Latest news with #SumterCounty
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sumter County School District created 'shell schools' to boost school grade, increase funding
A state investigation found that the Sumter County School District falsified student data to boost some schools' scores. The state says this happened while former Superintendent Richard Shirley was leading the district. In a statement posted on the district's Facebook, current Superintendent Logan Brown called the previous leadership's alleged actions 'a deliberate and unethical attempt to manipulate school performance metrics at the expense of our students.' The 53-page report from the Florida Department of Education's Office of Inspector General says the district moved approximately 200 low-performing students out of classrooms in their zoned school and into virtual classes. The investigation found that in some cases, the district never notified parents. The state says it received a tip back in November 2023. The tipster claimed the Sumter County School District 'falsified student data and reporting' and created 'shell schools' to remove low-performing students from school grades in order to increase funding from the state. The so-called shell schools were virtual programs known as SOAR. The report says between 2016 and 2021, roughly 200 students were taken out these 4 Sumter County Schools: Wildwood Elementary, Wildwood Middle High, South Sumter Middle, and Webster Elementary. The report says Wildwood Elementary achieved a 'B grade' for the 2016/17 school year, but the school would have scored a 'C grade' if the district didn't remove low-performing students. The report says that former Superintendent Shirley and former Assistant Superintendent Deborah Moffitt 'provided and approved the instruction to the district to withdraw low-performing SOAR students from their traditional zoned schools and enroll them in virtual school. However, former Superintendent Shirley states in the report that SOAR was intended to help students. He said the improved school grade was not the purpose of SOAR, but it was a 'side benefit.' Shirley retired last year shortly after the state launched an investigation into the district. Current Superintendent Brown released a statement calling the alleged actions 'serious misconduct by the previous leadership.' Brown is set to speak more about the investigation and the district's plan moving forward at a news conference Monday morning. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Interstate 95 north in Sumter County reopens after crash
SUMTER COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A section of northbound Interstate 95 southwest of Florence County has reopened after a crash Sunday afternoon. The crash happened north of Highway 378 near the rest area at mile marker 139 in Sumter County, the South Carolina Department of Transportation said. It briefly closed all of the northbound lanes of the highway. No additional information was immediately available. Count on News13 for updates. * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Traffic Advisory: Sumter County ramps at C.R. 470 and State Road 48 to close overnight
Motorists are advised that the Florida Department of Transportation is closing I-75 ramps at night for overhead sign work. The southbound I-75 exit ramps to State Road 48 and Sumter County Road (C.R.) 470 will be closed overnight on Tuesday, May 13. The ramp closures will begin at 10 p.m. and are expected to reopen at 6 a.m. Additionally, the northbound I-75 exit ramp to C.R. 470 will be closed overnight on Wednesday, May 14. During the southbound exit ramp closures on May 13, motorists on southbound I-75 wanting to access C.R. 470 should take exit 329 to S.R. 44. Then, they will turn right onto S.R. 44 and left onto CR. 470. Once crews finish on the C.R. 470 exit ramp, they will close the S.R. 48 ramp overnight. Southbound motorists on I-75 wanting S.R. 48 should take exit 321 to C.R. 470. From there, they will turn left onto C.R. 470, right onto U.S. 301, and head south to S.R. 48. On May 14, motorists heading northbound on I-75 wishing to access C.R. 470 will need to take exit 314 to S.R. 48. From there, motorists will turn right and head east on S.R. 48, turn left and head northbound on U.S. 301 and proceed to C.R. 470. Construction schedules may change because of weather or other unexpected events. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
