ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s back to school time in Central Florida.
With that, many changes and new procedures are in place.
Orlando’s Morning News host, Scott Anez, spoke with the Superintendents of Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties on WDBO.
ORANGE COUNTY:
Orange County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Maria Vasquez, told WDBO’s Scott Anez, the district is excited to once again be an “A” rated school district for the first time since 2019.
“I am so thankful for the hard work of our teachers, support staff, our students and families and a community that really rallied these last few years to bring us back to that “A” rating,” said Dr. Vazquez.
With safety in mind, Dr. Vazquez said it is a top priority for students and faculty.
“We have such great partnerships with all of our local law enforcement agencies, we have resource officers at everyone of our campuses, we collaborate with them on training and protocols,” said Dr. Vazquez. “This year we will have some new protocols in place because of new legislation, when there are students on campus, every gate and door, exterior and interior, needs to be locked.”
Over 50-thousand students are registered to ride the bus in Central Florida, Dr. Vazquez explained a new technology to implement bus safety with ID scanning.
“The students will be using the ID’s as the come on the bus and off of the bus, and it will allow parents and those involved to see when they are getting on and off of the bus,” said Dr. Vazquez. “Additionally our bus drivers are using tablets, that’s going to help with efficiency in all of the processes.”
Dr. Vazquez said the cell phone policy, which was implemented last year, will once again be in place for this school year.
“We actually saw a 62% reduction (last year) in the number of level four threats to school, 69% reduction (last year) in the major campus disruptions,” said Dr. Vazquez. “I think you’re seeing more and more districts, not only across the state, but across the country, that are looking at cell phone use in the schools.”
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Vazquez on the Anez Sez Podcast:
OSCEOLA COUNTY:
Osceola County Public Schools Superintendent, Dr. Mark Shanoff, said everything is going well as the new school year begins.
“We have been very pleased, so far, with how school has been opened,” said Dr. Shanoff. “The first day is a great test on our operational systems as well as our academic systems, and thankfully we have been able to call it a success.”
Dr. Shanoff said safety is a top priority in Osceola County schools.
“We have a proof of concept at Osceola High School for metal screeners as students walk on campuses,” said Dr. Shanoff. “We also have random searches that are going to be taking place throughout the school year at our middle and high schools.”
Dr. Shanoff said that these news measures are going to enhance vigilance and supervision in Osceola County schools.
In an effort to handle the residential growth in Osceola County, Dr. Shanoff said new schools are in the works to accommodate all the new potential students.
“We have a very aggressive building program, we are building schools at an impressive cadence. This year we opened two new K-8 schools, Voyager K-8 and Knights Point K-8, we added in addition to NeoCity Academy based on the demand for student stations there, and then also we have opened up an additional wing at St. Cloud High School,” said Dr. Shanoff. “We have several schools in queue to be built, the great thing about our construction program is our schools are being completed early.”
When it comes to cell phones in the classroom, Dr. Shanoff said new policies are proving to be effective.
“Students aren’t missing out, and I think when they have the cell phones present, there is this fear they are missing out on social media,” said Dr. Shanoff. “If everyone is level set with being present in the moment of learning, they don’t have that fear of missing out. It’s been a very effective piece for us to really increase the level of student engagement.”
Listen to the full interview with Dr. Shanoff on Orlando’s Morning News Express:
SEMINOLE COUNTY:
Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent, Serita Beamon, said the first day of school was a great start for the 2024-25 school year.
Superintendent Beamon said the school district is seeing more student interaction in the classroom after new cell phone policies are in place.
“We are seeing less distraction, our cell phones are to be silenced and kept in a backpack or other area designated by the teacher, unless the teacher allows it for instructional use,” said Superintendent Beamon.
As for safety in Seminole County Schools, Superintendent Beamon said, the county was very busy over the summer to comply with law changes and to make sure students feel protected on campus.
“Every parent in Seminole County received an update letter, prior to the beginning of school about the new procedures and new things that might look a little different for day one,” said Superintendent Beamon.
Seminole County Public Schools are celebrating being an “A” rated academically high performance school system, which is motivating the district to set the goal for this year to do it again.
”We are absolutely moving forward on making sure every student is in class everyday, so we can provide them opportunities and access to a great education, which will mean that they have a meaningful diploma when they cross that stage in Seminole County,” said Superintendent Beamon.
Listen to the full interview with Seminole County Public Schools Superintendent, Serita Beamon, on Orlando’s Morning News Express:
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