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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was arrested March 28 for driving with a U.S. driver’s license that had been suspended since January 2024 and with an outdated vehicle registration.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was arrested March 28 for driving with a U.S. driver’s license that had been suspended since January 2024 and with an outdated vehicle registration.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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Lee County Schools were damaged with the rest of the area; Dr. Christopher Bernier weighs in. -
For Banned Books Week, we show you how teens can access a giant, free library. -
A nonprofit notes that over the 2021–22 school year, what started as modest school-level activity to challenge and remove books in schools grew into a full-fledged social and political movement. -
Wrote the plaintiffs: “Throughout Florida, schools are taking extraordinary measures to purge any trace of LGBT people from schools, and teachers are afraid to show any support for LGBT students.” -
The FutureMakers Coalition held its annual Student Voice Summit at the Collaboratory in downtown Fort Myers this month. The coalition is working to strengthen Southwest Florida's workforce by getting insights from students across the region. -
Lawyers in Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office say the Legislature has discretion to make choices about school curriculums. -
Several University of South Florida plaintiffs launch another legal challenge over the Stop WOKE ActA professor, a student and an organization at USF have filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that restricts the way race-related concepts can be taught in classrooms — a law Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the “Stop WOKE Act.” -
Lee County School District Superintendent Christopher Bernier is holding three town hall-style meetings across the district to share his priorities for the school system, get feedback on the district’s changing student enrollment process, and other issues. -
Books for Collier Kids and the Collier County Sheriff's Office continue to distribute books to children during events this July. -
En las noticias de esta semana, el departamento de salud les recuerda a los residentes que estén al tanto de las enfermedades relacionadas con el calor, y la superintendente del distrito escolar del condado de Collier dejará su puesto.
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Lee County Public Schools has a new Superintendent in Christopher Bernier, who took the oath of office on Monday to serve the district. -
A piano among pine trees—and musicians playing duets with chirping birds. That’s the vision a group of students at Florida Gulf Coast University has to share their musical talent with others and honor our environment at the same time. The Music Forest was created by Fernando López Flores, a senior at FGCU majoring in piano performance.
