Myers in 2024, we hear Finzo Hall and his mother Marcia Robinson talk about immigrating from Jamaica to the U.S, Finzo’s determination to follow his dream of becoming a pilot, and helping other young people achieve their dreams through the powers of faith and resiliency. -
Lee high school graduation rates up, but still lagging; Gov. DeSantis declares school choice successThe School District of Lee County is proud to announce the graduation rate for the class of 2024 rose to 85.8%, setting a record high for the School District since new graduation standards were implemented in 2022. The 2019-2020 graduation rate was artificially inflated by the exemption for seniors from statewide, standardized assessment requirements stipulated in state law due to the COVID pandemic.
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A measure that would expand 2022’s controversial “Parental Rights in Education” law — known to critics as “don’t say gay” — is primed for consideration by the full Florida Senate.The proposal (SB 1320) would broaden the 2022 law’s prohibition on instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade to pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. -
Harlem Heights Charter Community School is a tuition-free public school off Gladiolus Drive in Lee County. The school is in its seventh year, with classes ranging from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school addresses challenges faced by kids who are growing up in poverty, who are growing up in families with limited educational exposure, and who are not native speakers of English. -
The Republican-controlled House voted 79-34 along straight party lines to approve a proposed constitutional amendment (HJR 31) that seeks to hold partisan school-board elections. If ultimately approved by voters, the amendment would scrap a current requirement that the races be non-partisan. -
Dr. Clay Motley is a native Kentuckian who lived for 10 years in South Carolina before coming to Southwest Florida. -
Florida’s Senate voted 23-17 to pass legislation that will affect public-sector unions, especially teachers’ unions across the state. The bill would increase the required percentage of union members who pay dues from 50% to 60% for all public unions except police, firefighters and correctional officers. As many as two-thirds of Florida’s teachers’ unions would be decertified, preventing them from negotiating for salary and benefits for teachers, guidance counselors and media specialists. The Senate is controlled by Republicans. Teachers’ unions have traditionally supported Democratic policies and candidates in Florida. The same lawmaker who proposed the bill also sponsored another bill this year – which has not been taken seriously and is stalled in a Senate committee – that would effectively shut down the Democratic Party in Florida. -
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said the proposed rule is aimed at providing greater clarity for teachers. “This rule basically says that we’re sticking to the standards and when you’re talking about K-12 instruction all the way through 12th grade, these standards don’t incorporate gender ideology or any of these theories in math, social studies, reading or anything else," Diaz said. -
Hampshire College, a 700-student institution in Amherst, Massachusetts, has offered students at Florida's New College admission, and is matching their current cost of tuition. -
Florida Republicans have been trying for years to make local school board races partisan, but it may finally happen this time, if Florida voters agree. The move comes after a contentious election where Gov. Ron DeSantis targeted several local school board members as part of his ongoing effort to counter so-called “wokeness” in public schools. -
Legislation would force many of Florida's middle and high schools to start later in order to give teens more sleep. -
The proposal lets all K-12 students in Florida become eligible for either a private school scholarship or an education savings account but hesitation about the cost is growing as other states with similar programs face big problems. -
Florida Gulf Coast University began installing the base of its new artificial reef, named Kimberly’s Reef, in the Gulf of Mexico. Groups of concrete culverts will create an 11-acre underwater laboratory for scientific experimentation and research. -
FGCU will provide Amazon hourly employees access to educational credentials.
