The district is preparing to decide whether to close seven Orange County schools because of low enrollment. A workshop will discuss community meetings and review survey results from families.

Emotions ran high during a crowded Orange County community meeting Tuesday night as parents and residents questioned district leaders about the possible closure of their children’s schools.

The Orange County Public School Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the sale of the historic Hungerford property to Dr. Phillips Charities, despite objections from members of the Eatonville Town Council who urged the board to delay or reject the plan.

Orange County Public Schools could soon pay a consultant nearly $1,000 per student to help bring families back to traditional public schools.

The negotiations, which begin Tuesday and are not open to the public, involve the cities of Apopka, Ocoee, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park.

The Orange County School Board will begin meetings with five cities in January regarding school resource officer contracts.

Orange County Public Schools may swap school resource officers for guardians in some district buildings next school year.

Orange County Public Schools has officially ended its pilot program for enhanced security screening, known as OPENGATE.

Bills to make several reforms to Florida public schools are on the fast track in the Florida Senate, but a provision that would have fundamentally changed school recess rules is being left behind.

Orange County Public Schools, the fourth largest school district in Florida with more than 200,000 students, is sending a safety message to parents via email focusing on gun safety and gun storage.

With about three weeks until the start of school, school board members for Orange County Public Schools met Tuesday for a workshop to discuss the student code of conduct.

Orange County Public Schools is looking at a new task force aimed at finding solutions to disciplinary issues throughout the district.

The school board for Orange County Public Schools held a workshop Tuesday to discuss their safety program and, in the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, board members had a lot of questions regarding their policies.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Many upset Orange County parents say they plan to opt-out of state testing after Superintendent Barbara Jenkins announced all schools will move forward with administering state assessments, including the FSA, and must do so in-person, according to an order from the Florida Department of Education. “My kids aren’t going to school for this,” said Orange County mom Angie Giurtino, who has a 6th grader at Legacy Middle School. “My husband and I are really going to be evaluating do we want to send him on campus to do that.”AdAccording to Orange County School Board Member Angie Gallo, she is anticipating parents opt-ing out. Ron DeSantis extends the spring state testing windows for Florida State Assessments by two weeks to allow for further flexibility for makeups, if needed. AdBy statute, students must pass the Grade 10 ELA state assessment and Algebra 1 EOC state assessment before graduating.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Last week, News 6 introduced you to a mom who told us her son was No. 70 on a waiting list at his school to get a laptop. On Friday, Orange County school board members said the laptop issue is now one that has them reaching out to the community for help. She said they are asking any family that has a laptop at home that can be used for school, to return their school-issued laptop, so that another student who doesn’t have one can use it. OCPS said the district purchased 3,000 laptops in July to be distributed to schools and said they should be receiving them in the next couple of weeks.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. On Tuesday, the Orange County School Board is set to approve a proposed budget that includes more than a million-dollar increase in school safety. A local activist group said that it is pushing for that money to go elsewhere. With more law enforcement on campus, the group said that it helps promote a school to prison pipeline. He said that his coalition has spoken with several Orange County school board members, urging them not to increase the school policing budget. Last school year there were 183 student arrests, but that number only reflects until March when students transitioned to online learning.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Orange County School Board passed a revised face covering policy during Tuesdays school board meeting. The revision presented to the board when students would not be required to wear face masks. I want you to face the same consequences, that you are making us face. Chair of the school board Teresa Jacobs spoke up in response to the criticism. The medical advisory committee plans to meet twice this week and board members said they expect some type of guidance ahead of the districts face to face reopening on Aug. 21.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. The Orange County School Board is set to finalize which types of learning options they send to the state on Friday. Ive heard from many teachers and parents that do not want face to face instruction, Gallo said. Gallo said that even if the board approves a start date on Friday, that date can always be changed. The start date has yet to be determined, but the school board is floating the idea of moving the school start date to Aug. 21. The board will also discuss face covering rules on campus at Fridays board meeting.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – News 6's efforts to drive change are coming to a major vote this week that would make the state's texting and driving law stricter. The state House of Representatives is expected to vote on House Bill 107, the texting and driving bill, on Monday. The organization spent the last several years pushing to make the state's texting and driving law stricter. [RELATED: News 6 Driving Change timeline | News 6 anchor Matt Austin testifies for distracted driving bill | Could 2019 be the year Florida passes tougher distracted driving laws?] HB 107 would make texting and driving an primary offense, which means an officer could pull you over if you're caught texting and driving.