Door opened for more talks with DCPS, security contractor says, following I-TEAM report
School campus safety is once again in the spotlight following the deadly shooting at a Nashville Christian school, and on Tuesday, the News4JAX I-TEAM reported that a $36,000 contract for active shooter training and campus evaluations in Duval County hasn’t been used 10 months after leaders announced it.
Duval County School Board reviews refurbished sex education curriculum after pulling materials midyear
After abruptly postponing the legally required presentation of the district’s supplemental health curriculum in September, the Duval County School Board reviewed the new proposed plan for how the district will teach students about reproductive health and disease prevention.
Duval County School Board discusses update to critical grand jury report on district crime reporting
The Duval County Public School board is poised to again discuss a recently released report from a Florida grand jury which accuses the former director of DCPS Police Department of severely underreporting instances of crimes on school campuses over a four-year period.
Weekend full of Back to School Events
Most all the young ones are back in school…Duval County lights it up Monday. With that, there are many back to school events that offer up school supplies, beautifications for young ladies, food, fun and more. Rance shares a short list of opportunities for families to get out and prep for school in a fun way.
‘We are in this together’: DCPS superintendent lays out plan for navigating teacher shortage as school year looms
In a message to district staff Wednesday, Duval County Public Schools Dr. Superintendent Diana Greene announced that class sizes in grades K-8 will increase by one or two students across the district.
Road Trip Tips with Jacksonville Mom
Summer is coming to an end and school is right around the corner. Its your last chance to hit the road without the stresses of school and all the after-school activities. Family road trips are great if you are prepared! Our friend Nicki Wiggins, from Jacksonville Mom stopped by the studio and shared her tips and tricks to make the car ride fun. My favorite tip is the “snacklebox”. Here is a link to her blog post from Jacksonville Mom: Must-Have Toys and Activities for Road Trips (jacksonvillemom.com)
DeSantis blasts Disney for ‘woke’ response on Florida sexual identity in schools bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis is condemning Disney’s response to Florida’s bill banning discussion of sexual orientation and identity in some classrooms, calling the company “woke” and saying it’s fallen for “phony hysteria” from the corporate media.
School Enrollment Dips — Where Are All The Students? : Consider This from NPR : NPR
Public school enrollment dropped three percent nationwide during the 2020-2021 school year.NPR's education team continued to track enrollment this school year and found that while districts have gained students, a significant majority are still not back to where they were prior to the pandemic.A similar story has unfolded in Los Angeles, Chicago and at more public schools across the nation.NPR education reporter Cory Turner looked into why students are still not coming back to school and what schools are trying to do about it.Meanwhile, some of the students not enrolled in public school have started being homeschooled during the pandemic. WBHM education reporter Kyra Miles spoke to Black families in Alabama who are choosing that option in increasing numbers.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
npr.orgTeacher who hung BLM flag outside class offered extra credit for activism, DCPS investigation finds
Newly-released documents from Duval County Public Schools reveal why teacher Amy Donofrio was removed from her classroom duties at the formerly-named Robert E. Lee High School, amid the heated battle over the future of the school’s name.
With school year underway, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rising for Illinois kids
Newly released federal and state data shows COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations climbing among Illinois children, along with outbreaks tied to schools, as the state tries to balance limiting the virus’s spread while keeping kids in class.
chicagotribune.comTexas school temporarily closes after two teachers die from COVID-19 in a week
A school in Texas closed for the rest of the week on Tuesday after two teachers died from COVID-19 within a week, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports. State of play: The campus at Connally Junior High School won't open until after Labor Day for deep sanitation, after sixth-grade social studies teacher Natalia Chansler died on Aug. 28, having notified the school three days earlier that she tested positive for COVID-19.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. S
news.yahoo.comIllinois board of ed to restore state recognition for suburban private school after it agrees to comply with mask mandate
The Illinois State Board of Education restored a suburban private school’s state recognition Friday, after school officials agreed to fully comply with Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s school mask mandate when students arrive on campus this month.
chicagotribune.comTeachers, students struggle with online classes in Chile
Marcela Garc�a teaches science classes sitting on three cushions placed on a chair in her dining room in Chile’s capital, while many of her students listen to her from their beds because they all lack sufficient space for the remote teaching brought on by the pandemic
washingtonpost.comVoters favor changing Lee High’s name, narrow margins want to keep Andrew Jackson & Ribault
The results of weeks of community balloting at nine Duval County Schools being considered for renaming were counted and released to the public Wednesday evening, giving solid support to changing the name of Robert E. Lee High School and several other schools, but voters want to keep the name of two other high schools and one middle school.
