W're highlighting one Neptune Beach student who is volunteering to fight Alzheimer’s disease every year at an annual walk that draws thousands of people.

Students involved in the Model U.N. at Fletcher High School express the challenges of raising money to go to conferences.

Fletcher High School students in Neptune Beach will notice extra security on Thursday after police were notified about a threat made toward the school on social media.

The first of seven Duval County Public Schools community meetings is Tuesday night to discuss possible school closures and consolidations being proposed for the district.

The agency said it was because of an off-campus incident and that it was out of an abundance of caution.

At Friday night’s football game at Fletcher High School against Ed White High School, extra precautions were put in place to help keep fans safe.

The Duval County School Board is implementing enhanced security measures at local high school football games following two incidents at local that happened within the last two months.

Fletcher High School principal ended a Friday night football game against Sandalwood High School.

The City of Jacksonville Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services (PRCS) announced that 20 community pools across the city will open Saturday, May 27 — just in time for Memorial Day festivities.

A now-former school safety officer accused of inappropriately touching a teenager was arrested Tuesday by the Atlantic Beach Police Department on multiple charges, according to authorities.

After several people broke into Fletcher High School and vandalized thousands of dollars worth of landscaping equipment and the school’s athletic field, the community’s powerful response turned things around.

Bottled water will be available for students and staff of Fletcher High School for at least the next three days due to a boil water advisory, according to a message from the school.

Next week will mark four months since Jacksonville suspended curbside recycling.

Officers on Wednesday afternoon were dispatched to Fletcher High School after a report of someone armed with a handgun, according to the Neptune Beach Police Department.

Officers on Wednesday afternoon were dispatched to Fletcher High School after a report of someone armed with a handgun, according to the Neptune Beach Police Department.

Officers on Wednesday afternoon were dispatched to Fletcher High School after a report of someone armed with a handgun, according to the Neptune Beach Police Department.

A push at City Hall to bring back curbside recycling in Jacksonville.

A majority of the sand dunes at Jacksonville, Atlantic and Neptune Beaches were not affected by the nor-easter that blew through Northeast Florida over the weekend, a local expert says.

A group of Fletcher High School students took charge of protecting the environment Sunday by setting up a temporary recycling drop-off site at Huffman Boulevard Park. This comes as the city’s curbside pickup for recycling is suspended so more workers can focus on current garbage issues.

Noting that the decision was not made in response to a specific threat to Fletcher High, a message Monday evening from the school’s principal alerted parents to a planned increase in random checks of students, scheduled to begin next week.

Marine biology club, known as the "Beach necks," set up barriers along the beach

Sophia and Juliana Hilliard are twin sisters and seniors on the varsity soccer team at Fletcher High School. Both also play for a travel soccer team at Jacksonville FC.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After Sandalwood High School students took to the hallways on Wednesday in protest of the district’s “You Matter Month” campaign, more demonstrations were held Friday on campuses across the district. Students rallied again at Sandalwood, as well as at First Coast High School, Fletcher High School, Andrew Jackson High School and others. The main target of all the demonstrations is the district’s “You Matter Month” campaign which they say takes away from Black History Month and, at the same time, high-jacks the “Black Lives Matter” phrasing. “We want more Black history to be in the curriculum, we want it to be more important,” Sandalwood student Milka Fanord said. In fact, DCPS is listed as one of only nine “exemplary districts” by Florida for how it provides Black history education.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Due to unspecified “potential threats” on social media, all Duval County high schools will be implementing “enhanced security measures” through the end of the school week, according to two robocalls News4Jax obtained Wednesday night. Sandalwood is the only school mentioned specifically by the district, although all high schools are taking similar precautions. One message was sent from Principal James Ledford to parents of Fletcher High School students. Tracy Pierce, spokesperson for Duval County Public Schools, said that parents and students may notice metal detectors. AdNews4Jax crime and safety Expert Ken Jefferson says it’s critical that anyone with knowledge of violent social media chatter speak up.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County Public Schools has reported 1,397 COVID-19 cases since the start of the school year, the district’s dashboard showed Thursday afternoon. So while more cases have appeared in elementary schools than high schools, there are about five times as many elementary schools as high schools -- and they include more grade levels. Among elementary schools, Mandarin Oaks, Enterprise Learning Academy and Andrew Robinson have seen the most cases -- with 19, 18, and 15, respectively. Meanwhile, Fletcher High topped the list of high schools with 79 cases. The district’s most populous school, Sandalwood High, has seen 72 cases, and Mandarin High has recorded 50 cases.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s almost go time for the third annual Fortegra High School 9:12 Invitational basketball tournament. On Thursday at Fletcher High School, the eight-team boys basketball tournament cranks up. The Fortegra High School 9:12 Invitational boys basketball tournament begins Thursday at Fletcher. (News4Jax)“Each year the tournament gets better and this year is no exception,” said Alan Verlander, Founder and CEO of High School 9:12. “Thanks to our sponsors and partners, we are able to provide an early season showcase that elevates high school basketball throughout our area.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Most Florida students began their Thanksgiving break Tuesday afternoon, set to return to class Monday. On Tuesday, St. Johns County School District posted the weekly update to its COVID-19 dashboard, normally updated Fridays, showing 73 students and 24 staff were positive for COVID-19, the most of any previous report. St. Johns County School District COVID-19 Dashboard Nov. 22 - 27. (St. Johns County School District)Clay County School District also reported its highest COVID-19 totals of the academic year so far, as 27 students and eight staff members have tested positive over the previous week. Clay County School District COVID-19 Dashboard Nov. 20.

