Orange County Public Schools are operating under capacity due to a decline in birth rates, an aging population, and increased school choice, which have drastically lowered enrollment numbers and impacted the district financially.

The Department of Health in Orange County is hosting a free back-to-school health fair in August for all Orange County Public School students in grades K-12, according to a news release.

Orange County Public School students showed up outside of the school board meeting Tuesday with signs and stuffed trash bags made to look like body bags.

Law enforcement activity near Winter Park High School prompted a lockdown at the campus.

That decision is set for Monday, Feb. 28.

The Orange County Classroom Teachers Association resolved its impasse with the Orange County Public School board late Friday night, following a “long and tense process” as the union said it fought for fair treatment of teachers.

Crossing guards are in high demand in Central Florida, with one county taking extra steps to secure more applicants.

The Florida Department of Education is launching an investigation on Orange County Public Schools over its latest mask mandate, according to Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran.

The student was arrested, according to district officials.

Another Orange County high school football game planned for Aug. 20 has been canceled because of the pandemic.

The largest school district in Central Florida is continuing its mask discussion, this time allowing the public to chime in on draft policy.

Orange County Public School’s Medical Advisory Committee met on Thursday to answer questions from parents and employees about vaccines and the pandemic.

ORANGE COUTY, Fla. – With the second semester beginning on Jan. 5, Orange County Public School officials are planning ahead as they expect more students to return to the classrooms for face to face learning despite the rise in cases. The district is encouraging students struggling with online learning to possibly return to school next month. “We suspect after the semester break that we will get more students. The medical advisory committee also discussed on they plan to improve the district’s data dashboard which shows confirmed COVID-19 cases in schools and active quarantines by day. The Medical Advisory Committee members are expected to meet December 17th before the Holiday break.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Public School teachers will receive a pay increase, according to the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. | News 6 anchors share drama stories]The union said a base salary for full-time teachers who make less than $47,500 will be brought up to at least $47,500. Any teacher who makes more than this will get a bump of 1.27 percent in their salary, according to the union. Ron DeSantis signs bill that would provide over $500 million to raise teacher salaries]Back in June, Gov. DeSantis signed a bill saying base salaries of K-12 classroom teachers would be at $47,500 for public school teachers in Florida.

“Without a virtual platform, students' ability to access their curriculum and make effective progress would be significantly impacted,” Dr. Vincent Hsu, the medical advisory committee chair, writes. Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins commended the medical advisory committee’s continued efforts to safeguard OCPS students and staff. Two doctors on the medical committee Thursday explained why virtual learning is key through the pandemic. School districts had to submit their re-opening plans to the state for approval. A spokesperson for the Department of Education said the department has received similar questions and suggestions from other school districts around the state.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County Friday night high school rivalry game has been canceled due to coronavirus cases. The Edgewater High School vs. Bishop Moore Catholic High School football game will not take place on Friday, Orange County Public School officials confirmed. We are in need of a new opponent this week due to our game with Bishop Moore being cancelled. — Edgewater Football (@EdgewaterFBall) October 28, 2020From Oct. 18- Oct. 24, the Department of Health reported three Bishop Moore Catholic High School students tested positive for the coronavirus. [RELATED: Database: Tracking coronavirus in Central Florida schools]According to the Bishop Moore Catholic High School athletics schedule, the next two games for Oct. 30 and Nov. 6 have been cancelled.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Timber Creek High School has become the latest Orange County Public School campus to close due to coronavirus cases among students and/or staff, according to the school district. “This decision is out of an abundance of caution after being notified of 14 positive COVID-19 cases,” OCPS said in a statement. According to the school district COVID-19 dashboard, two students tested positive on Tuesday, one on Monday and a student and a teacher tested positive last week. As of Tuesday night, the district has confirmed 461 cases between students, staff and other people associated with campuses across OCPS. There are currently 305 people in quarantine, a majority are students, according to the OCPS COVID-19 dashboard.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County Public School board members are set to discuss changes to face mask rules Tuesday for students, including requiring band members to wear masks with mouth-piece openings and bell covers for wind instruments to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The school board is scheduled to review changes to the school district’s mask rules during a workshop on Tuesday. According to the proposal, band members would be required to wear special face masks with slits while playing their instruments and use fabric covers over the end of wind instruments. OCPS school board members are set to discuss face mask rules later today....just as thousands of more students prepare to return for face-to-face learning next month. If approved, the new rules would go before a vote on Oct. 13 during a regular school board meeting.

On Monday, the Florida Department of Health reported 1,838 new coronavirus cases, bringing the state’s total to 648,269 since March. Over the weekend, new deaths pushed the state’s death toll over 12,000, with the average number of deaths over the past week at about 105 per day. There are 3,155 current patients hospitalized across Florida with the primary diagnosis of coronavirus as of Monday morning, according to the Agency for Healthcare Administration. The positivity rate of the new cases reported Monday is 5.97%, according to the DOH. To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.

ORLANDO, Fla. – An 18-year-old Jones High School student was shot and killed Thursday in Orange County, sheriff’s deputies said. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Rayquwon Denmark, who turned 18 last week, died in the shooting, which was reported around 4 p.m. on Conley Street near South Ivey Lane, west of Orlando. The Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the scene for “a victim in the roadway.”Deputies said Denmark suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Orange County Public School officials confirmed Denmark was a student at Jones High. “We were made aware of a tragic situation that claimed the life of one of our students yesterday,” Kirby said.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Orange County Public School district posted a list of how much money was spent during the pandemic. OCPS officials said the period of time goes back to March when the district and state were placed under a stay-at-home order. The district has spent $8,556,861.71:Contracted personnel $338,179.71Custodial supplies $490,042.37Equipment $82,146.59Face Shields/Goggles $2,334.89Gloves $9,912.40Masks $392,931.14Paper products $351,329.82Postage $91,477.03Printing $45,807.96*Medical relief of duty/other pay $6,347,011.87Sanitizer $121,640.94Thermometers $19,701.40Plexiglass $236,384.48Other $27,961.17The data was provided by the districts financial officer.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. Orange County Public School officials are thanking parents and students for their patience Monday afternoon after what was a rough start for many to the new school year which took place virtually Monday morning. At a news conference Monday afternoon, Orange County School Superintendent Barbara Jenkins said as of 3 p.m. Monday, there were more than 756,000 launches of the Canvas app. "Khan logged in just fine his school set up is very good. 2nd grader Dylan KnightThere were actually no problems for 2nd grade Westbook Elementary Student Dylan Kight on Monday morning. Unlike Selah George, Dylans school set up the livestream on Microsoft teams and not Big Blue Button.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. With less than a month until the first day of school, 62% of students have already enrolled in the countys LaunchED learning option, according to Orange County Public School officials. What were gonna do is were gonna have grab-and-go meals at the schools that the students attend, Mark Watson, the director of operations for OCPS, said. The grab-and-go meals will begin to be distributed to families who are eligible for the free and reduced-price school meals program under the National School Lunch Program. Its a one-time benefit for households with children who lost access to free or reduced-price school meals. According to the governor, 61.4% of Floridas 2.9 million public school students live in low-income households and 71.1% are eligible for free or reduced lunch.