Florida: 5 Things To Know For September 2

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

SUPERINTENDENT WANTS SCHOOL DISTRICT TO RESCIND DECISION TO OPT-OUT OF STATE STANDARDIZED TESTING

Lee County schools Superintendent Nancy Graham will make the request at a board meeting Tuesday in Fort Myers. In a first for Florida districts, the Lee County board chose by a 3-2 vote not to administer the test tied to the Common Core academic tests or any end-of-course exams. The decision could have vast implications for students: The Florida School Boards Association has warned that students who don’t take the state’s standardized tests won’t meet the requirements to earn a standard high school diploma.

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA REPORTS RECORD $215.3 MILLION FROM DONORS IN LAST FISCAL YEAR

University officials say it’s the second year in a row that Florida was given cash and cash-equivalent donations in excess of $210 million. The fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. Last year Florida launched a major fundraising push to raise $800 million over a three-year period to push up the university’s ranking among the nation’s best public research universities.

STATE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES HOLDS ANNUAL SUMMIT IN ORLANDO

Department of Children and Families Secretary Mike Carroll will kick off the Child Protection Summit on Wednesday, speaking about his vision for Florida’s vulnerable children. The three-day summit will give child welfare professionals the opportunity to learn from leading experts from around the country and fellow professionals, to improve their skills in the protection of children and strengthening families. The agency has come under fire after hundreds of child abuse-related deaths in the past five years. This year, the Legislature passed a sweeping bill aimed at overhauling Florida’s child-welfare system.

2 MEN SHOT MULTIPLE TIMES OUTSIDE BAR

Authorities say two men were shot multiple outside a Dade City bar. The shooting occurred around 10:40 p.m. Monday at Cooper’s Bar. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office reports the men were taken by helicopter to area hospitals. There was no word on their conditions and few details about the shooting were immediately available.

TEEN, 15, ACCUSED OF KILLING HIS MOTHER

A 15-year-old southwest Florida boy is charged with killing his mother. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigators found the body 42-year-old Tamara Jean Davis on Sunday after neighbors reported a horrible odor coming from her North Fort Myers house. She had been reported missing on Aug. 24. Neighbors told the News-Press of Fort Myers that the smell had been getting worse over the past two weeks.