The Fortegra High School 9:12 Invitational presented by the CSI Companies will be played at Fletcher High School Dec. 10-12. The championship game will be televised live at 7 p.m. on CW17. The third-place game will be televised live at 4 p.m. on CW17. I hope our community will come out and watch this event and see the wonderful basketball talent our area offers.”The schedule for the Fortegra High School 9:12 Invitational presented by the CSI Companies. Providence won the first two Fortegra basketball events.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students, teachers and staff are returning to the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts campus Friday morning. Douglas Anderson follows Fletcher High School and Providence School, which both reopened this week after similar surges in cases. Students with the I’m A Star Foundation participated in a live virtual debate about reopening schools amidst a pandemic. Among the participants, there were both students who supported reopening and those who were against it. This number could fill the entire city of Rocky Mount and the city of Pinellas Park, Florida,” student Tiffany Powell said.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students and staff of Fletcher High School headed back to school Thursday morning after being out of their classrooms for more than a week. Health officials linked the source of the outbreak to activities outside of school, including a party attended by multiple students. Otherwise, we really look forward to re-gathering as a school community on campus tomorrow.”One parent of a Fletcher High freshman told News4Jax on Thursday that her daughter was anxious to get back to in-person learning. “They’ve done a great job at Fletcher, I know they are doing the best they can and the principal is amazing. Outside we have that division some people are very cautious and some people don’t believe it’s even a problem at all so, yeah, I’m concerned.”Douglas Anderson School of the Arts was also closed for a COVID-19 outbreak.

‘Fair number of students’ developed symptoms, health department director says. If you need help with WJXT’s or WCWJ's FCC public inspection file, call (904) 393-9801.

