St. Johns County School Board Chair Patrick Canan expressed frustration at the end of a sometimes testy board meeting Tuesday that included hours of public comment over mandating masks in school.

After widespread backlash over enforcement of its dress code and the controversial editing of female student yearbook photos, the St. Johns County School District formed a committee to discuss an overhaul of that key portion of the student code of conduct.

Dozens of people flooded what turned out to be a heated St. Johns County School Board meeting Tuesday to call for the end of the district’s mask mandate for students in schools.

The St. Johns County School Board voted Tuesday to join a multi-district lawsuit targeting pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioids, as well as companies that distribute the drugs.

Two St. Johns County School Board members four-year terms end this year but only one will be on the ballot as one incumbent is running for re-election and drew no opposition. District 5 School Board member Patrick Canan, the current vice-chairman, is unopposed for another term. Maintaining local control- We need to keep our school district great by implementing conservative values that reflect our community Safety- Getting our children back in school in a safe and sanitized environment.Our school district needs to continue participation in the state Guardian program. I have worked for the St. Johns County School District for over 10 years. I will be the most humble, sincere and professional school board member of the St. Johns County School Board.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. St. Johns County School Board members on Tuesday asked the school district to explore pushing back the school start date to give the district more time to implement COVID-19 safety plans and allow parents to make decisions. The majority of board members asked the district to push back the start date at least two weeks during a regular school board meeting. School board member Patrick Canan opened the meeting by asking the district to push back the start date and he was backed up by nearly every other board member. Board members Tommy Allen and Bev Slough also said they want to push back the start of school. The School Board will vote not on delaying school opening on Tuesday because it is not on the agenda.