More protests held outside DCPS board meeting over school renaming effort
Supporters of the renaming of nine Duval County Public Schools properties staged another demonstration Tuesday outside the school district’s administrative headquarters, about 90 minutes before a scheduled meeting of the school board.
School's solar panel savings give every teacher up to $15,000 raises
School's solar panel savings give every teacher up to $15,000 raises Renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar are generating more power in the U.S. than coal. Ben Tracy visits a rural Arkansas school district using the sun's rays in an unusual way.
cbsnews.comSchool's solar panel savings give every teacher up to $15,000 raises
School's solar panel savings give every teacher up to $15,000 raises Renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar are generating more power in the U.S. than coal. Ben Tracy visits a rural Arkansas school district using the sun's rays in an unusual way.
cbsnews.comMore parish consolidations announced in south suburbs as footprint of Chicago-area Catholic Church shrinks
St. Ann Parish and School in Lansing, St. James Parish in Sauk Village and St. John Parish in Glenwood will be united to form one parish with two worship sites and one pastoral team, the archdiocese said in a news release. Mark Kalema will be pastor of the newly united parish, which will hold regular Mass only at St. Ann and St. James, with the schedule to be determined.
chicagotribune.comMore Catholic parishes forced to merge by Chicago Archdiocese, with further consolidation announcements expected this week
St. Benedict Parish and School in Blue Island, St. Walter Parish and School in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood and St. Peter Claver Mission in Robbins will unite under a single name and pastoral staff in July, with regular public services held only at St. Benedict. St. Benedict and St. Walter schools will unite for the coming school year as one school, sharing a name, with two active campuses, the archdiocese said in a news release Tuesday night. The church at St. Walter will not hold regular Sunday Mass but can be used for school Masses, funerals and other individual events.
chicagotribune.comSuper 6 baseball rankings: Clay teams continue strong start
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school baseball season is back and so are our Super 6 rankings. (1) St. Johns Country Day (6-0, Class 2A)Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Bolles, Glynn Academy, Ridgeview. There’s an excellent Clay County showdown a week from Friday with a home game against the Blue Devils from Green Cove Springs. Glance: Another Clay County team, another sterling start. The Bears slide due to inactivity this week and stay in the Super 6 ahead of Providence and Trinity Christian.
School disrupted and families without homes after deadly Texas storm
School disrupted and families without homes after deadly Texas storm A deadly Texas storm has taken a toll on teachers, parents and students, who were already having to navigate remote learning during the pandemic. Janet Shamlian reports.
cbsnews.comPutnam County schools move forward with sweeping plan to close, build new schools
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – Putnam County school leaders voted Tuesday to move forward with a revitalization plan that could reshape the district as students and families know it. School board member Sandra Gilyard, who voted against the plan, said the school district should slow down and get more input from the community. In it, former students and parents alike share how Melrose Elementary School helped shape their lives. With the finalized plan being left to Putnam County leaders, the Melrose community is just celebrating a victory. “It’s just a huge relief knowing that future generations are going to continue having those memories and the different little things that continue to build the school,” Spitzner said.
Florida schools graduation rate hits record-high after standardized tests waived
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida’s high school graduation rate hit a record-high of 90% in 2020. The Florida Department of Education said the graduation high is in part due to adjustments made during the coronavirus pandemic. The waived assessments propelled us in a direction we were already heading,” Duval County Schools Superintendent wrote in a statement. The Nassau County School District (91.6%) noted a 1.2% drop in the graduation rate since 2017-18 but still finished above the state’s average. See the results including all Florida high schools here.
New year brings higher fines for drivers ignoring school bus stops
The penalties for failure to stop for a school bus are now double. The penalty for passing a school bus on the side that children enter and exit when the school bus displays a stop signal goes from a minimum of $200 to $400. If a second offense is committed in 5 years, the person’s license can be suspended for up to 2 years. Need to brush up on the rules for when to stop for a school bus? The only time you do not have to stop for a school bus stop is if you are traveling the opposite direction, and there is a raised barrier, like a concrete divider or a five-foot-wide grass median.