“We will continue to follow all of our safety protocols we had in place prior to the closure,” Principal Dean Ledford told students and parents via email Wednesday. If your student still has direction to quarantine from the Department of Health, please adhere to that guidance. These clinics are supposed to notify the health department when they become aware of a positive test. Rolle also wants parents and students to know if someone tests positive, the health department does not reveal that person’s identity. “Please know that when we reach out to your close contacts, they don’t know who told us about the contact.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students at two Duval County schools are expected to return to classrooms this week after multiple cases of COVID-19 were reported at each school. Fletcher High School students are expected to return to campus on Thursday for in-person instruction after all students shifted to online learning through Wednesday due to multiple COVID-19 cases that health officials linked to activities outside of school, including a party. As of Friday, Fletcher High Principal Dean Ledford said, the school has more than 40 known cases among students and staff, including student-athletes on several different sports teams. While students are learning from home, the school is being thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, Ledford said. Students are expected to return to campus on Friday.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Besides Fletcher High School’s swim and dive team, the school’s bowling and golf teams have also now seen players test positive for COVID-19 in the wake of an outbreak that closed the school last week, Principal Dean Ledford said Friday. We also had bowling, as well, that was unable to participate as well in their gateway conference meet,” Ledford said. RELATED: Reported COVID-19 cases at Fletcher High continue to rise | Fletcher High moves all instruction online after 'approximately 16′ COVID casesLedford told parents Wednesday that all high school students should quarantine for 14 days as a precaution after learning several more students had tested positive beyond those involved last week. The Department of Health is still conducting contact tracing, which means students may not yet know if they have been exposed. When asked the chances that the campus reopening date of Oct. 29 could be delayed given that the health department has not finished contact tracing, the principal said he hopes not.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The number of reported coronavirus cases at Fletcher High School continues to trend in the wrong direction. “It’s actually not surprising,” said Dr. Sunil Joshi, President of the Duval County Medical Society Foundation. The announcement comes as seven new cases were also reported at Sandalwood High School on Wednesday. At Douglas Anderson High School, which moved to online learning this week after an outbreak, there were no new reported cases as of Wednesday evening, according to the district. At Providence School of Jacksonville, the “small amount of cases” among high school and middle school students forced the school to move to virtual learning for the rest of the week for grades 6-12.

“School closures should be off the table," DeSantis said while speaking at Jacksonville Classical Academy. Putting aside the pros and cons of virtual learning versus in-person instruction — does temporarily closing a school help to slow an outbreak? The CDC confirms that closing a school is a viable strategy under certain circumstances and school administrators at Douglas Anderson and Fletcher High School determined those circumstances applied. News4Jax asked about 10 to 14-day school closures for a Covid-19 outbreak, like the ones being utilized in Jacksonville. So, do school closures cause physical and mental harm to students?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the Department of Health tracks multiple cases of coronavirus at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Duval County Public Schools announced Tuesday that the campus will be closed for another week and all students must use Duval HomeRoom. The district said students can return to campus starting on Oct. 30. “All extracurricular activities, including group rehearsals, practices and other events will be suspended during this time,” according to the district. The health department will contact students and staff personally if there they need to quarantine for a longer period. "She texted me, and the school is yet to inform my mom that I was next to someone who has COVID-19.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Junior and senior students were sent home Tuesday after two cases of coronavirus were confirmed at Providence School of Jacksonville. According to an email from school leaders, two juniors from the school tested positive. “All students who have interacted with these two students over the weekend or in class on Monday have been contacted, sent home, and asked to quarantine,” according to the email. The school said it is not canceling any extra-curricular activities. Fletcher High School and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts both made the decision in the last week to temporarily close their campuses due to an increase in the number of reported COVID-19 cases.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fletcher High School students will continue learning virtually at least through Oct. 28 in response to a growing number of cases of COVID-19 at the school, administrators said Monday. Fletcher is the first of two public schools in Duval County to close its doors temporarily because of the virus. The second, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, moved students to online instruction on Monday. RELATED: Fletcher shifts to online instruction after multiple COVID-19 casesAdministrators expect to bring students back to campus for brick-and-mortar instruction beginning on Oct. 29. Before closing campus last week, Fletcher acknowledged it was dealing with roughly 16 reported cases of COVID-19.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Duval County students had the day off Friday for teacher training, but contact tracing continued after an outbreak at Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach. Seconder, her roommate, and one of her two children that attends Fletcher High School tested positive last Friday. “I got probably eight phone calls between the school, Department of Health, another department of health, my doctors at Mayo, like, everybody just asking questions,” Seconder said. The Department of Health is now tracking the virus at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts where Amy Hynes-Johnson’s 10th-grade son attends. As health department staff complete that contact tracing at Fletcher High School, they’ll then decide if the school should stay closed past the planned Tuesday reopening.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – An off-campus party contributed to an outbreak of more than two dozen COVID-19 cases at Fletcher High School, Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene said Thursday afternoon. “I’m not satisfied in that we are in a position that we had to close our school because of activity outside of the school,” Greene said. On Thursday, students at Fletcher High began learning at home through at least Monday. “Not only was just the schools but with everything.”Rolle praised DCPS for taking swift action at Fletcher High. At Fletcher High, that would mean roughly 320 students and staff were found to be exposed to COVID-19.

