ST. JOHNS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

The St. Johns County School District is surveying stakeholders on how to spend federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Some St. Johns County students will have to start paying for school meals again, according to a message sent to families from the St. Johns County School District Director of Food and Nutrition Services Sean Prevatt.

Between supply chain issues, food shortages and higher demand, there is a problem nationwide getting meals to students.

A recent letter from the National School Boards Association to President Joe Biden is being met with backlash from state and local school board officials.

With nearly 300 staff vacancies in the St. Johns County School District, local leaders are working to recruit new hires as the district continues its trend of rapid growth.

After a group of students at Bartram Trail High School was seen on cellphone and social media videos hurling anti-gay hate speech at fellow students, the St. Johns County School District confirmed that disciplinary actions were taken since the Sept. 17 rally.

Pine Island Academy, which opened this year in Nocatee, has been shaken by the deaths of two employees, including a teacher who died of COVID-19.

The St. Johns County Commission and St. Johns County School Board on Thursday got their first look at four proposed plans for how to redraw the county’s voting districts.

The debate over face masks in the St. Johns County School District is still being fought after a Pedro Menendez High School student died last week.

As the St. Johns County School District struggles to fill substitute teacher positions, employees from the district office have been forced to step into classrooms to replace teachers who may be out sick or quarantining.

At the close of the first day of school, the St. Johns County School District reported a total of 155 cases of COVID-19 in its schools.

Last year, if teachers had to miss work to get a coronavirus test or were forced to quarantine due to possible exposure, their salary was covered by funding from the federal government’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act. But since that expired, districts have been left to figure things out on their own.

The St. Johns County School Board on Tuesday morning approved new dress code rules, including changes to the district’s policy about the length of students’ shorts.

As the St. Johns County School District continues to grapple with a dress code policy that has been the source of controversy for months and is the subject of a federal investigation, the ACLU of Florida weighed in Friday, sending a letter to the district about the policy.

Earlier this month, the St. Johns County School District sent parents a survey seeking input on a dress code that has been a source of controversy for months and is now the subject of a federal investigation.

A federal investigation into whether the St. Johns County School District breached Title IX through its dress code policy continues as district officials on Wednesday turned over a cache of documents to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

The St. Johns County School District announced an expanded partnership with the Sheriff’s Office that will see at least one resource officer posted in all 46 of the district’s schools this fall.

The St. Johns County School District sent parents a survey Thursday, seeking input on a dress code that has been a source of controversy for months and is now the subject of a federal investigation.

The St. Johns County School District has already decided that it will not require temperature checks, desk shields or masks for students this upcoming school year, but it is still planning to have some coronavirus safety protocols in place.

Of the hundreds of yearbooks printed with edited photos of female students, only 25 were requested to be reprinted, according to St. Johns County School District spokesperson Christina Langston.

We’re looking into what will legally happen for the St. Johns County School District now that the U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into a complaint that the school district discriminated against female students through its enforcement of the dress code.

The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into a complaint that the St. Johns County School District discriminated against female students through its enforcement of the dress code.

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.

The changes under consideration for the St. Johns County School District’s student dress code include doing away with a rule that girls’ skirts must be no shorter than four inches above the knee and making the dress code standards the same for boys and girls, according to an internal document obtained by News4Jax.

The changes under consideration for the St. Johns County School District’s student dress code include doing away with a rule that girls’ skirts must be no shorter than four inches above the knee and making the dress code standards the same for boys and girls, according to an internal document obtained by News4Jax.

A Florida high school is facing criticism from students and parents after a teacher edited girls' yearbook photos to add more clothing.

After parents and female students at Bartram Trail High School raised concerns that yearbook photos deemed in violation of the student code of conduct had been edited without their knowledge, the St. Johns County School District said it is offering refunds to anyone calling about the issue.

After some confusion, the CDC clarified its position Saturday saying that masks and physical distancing should continue for all schools.

Organizations are coming together to offer health and wellness services to students in St. Johns County.

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.

