TIM FORSON

A group of St. Johns County teachers is planning a show of solidarity to protest pay.

Teachers and the St. Johns County School District are at a stand-still over pay negotiations.

As St Johns County students wrap up the fall semester Wednesday, the school district is already planning ahead for next fall.

The district said the resolution is not due to the growth it is seeing right now and set out to ease parents’ concerns about overcrowded classrooms.

More than 43,000 students attended the first day of school in St. Johns County on Wednesday, according to numbers released by the district.

Thousands of students returned to classrooms in St. Johns County on Wednesday morning.

Students across Northeast Florida will be heading back to school Wednesday, so it’s time to get back into the fall semester swing. Parents and students, here’s what you need to know for St. Johns County.

The St. Johns County School District superintendent is asking for patience from the community as about 50,000 students prepare to go back to school Wednesday morning.

The school district said law enforcement presence will be increased until the last day of school on June 2.

PETA said it sent a letter to St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson on Tuesday offering lessons on kindness to animals after a dead shark was hung from the rafters at Ponte Vedra High School last week.

The St. Johns County School District is dropping some of its COVID-19 protocols.

St. Johns County School District officials said Tuesday a new school is in the works for the northwest part of the county.

The St. Johns County Programs of Choice High School Showcase scheduled for Thursday was canceled due to concerns over the rise in coronavirus cases, the school district announced.

The superintendent of St. Johns County schools said Thursday he’s concerned about the increase in the number of students infected with COVID-19.

The president of the teachers union in St. Johns County said the reaction among teachers has been mixed after the school district put in place a mask mandate for all school employees this week.

There will be a new mask mandate in the St. Johns County School District, but only for employees.

Dozens of people holding signs stood outside the St. Johns County School District offices Tuesday morning to call for a district-wide mask mandate when students return to classrooms next week.

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.

St. Johns County School Board Chairman Patrick Canan said Monday the decision by a school employee to digitally alter 80 photos of female students that appeared in a high school yearbook was a mistake.

In a message to St. Johns County public school students, Superintendent Tim Forson said Friday face masks will no longer be required in school and on school buses when the new school year begins this fall.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – In a letter sent to Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, members of the St. Johns County School Board asked the state not to penalize the school district based on the results of the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) tests. “We want to give the test because we want to understand where our children are performing. AdThe letter, which was also signed by Superintendent Tim Forson, cites the U.S. Department of Education which said assessment flexibility was needed due to the ongoing pandemic. “Man students and staff members have missed time at school due to the illness itself, or mandatory quarantine, and students struggled in online platforms for a variety of reasons,” the letter states. Standardized testing begins April 15 and continues through May 28 in Florida schools.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Some good news for St. Johns County students. The school board voted Tuesday morning to extend summer break an extra week and start school on Aug.16. The 2021-2022 school year was scheduled to start on Aug. 10. The current school year ends June 10 for students, which is later than in the year’s past due to the coronavirus. The four days the district is delaying will be added to the end of the school year, so the 2021-2022 school year will now end on June 2 for students.

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. – Unless a new deal is struck in St. Johns County, teachers there will no longer be able to take emergency time-off for COVID-19 related reasons. This could be a problem for teachers who might become exposed or contract the virus over Christmas break. On the final day before Christmas break, St. Johns County teachers got an email from Superintendent Tim Forson notifying them of the expiration. And that’s what we want to avoid,” said Michelle Dillon, President of the St. Johns Education Association. Dillon said the hope is to sit down with district leaders in January to figure out a solution for teachers to still have access to some form of emergency leave.

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.

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. – School leaders in St. Johns County want to know where families stand on distance learning and whether those students will be returning to the classroom any time soon. In an email to St. Johns County families on Wednesday, Superintendent Tim Forson announced the district would no longer allow families to move students from brick-and-mortar learning to the school-based virtual learning format unless there’s a serious health risk involved. Forson said the constant movement in and out of learning models is creating a challenge for staff, particularly teachers. Students might still test positive or join the 665 St. Johns County students who are currently in quarantine. News4Jax asked the district if the option for school-based distance learning will expire in December with the emergency order but a spokesperson did not reply before this story was published.