Coronavirus breakout at Fletcher High SchoolPublished: October 14, 2020, 6:37 pmThe high school prompting a school-wide shutdown and cancellation of all sports and after school activities.

Fletcher High moves all instruction online after ‘approximately 16′ COVID casesPublished: October 14, 2020, 6:19 pmBeginning Thursday, students of Fletcher High School will be learning at home through at least Monday, according to a message from the school’s principal.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Beginning Thursday, students of Fletcher High School will be learning at home through at least Monday, according to a message from the school’s principal. Because of a number of cases, we will transition all students to online instruction,” Principal James Ledford states in the recorded message. What state data showsAccording to the school’s website as of Wednesday afternoon, there were “approximately 16 reported cases.” It’s unclear how many cases were reported among students, staff members or both. In addition to classes moving online, Ledford said there will be no athletics or after-school activities, including Wednesday night’s junior varsity football game and the Friday night varsity football game. LINK: Fletcher football game against Buchholz off due to COVID-19The school will be thoroughly cleaned, Ledford said.

With Thin Blue Line flags & signs, dozens gather outside Fletcher High SchoolPublished: September 25, 2020, 10:34 pmFletcher made national headlines after administrators told players they could not fly the flag, some called it "political" and "racist."

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – Just before the Fletcher High School football team was set to kickoff Friday, dozens of people lined up along Seagate Avenue, many waving Thin Blue Line flags. The players came up with a decal that was approved by the Duval County School District, which they can wear on their helmets to honor Lavender. In addition to the flags people were waving Friday evening, some held signs and others wore T-shirts that read: “I know Andy,” referring to Lavender. Sarah Taylor, event coordinator for Blue Lives Matter, said flying the blue flag at football games is a good way for a son to honor his father. "He’s been carrying the flag for over a year.”The badge that some players are wearing on their helmet contains Lavender’s initials and his badge number.

Administrators recently told players they could not fly a Thin Blue Lines flag before a game. The flag was being used by the team to honor a player’s father, Corporal Andy Lavender, who died unexpectedly last year. On Friday, Duval County school leaders revealed a decal players designed that they can wear on their helmets, if they choose. Fletcher football players design helmet decal to memorialize deceased officer https://t.co/ceuOCcslgg — DCPS (@DuvalSchools) September 25, 2020The football team had been running onto the field with the pro-law enforcement flag since 2019, but it stopped after complaints about the team’s use of the symbol. She wrote: “He has taken proper action based on the educational values that should be considered in the situation involving the football team’s pregame ceremonies and the Thin Blue Line flag.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – A Thin Blue Line flag is causing controversy at a Neptune Beach school, prompting leaders to ban it from the football field. Online posters accused the team of being racist for waving the flag while running onto the field before games. She said her son, a junior offensive lineman, started running with the flag in honor of his late father, Cpl. Fletcher High School Principal Dean Ledford issued the following statement:"It will always be my goal to ensure all students at Fletcher High School have the best possible educational experience to gain every opportunity for success beyond our school. “As the principal of Fletcher, I greatly appreciate our School Police, Jacksonville Beach Police, Atlantic Beach Police, Neptune Beach Police and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for their work in protecting our school and our community.

Sidney Gaudreault is a junior on the volleyball team at Fletcher High School where she is working on her third varsity letter. Sidney is enrolled in the AICE program at Fletcher where she has a 4.4 GPA. She is a peer tutor and volunteers at beach cleanups.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Fresh-faced, Duval County 18-year-olds stood in front of the election supervisors office Tuesday morning to register to vote in November and urge other young adults to do the same. Recent Fletcher High School graduate Jack Rowan, 18, organized the demonstration, which also called for voters to support the long-debated half-cent sales tax referendum which will appear on the November 2020 ballot. The Duval County School Board says it needs a staggering amount of money for improvements to aging schools, in excess of $1.9 billion. The half-cent sales tax would be in effect for 15 years and could net $1.2 billion. We all know from our own personal experiences why this money is so badly needed, Rowen said.