The number of recorded violations of the St. Johns County School District’s student dress code has skyrocketed during the 2020-2021 school year, according to data provided by the district.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – There’s controversy over the student dress code at a St. Johns County high school. The school district confirmed that 31 girls received dress code violations on Friday. “I was walked downstairs got it taken which was my bra and was told I have detention,” the student told News4Jax. Freshman Riley O’Keefe, who started the online petition, said many of the girls flagged over dress code violations on Friday were wearing zip-up jackets with tank tops underneath. “I want administrators to know this is not OK.”As of 2 p.m. on Monday, seven girls and five boys were cited for dress code violations.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With three months left in the current school year, the St. Johns County School District has already assembled a group of leaders to begin planning for the 2021-2022 school year. In a presentation to the St. Johns County School Board on Tuesday, the district said it expects COVID-19 will continue to impact school operations through December 2021. One of the plans under consideration for next year would do away with school-based virtual learning, starting in the fall semester, in favor of offering brick-and-mortar learning along with St. Johns Virtual School, a school with its own set of teachers. AdThe district said the plan, which is not set in stone, would allow teachers to focus on one platform and improve the learning experience for students. Due to staffing issues as a result of the coronavirus, some St. Johns County teachers have been leading both virtual students and in-person students at the same time.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – During a Tuesday morning school board workshop, St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson floated the idea of changing the schedule for the 2021-2022 school year to allow for a longer summer break. Right now, the school year is set to begin Aug. 10, but Forson asked the school board to consider pushing the start date back to Aug. 16. Summer break is currently seven weeks long, about three weeks shorter than a typical summer, due to scheduling changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. The school board was initially receptive to the proposal. Forson said he hopes to make a decision soon to give parents, students and teachers enough time to plan.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Due to staffing issues, some St. Johns County teachers have been leading both virtual students and in-person students at the same time in the midst of the pandemic. Now, as the number of students enrolled in school-based virtual learning has declined, that’s about to change, for some teachers. The St. Johns County School District said it has started to move some teachers away from the dual-platform teaching model. AdMost of the changes involve elementary school teachers, said Associate Superintendent Dawn Sapp. And the superintendent listened, and the school board listened,” said Michelle Dillon, president of the teachers union.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County School District and teachers union on Tuesday reached an agreement on COVID-19 leave for teachers. Under the agreement, teachers can take up to eight days of paid leave if they are forced to take time off for coronavirus-related reasons. The district and the union had to put the new rules in place after part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ended on Dec. 31. “We are pleased we were able to reach an agreement,” St. Johns Education Association President Michelle Dillon said. The agreement states that if the act is reinstated under the newly installed President Joe Biden administration, those rules would supersede the district agreement.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County School District employees and others considered to be essential workers will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations through a new program at Flagler Health+ in St. Augustine. St. Johns County sheriff’s deputies, community-based health care clinic employees, St. Johns County School District staff age 65 and older, and other at-risk essential workers are all eligible for the vaccine, the hospital said. “We appreciate the community partnership that we have with Flagler Health+ and all that they do for our county,” St. Johns County Sherriff Rob Hardwick said in a news release. The president of the St. Johns County teachers union said it’s a positive step in the right direction. “The CDC says that we’re essential workers, I know that educators are essential workers, and it’s a shame that Governor dissent just doesn’t follow the CDC recommendations,” Dillon said.

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.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County School Board chose a name Tuesday for the new high school that up to today had been labeled “HHH.”The school will be Tocoi Creek High School. A mascot will be chosen later from 11 options:Suggested school names Mascot top selections Ancient City High School Bulls Nine Mile High School Cyclones North River High School Hornets River Valley High School Hurricanes Tocoi Creek High School (chosen name) Longhorns Tolomato High School Moccasins Razorbacks Tigers Toro Vikings VipersOn Dec. 15, the academic and elective course catalog will be released for the 2021-2022 school year enrollment. The St. Johns County School Board said the new school is desperately needed to help address overcrowding in the district. “Largely this will be taking the pressure off Nease high school,” said St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson. Realtor Shimi Meir says the market for families in St. Johns County is so high in demand that sellers and builders have taken advantage of it.

The St. Johns County School District will be making some course corrections for the spring semester as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. In a message sent Monday to school families, Superintendent Tim Forson outlined four changes to the school district’s operations under COVID-19. Students will have to commit to either in-person learning or virtual learning for the entire semester. Earlier this year, Forson recognized frequent switching between the two was causing teachers headaches and affecting other students. Third, the superintendent said, the school district will be putting together some “intensive instructional support” programs for students who are struggling this year.

Here’s where they stand at last check:Duval County Public SchoolsDuval County families have until Friday to cancel Duval HomeRoom for the spring semester. As of Wednesday, Duval County Public Schools Spokeswoman Sonya Duke-Bolden said, 2,200 families have requested to opt out of Duval Homeroom for the third quarter. Also, as of Wednesday, 80,780 students were enrolled in brick and mortar classes, 27,203 in Duval HomeRoom and 1,481 were learning via Duval Virtual Instruction Academy. Duke-Bolden added that these numbers do not include charter school students. St. Johns County School DistrictThe St. Johns County School District told News4Jax a survey was sent to families with students participating in distance learning, asking about their intended second-semester learning option.