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. – Dismissal times for St. Johns County schools will soon be adjusted on Wednesdays for students of public schools in the area. According to a message sent Monday by Tim Forson, the county school superintendent, the 50-minute adjusted Wednesday dismissal time will be implemented Oct. 14. Forson said middle schools will release at 12 p.m., elementary and K-8 academies will release at 12:55 p.m. and high schools will release at 2 p.m. The adjustment is to allow each school’s maintenance and custodial team to sanitize high traffic areas. Here’s the message that was sent by Forson:

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – As of last week, there have been 37 staff members in St. Johns County that have either tested positive or been asked to quarantine due to close contact with a positive case. That has led to concerns that the loss of teachers and staff could result in a lack of available teachers in the school district, but a district spokesperson told News4Jax on Thursday there is no shortage of substitute teachers to go around. The district said there are 720 substitute teachers in its substitute teacher pool as of Thursday. St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson has said that maintaining enough substitute teachers will be an important issue this school year during the pandemic. President of the St. Johns County teachers union said that almost one-third of substitute teachers heading into the year were over the age of 65.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson said Tuesday that while he is concerned about the number of novel coronavirus cases in the school district, he has confidence in the district’s cautious approach to containing the virus. According to data published by the district on Friday, the district has a total of 23 COVID-19 positive students and six positive staff members. A total of 491 students and 31 staff members were quarantined at home as of Friday. Forson said the district is doing its part, as well, to try to reduce the stress on teachers. So I think for us, it is taking away as many other workloads and expectations they might have,” he explained.

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:

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. One week into the new school year, some St. Johns County school teachers are saying they are not happy with how things are going so far. The head of the local teachers union said Tuesday the current set-up is leaving them overworked and frustrated. The main issue, according to teachers, is simultaneous learning, said Michelle Dillon who heads the St. Johns County Education Association. Thats when a teacher is instructing students in the classroom and streaming classes online at the same time. Teachers are going to have to have the ability to fail at something to try to make it better, Forson added.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. Theres now at least one reported COVID-19 case in St. Johns County schools, and parents were notified Monday, on the first day of class. The district sent a letter to parents and guardians, but the district says it cannot release which school is impacted and if its a student or staff member. Its unclear if that person was at school on Monday or if it was a teacher whod previously been at school for planning. And as it relates to the virus in our schools, were going to need to start to get together some reporting system, said Tim Forson, St. Johns County superintendent. News4Jax reached out to the school district transportation department for information on any issues.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. St. Johns County students will be back in the classroom on Monday, and this year, there will be some new rules and requirements. In St. Johns County, neck gaiters are acceptable face coverings, according to the school district. The school district shut off the drinking spouts on all water fountains, so a reusable water bottle will help keep your student hydrated throughout the day. The school district spent nearly $2.5 million outfitting the school buildings with desk barriers, cleaning supplies, technology upgrades and signage to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus as much as possible. Elementary Schools and K-8 Schools: 9-9:30 a.m.High Schools: 9:45-10:15 a.m.Gamble Rogers Middle School: 8-8:30 a.m.Pickups are at your childs school.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. As students in St. Johns County prepare to return to school on Monday, St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson joined The Morning Show on Friday to answer a few last-minute questions about what they can expect when they finally return to classrooms. Melanie Lawson: This is a big day for students and parents in St Johns County. ML: It is the first day back on Monday and Ive talked with some parents who are still on the fence about distance learning. You have more than 42,000 total enrollment about 25% are distance learning with 32,000 brick-and-mortar, so what will those virtual classrooms look like? And so from one school to the next, the number of distance learning students vary widely.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. Classes begin Monday for St. Johns County students and officials with the district said theyre making sure each school has the resources it needs to handle any COVID-19 related problems. In addition to hand sanitizer, digital thermometers, desk partitions, PPE and other equipment aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, the district is also providing additional human resources to each campus. There will be 1-3 substitutes assigned to each school, said St. Johns County School District spokeswoman Christina Langston. At least two nurses will be stationed at each campus, according to the district. Langston added that elective courses may have more students in the classroom than core classes will.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. The St. Johns County School Board on Tuesday morning finalized plans for how the district plans to handle students who refuse to wear masks at school. The reassignment would apply to students who fail to wear a mask or face covering when required on more than three occasions. Before the student is reassigned, the school principal must notify the student and the students parents verbally and in writing that a student has refused or failed to comply with required district practices. The superintendents decision to reassign a student to distance learning will be final and shall not be subject to appeal, the district said. Part of the rules adopted Tuesday give Forson the power to require that all district students, teachers, staff, volunteers, vendors, and others, wear a mask.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson said the school district working on a way to report COVID-19 cases in schools. One of the options is developing a dashboard similar to the one being created for Duval County schools. Thats the caution.Duval County schools said its dashboard will display confirmed cases on school campuses among students and staff and that it will be updated regularly. Our community seems to be really well committed to doing the right thing.The new positive test rate for COVID-19 averaged over a 14-day period for St. Johns County is 6.21%, the district said. Forson also addressed other COVID-19 related issues discussed by the school board as students prepare for a return to classrooms on Monday.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. As students in St. Johns County prepare to return to the classroom next week, teachers and the school district are at odds over student mask policy in brick-and-mortar schools. The current mask policy in the school district calls for students to wear masks if they are unable to social distance. Teachers like Melondia Corpus, a veteran educator who teaches at St. Johns Technical High School, is worried the current policy will put her at risk. But Im in my 33rd year with St. Johns County and I only have two more years to go. The SJEA, the teachers union in St. Johns County, asked St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson to allow teachers the authority to require masks in their individual classrooms, especially if social distancing is not possible, or if they have health concerns.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. St. Johns County students who refuse to wear a mask at school could be reassigned to distance learning, Superintendent Tim Forson said Thursday. Ultimately though, in the health and safety of everyone involved, it could be a reassignment of a student into distance learning for a period of time.A similar policy is already in place for Duval County schools. News4Jax has requested more information about the policy in St. Johns County. St. Johns County Superintendent Tim Forson takes questions from parents during a virtual meeting on Thursday. Forson said he plans to send out more information about the upcoming school year to parents at some point this weekend.