Ana Bradshaw is on the wrestling team at Fletcher High School and spends most of her time working out in the weight room at Black Hive and on the mats at her local AAU club. Ana volunteers with the St. Pauls’ Vacation Bible School and with Shop with a Cop, providing Christmas presents to children from the Sulzbacher Center. Ana currently has a 3.0 GPA.

Ana Bradshaw honored as All-Star AthletePublished: June 1, 2020, 8:34 amAna Bradshaw is on the wrestling team at Fletcher High School. Ana spends most of her time working out in the weight room at Black Hive and on the mats at her local AAU club. She volunteers with the St. Pauls' Vacation Bible School and with Shop with a Cop, providing Christmas presents to children from the Sulzbacher Center. Ana currently has a 3.0 GPA.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After one of the biggest school districts in the country decided to allow students to have an excused absence to participate in protests, a school board member is exploring bringing the idea to Duval County. Duval County School Board Vice Chairwoman Elizabeth Andersen broached the topic during a school board workshop last week. A Fairfax school board member told NPR the plan for the district of about 188,000 students was inspired by the rise in student activism that followed the deadly 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school. A DCPS spokesman told News4Jax the relatively new idea needs further study in order to adequately inform the School Board. If the superintendent does decide to recommend a civic engagement day, she and the school board can expect backlash from conservative critics.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – No one was hurt Thursday after a small fire burned a building on the campus of Fletcher High School, authorities said. According to the Neptune Beach Police Department, the fire started during school hours outside a pool pump room. Fletcher High School Electrical Fire Neptune Beach Police Department, #DCPSPD & #JFRD on scene of a small electrical fire in an outdoor pool pump room at Fletcher High School in #neptunebeach. Fire at Fletcher High School right next to the portable with a group of students (me included). Had to run through a cloud of smoke to evacuate @ActionNewsJax @wjxt4 @FCN2go pic.twitter.com/PUBC9iTS6p — Luke Gilboy (@Luke_Gilboy) January 30, 2020

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Former Fletcher High School teacher Corey French pleaded guilty last week to unlawful sexual activity with minors. French was sentenced to three years in prison followed by five years of sexual offender probation, according to court documents, after he had sex with two students. Two students contacted French's wife after learning the teacher was sleeping with both of them, according to an administrative report from the Duval County School Board. French, who was 30 years old at the time, was arrested in September 2018 on two felony counts of unlawful sexual activity. The girls showed French's wife pictures to prove they were intimate with her husband.

The University of North Florida has cut ties with a former English teacher at Fletcher High School whose teaching license was revoked over allegations of inappropriate communications with students. The Education Practices Commission investigated allegations that Caleb Sarvis exchanged messages of a sexual nature with female students during the 2017/2018 school year. According to their report, Sarvis sent female students' photos of his face, then he would then rate the students' faces after they sent photos to him. News4Jax has asked if police were ever notified of the allegations against Sarvis, but we have not received a reply. Sarvis, who is a published writer and co-host of a podcast, is a UNF graduate described on RateMyProfessor.com as an adjunct professor at the university.

A traffic alert for students at Fletcher High School in Jacksonville Beach: a major construction project on the Seagate Avenue Bridge is to wrap up hours before classes start. Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.

Students at Fletcher High School in Jacksonville Beach should see a major construction project wrap up just hours before the school bell rings. Construction on the Seagate Avenue Bridge in front of Fletcher High School is part of the $25.7 million A1A drainage improvements project. He said he will be a ninth-grade math teacher at Sandlewood High School and doubts the work in front of Fletcher High School can be finished in time for the start of the new school year, but hopes it will be. Fisher attends church next to Fletcher High School. Officials are also warning drivers to expect backups and anticipate delays in the area around Fletcher High School.

A former English teacher at Fletcher High School whose teaching license was revoked over allegations of inappropriate communications with students went on to teach classes at the University of North Florida. The Education Practices Commission investigated allegations that Caleb Sarvis exchanged messages of a sexual nature with female students during the 2017/2018 school year. According to their report, Sarvis sent female students' photos of his face, then he would then rate the students' faces after they sent photos to him. News4Jax has asked if police were ever notified of the allegations against Sarvis, but we have not received a reply. Sarvis, who is a published writer and co-host of a podcast, is a UNF graduate and is shown on RateMyProfessor.com as an adjunct professor at the university.