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.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – More than a month after the deadline passed, negotiators with the St. Johns County teachers union and the St. Johns County School District tentatively agreed to terms on Tuesday that would raise the starting pay for teachers by more than $6,500. If ratified, the starting pay for new St. Johns County teachers would be $45,535, up from $39,000. The raises in St. Johns County were the best both sides could do with the $7.9 million the district is set to receive from the state. Other terms of the tentative agreement in St. Johns County include:All school personnel get a minimum salary increase of 2%. There are nearly 3,000 teachers in St. Johns County.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As school districts across Northeast Florida near the end of a fall semester complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders are hoping to gauge the learning option preferences of families. “Florida school districts are projecting nearly 1.85 million students are either full-time or part-time in-person, which is nearly 65% of students,” said Cheryl Etters, the FDOE Deputy Director of Communications. St. Johns County School DistrictThe St. Johns County School District has yet to announce any updates to its learning options for the Spring semester and, as of the publication of this article, had not responded to News4Jax’s inquiry. Clay County District SchoolsPosted on the homepage of the Clay County District Schools website is a link to a survey aimed at polling households on their plans for next semester. Columbia County School DistrictIn a Nov. 3 letter to families of students enrolled in the Columbia County School District’s school-based virtual learning format “Columbia Homeroom,” district leaders warned families that the format would not be available in the spring and encouraged them to prepare to enroll in the brick-and-mortar format.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County School District leaders trying to fill open teaching positions are now offering extra money for substitutes willing to take certain jobs. According to a message from the district’s head of human resources, St. Johns County schools need to fill classroom teacher vacancies at specific times and specific places, like at Nease High School, and they’re now offering extra money as an incentive. The head of the St. Johns County Education Association says she believes the district needed this incentive program because the district was already short on substitutes and fewer are stepping in because of the coronavirus pandemic. But having a strong network of substitutes was a key strategy at the beginning of the year school year, according to St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson. News4Jax has reached out to the school district for more information about the program and the district’s vacancies.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A message Wednesday from the St. Johns County School District superintendent states that leaders will no longer allow students to move from brick and mortar learning to distance learning. “Now that we are past the first interim reporting period, we will no longer move students to school-based distance learning unless there is a unique high-risk health factor for a student,” Superintendent Tim Forson said in an email. He said students enrolled in St. Johns Virtual School are expected to remain in that option until the end of the semester in January. “The teachers are doing amazing work, but it is increasingly more difficult to manage both platforms throughout the entire day," Forson wrote. “To provide the best instructional experience for your child, we need more consistency and fewer changes.”

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The deadline for school districts to submit teacher pay raise plans to the Florida Department of Education came and went on Oct. 1. Individual school districts were then left to hash out the details. The teachers union in St. Johns County, the St. Johns Education Association (SJEA), met with district negotiators on Tuesday but the sides were not able to make a deal. There are nearly 3,000 teachers in St. Johns County. The negotiations will continue in the coming weeks, but a timetable for when an agreement could be reached in both school districts is unclear.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Menendez football team’s game at rival St. Augustine Friday night has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns as several players and coaches became ill. Later Wednesday, the Clay County District Schools announced that Keystone Heights would have its football team shelved through Oct. 9 due to possible exposure to COVID-19 cases. It marks the second time in as many weeks that an area football team has been forced to cancel a game due to coronavirus quarantine measures or concerns. Clay High had to cancel last week’s game at Palatka due to players having to quarantine. Eagle’s View was also looking for an opponent after losing its game to Ocala St. John Lutheran this week, too.

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Though the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners voted Wednesday evening to lift the county’s mask mandate, the school district’s counterpart policy remained unchanged Monday. “We do not have a timeline for lifting the requirements we have in place,” said Nassau County School District Assistant Superintendent Mark Durham. St. Johns CountyThe St. Johns County School District imposed its mask policy on July 10 and has not issued any updates or changes as of Monday. Clay CountyThe Clay County School District’s mask policy also remains unchanged as of Monday and Nicole Young, the district’s communications coordinator, said the board was not discussing any changes to it. Young said there’s no timeline on a decision to lift the school district’s mask policy, but did not rule out the possibility that it could happen before the end of the school year.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Every member of the Nease High School dance and freshman volleyball teams are in quarantine due to possible exposure to the coronavirus, the district confirmed Friday. According to a district spokesman, both teams were quarantined this week along with other students at the Ponte Vedra Beach school after contact tracing was completed. Nease High School sophomore Keira Sargent has friends on both teams. Jordan McGovern is also a Nease High school sophomore. He said all his friends at school have been talking about the classmates who are forced to quarantine.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. The superintendent of the St. Johns County School District is urging parents to alleviate some of the workloads of teachers engaged in simultaneous instruction. This has been the most challenging start to a school year that we have ever faced, Superintendent Tim Forson said Wednesday in a letter published to the districts website. They are taking the work home with them for hours, they are not spending time with their family and friends.In Forsons letter addressing the issue, he asked parents to understand the challenge those teachers are facing. Your childs teacher is tasked with preparing variations in lessons because students are on two platforms, Forsons letter said. Read the full text of Forsons letter below: