Leon County Schools

Leon County Schools reopen this Wednesday, Aug. 10.

Florida is back to issuing school and district grades after a two-year pause due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This year, no district in the Big Bend earned less than a “C” while the long-troubled Jefferson school district got an incomplete grade.

The Leon County teachers union has reached a deal with the district on salary increases for the current school year. It comes days after Superintendent Rocky Hanna was asked by the State Board of Education why the money hasn’t been paid out yet—with just days remaining in the 2021-22 school year.

The Leon County School District and the Leon Classroom Teachers Association reached an agreement Thursday, avoiding the possibility of the issue going to a magistrate and the money reverting back to the state.

Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil’s upstart men and boys council is getting another $70,000, this time from the Leon County School District.

Leon County Schools has found itself at the center of several key pieces of legislation aimed at curbing school powers. Among the biggest: a new law that prevents schools from making decisions regarding a student’s health and wellbeing without consulting with parents. This is how a local fight between the school district and a parent, resulted in what opponents are calling the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

The Leon County School District is facing long-term financial headwinds in the form of school choice. More families are taking advantage of tuition assistance to send their kids to private schools or home school. And traditional public schools—and even charter schools—are left holding the bag.

It's the latest in a series of art in public space art projects made possible by KCCI (Knight Creative Communities Institute).

The Florida Board of Education is likely to find nearly a dozen school districts are or have been violating the state’s school mask rules. The board is expected to get an update on the districts at a meeting next week.

The Leon County School District will allow asymptomatic children to stay in school. Those students will still have to wear a mask, though.