It includes conducting health screening on children every day before sending them to school. St. Johns County Schools Superintendent Tim Forson sent an email to parents Tuesday night asking parents to comply with the recommendation. The daily health screening is as follows. Mothers Chrissy Henry and Tiffany Sral are sending their 5-year-old boys to Hendricks and Neptune Beach elementary schools when Duval County schools open next week. Sincerely,Tim Forson Superintendent of Schools St. Johns County School District

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. Teachers in Clay and St. Johns counties on Tuesday returned to school campuses for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close in late March. In St. Johns County, Tuesday marked the first of three consecutive teacher pre-planning days that will be used to prepare them for the new challenges of the upcoming school year. Superintendent Tim Forson welcomed the teachers back to school during a school board meeting Tuesday morning. Teachers in the county have two more in-service days before Clay students are scheduled to return to classes Aug. 25. Students in St. Johns County will come back Aug. 31.

In case you missed it, News4JAX on Thursday hosted its first Facing The Fall Virtual Town Hall to get answers from Duval County schools decision makers about how theyre approaching the upcoming school year. RELATED: Replay the first Facing The Fall Virtual Town Hall hereWere pleased to announce we have a second virtual town hall planned for Tuesday. News4JAX anchor Melanie Lawson and education reporter Joe McLean will host and moderate that town hall. That town hall will kick off at 10 a.m. Tuesday. We need your help, so if you have questions about the upcoming school year, youre welcome to submit them, even anonymously, using the form above.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. The St. Johns County School Board is meeting Tuesday to discuss possibly pushing back the start of the school year. If the board decides to push back, that date will change to Aug. 31. If the board signs off, it could also mean a different date for the last day of school, which would move to June 16. The board is also set to discuss buying desk shields for those students whose families choose to return to the physical classroom. But those shields wouldnt be delivered for three weeks -- after the current Aug. 10 start date -- and that doesnt include time needed for installation.