JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It's a required test one parent says her daughter is not going to take. This is how parent Sandy Bittner views the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test or FCAT: "It treats the children unequally, based on their education, how they're expected to do on the test," she said.

Bittner told First Coast News she has decided to not allow her third grade daughter take the test.  It's a test that is mandated by Florida statutes for all students in the Sunshine State.  "My family has moral issues against the FCAT in that children are treated unfairly," she explained

While that may sound like a good argument, the current statute does not allow for any FCAT opt-outs.  "I decided then the stakes were too high.  It was explained to me, if you do not pass, you do not continue on to the fourth grade," she said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The One Spark festival is kicking off Wednesday after years of planning, and creators of the idea could not be more thrilled.

"This really started on a napkin at Panera one day with myself and a few friends," said One Spark founder Elton Rivas.

He helped bring the idea from a paper product to a festival with an expected crowd of more than 10,000 people ... and each and every one of them get to be part of it.

"It's one of those festivals where you really get to be engaged with the creators or the people who are part of this process," he said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A security review is underway for the first ever One Spark festival in downtown Jacksonville this week.

Festival organizers and city leaders want to ensure the safety of the event after the deadly bombings in Boston.

David DeCamp, spokesman for Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, gave First Coast News this statement on behalf of the mayor: