All Marion County public school students to receive free lunch
MARION COUNTY, Fla. โ Beginning in 2021, all middle and high school students in Marion County Public Schools will receive free meals at no cost. The change is credited to the United States Department of Agricultureโs Summer Food Service Program, according to the county. The addition of other school-aged children allows for more students to regularly receive meals. The school district reports it serves an average 14,000 breakfasts and 21,000 lunches per day. During the first 10 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, the district provided nearly 475,000 student meals, according to MCPS.
These Central Florida schools are closed due to Eta
OCALA, Fla. โ Several Central Florida school districts have canceled classes because of potential impacts from Tropical Storm Eta. The Sumter County School District said its schools will be closed Thursday but classes will resume Friday. UCF is monitoring Tropical Storm #Eta and its possible impacts in Central Florida, which could begin on Thursday morning. โ UCF ๐ท (@UCF) November 11, 2020Classes at the University of Florida were canceled Thursday and the campus will be closed, according to the university. UF Alert UF classes canceled, campus offices closed Thursday, Nov. 12 because of TS Eta.
Failing MCPSOnline students, thousands of others return to classroom
At the start of the second nine weeks of school 2,000 students decided to return to Marion County brick-and-mortar schools, according to the district. An additional 1,700 students using MCPSOnline were forced back into to the classroom due to academic or attendance concerns. With thousands of students returning to the classroom, school board members said there are some challenges. If not, making sure they have a mask or face shield on,โ said Marion County Public Schools Chairman Eric Cummings. School board members said they are expecting some guidance from the Florida Department of Education this month on how they will move forward for the rest of the school year.
Central Florida school districts report low attendance on first day
Never do we have our full projected student enrollment on the first day of school... even on the fifth day of school. So they dont even know school has started, Marion County Schools spokesperson Kevin Christian said. We reached out to other Central Florida school districts about their attendance and heard back from Orange County Public Schools. If the district social worker can't contact the student or their family, that case will move forward to the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Marion County Schools district said with the different learning options, it may take some time to get a better idea of what attendance looks like.
Everything you need to know about Marion Countys back-to-school plan
MARION COUNTY, Fla. Soon, students across Marion County will return to the classroom for the first time since schools moved to an online-only model in March when coronavirus cases were first detected in the state. Marion County Public Schools has a plan in place and is ready to welcome students back on Aug. 10 as safely as possible with increased hygiene measures. Below is everything you need to know about Marion Countys back-to-school plan:Start date: Aug. 10As of now, there are no plans to alter the school start date in Marion County. Learning optionsParents in Marion County can choose between two options:Traditional learning: The goal with this option is to provide the standard in-person classroom experience with some new safety protocols in effect. Learning option deadline: July 22Parents need to fill out this form in order to pick an option for their child.