All SJCSD schools will conduct a normal school day on Tuesday, October 8. All extracurricular activities, athletic events, and after-school extended day programs are canceled or closed. All district offices will also operate as normal tomorrow.
All SJCSD schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, October 9, Thursday, October 10 and Friday, October 11. All extracurricular activities, athletic events, and extended day programs are also canceled or closed Wednesday-Friday.
Extracurricular activities and athletic events taking place after school hours and into the weekend are canceled.
We will continue to evaluate weather conditions and impacts with the SJC Emergency Operations Center. Any updates or changes will be relayed via School Messenger, social media and through our community partners.
Please continue to monitor weather conditions and stay safe.
The St. Johns County School District will hold four Town Hall meetings to discuss two referendum items being brought to voters at the Nov. 5 election. One referendum is to continue the half-cent sales tax, which supports the school district’s capital outlay budget in four areas: safety, growth, maintenance, and technology. The second referendum is for an increase of one mill to support the operating budget to increase salaries of teachers and staff, invest in school safety and student welfare, and enhance educational programs including science, technology, art, music, and athletics. These represent two separate items on the ballot.
The four meetings will take place as follows:
Monday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. at Bartram Trail High School, located at 7399 Longleaf Pine Parkway, St. Johns, FL 32259
Thursday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at Gamble Rogers Middle School, located at 6250 U.S. 1 South. St. Augustine, FL 32086
Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. at the St. Johns County School District Administrative Building at 40 Orange Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084 and via Webex. Instructions to access the meeting virtually will be posted on the school district’s website.
Thursday, Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at Allen D. Nease High School, located at 10550 Ray Road, Ponte Vedra, FL 32081
If you’re unable to attend a town hall meeting, you can still watch a brief presentation by Superintendent Tim Forson on our Referendum Information Guidewebsite.
In an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of our students, SJCSD staff and families, all SJCSD schools and offices will be closed on Friday, September 27.
Any extracurricular activities or athletic events taking place after school hours and into the weekend will take place as scheduled. If there are any adjustments or changes to these, families of students involved or participating will be notified by coaches or sponsors of the activities.
All SJCSD schools and offices will be closed on Thursday, September 26. All extracurricular activities and extended day programs are cancelled or closed, respectively.
At this time, school will be in session and under normal operations on Friday, September 27. All schools and offices will be under normal operations. Extended day programs and extracurricular activities will also take place as normal.
We will continue to evaluate weather conditions and impacts and will relay any additional changes via School Messenger, social media and our community partners.
We respect doing what is best for your family and children and encourage you to put safety first and monitor the weather conditions.
If your student was eligible for free or reduced lunch last year, please note that eligibility will expire on September 24, 2024. To avoid any interruption in benefits, please make sure you’ve submitted the application for the 2024-2025 school year.
Since the horrific school shooting in Georgia, we have had a very high number of threats and false threats reported. We will pursue and investigate all reports, engage law enforcement in investigations, and enforce our Student Code of Conduct to the fullest extent.
Resources are being used and schools, staff and students are being negatively impacted due to these reports. Our community is more vulnerable due to the recent tragic school shooting which has redirected resources to focus on each and every one of these reports. We rely heavily on FortifyFL to receive reports of suspicious activity, threats, and dangerous behaviors within our district. We do ask that if “you see something, say something”.
We need your help to ensure that what is being reported is of actual and immediate concern knowing that resources will be immediately deployed to investigate and address. When false reports are made, we will investigate the source of the threat and pursue charges as appropriate.
I truly believe that it takes our SJCSD families, staff, law enforcement and our community to make our schools safe and secure for our most precious asset…our students.
All parents and community members who would like to serve on the SJCSD District Library Material Objection Committee, please fill out the interest form provided and complete the required training.
We will start forming committees beginning September 20th, 2024. Please complete the form as soon as possible.
We are excited to provide a free year-round online resource for your middle or high school student. Your child will see a link in Clever for Varsity Tutor where they can take advantage of powerful learning resources at no cost.
The student count for the St. Johns County School District (SJCSD) the first day of school, August 12, was 47,438, an increase of 1,943 students or 4.27% over last year’s first day number of 45,495. St. Johns County continues to be one of the fastest growing school districts in the state.
The high school student count was 16,169 with 2,119 students at Bartram Trail High School, 2,076 at Beachside High School, 2,434 at Creekside High School, 1,362 at Pedro Menendez High School, 2,098 at Allen D. Nease High School, 1,842 at Ponte Vedra High School, 1,560 at St. Augustine High School and 2514 at Tocoi Creek High School. There were also 164 students in attendance at St. Johns Technical High School.
Middle school attendance totaled 6,843, with student headcounts ranging from 652 at Sebastian Middle School to 1,417 at Pacetti Bay Middle School. The other first day totals were Alice B. Landrum Middle School with 906, Fruit Cove Middle School with 1,120, R. J. Murray Middle School with 678, Gamble Rogers Middle School with 819, and Switzerland Point Middle School with 1,251.
The district’s K-8 schools totaled 13,017. Liberty Pines Academy had a first day headcount of 1,614, Patriot Oaks Academy with 1,356, Valley Ridge Academy with 1,095, Freedom Crossing Academy with 1,799, Palm Valley Academy with 1,324, Mill Creek Academy with 1,816, Pine Island Academy with 1,806, Trout Creek Academy with 1,049 and Lakeside Academy with 1,158.
The elementary school population totaled 11,081. This count only includes approximately 25% of all kindergarten students since schools stagger the kindergarten start date over a four-day period. Another 328 students attended the district’s alternative and charter schools.
SJCSD staff will continue to monitor attendance numbers, balance classrooms and refine bus routes in the coming weeks.
Welcome, students! We’re so glad you’re here. It’s a new school year filled with opportunities to learn, grow, and make new memories. Let’s make this year your best one yet—reach for the stars and enjoy every moment. We’re so excited to see what you’ll achieve!
Press Release from the Office of the State Attorney R.J. Larizza, 7th Judicial Circuit
BUNNELL – Seventh Judicial Circuit State Attorney R.J. Larizza in partnership with Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore, Putnam County School District Superintendent Dr. Rick Surrency, St. Johns County School District Superintendent Tim Forson and Volusia County Schools Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin announce the launch of ‘Safety First, Success Always.’ The initiative was created to help better address substance use (vaping/THC/fentanyl) and violence (fighting/threats/guns), which are happening in our schools and communities circuitwide.
For almost a year, the five Seventh Circuit leaders and members of their staff have been working on a proactive, collaborative approach, which focuses on three pillars: education, awareness and accountability. Stakeholder meetings were also held in May with parents and students from each school district to get their feedback.
The following is a breakdown of the initiative’s three pillars.
1. Education: All four school districts will implement circuitwide curriculum on substance use and violence in the five hours of Character and Life Skills through Resiliency Education, which is required to be provided monthly to public school students grades 6-12. A video component from State Attorney Larizza will also be included, which will teach students what consequences they could face if they break the law.
Additionally, assembly presentations will be brought to all school levels circuitwide in an effort to be more proactive and give some early education about substance use and violence to younger students.
2. Awareness: Public service announcement videos regarding substance use and violence will be distributed into the community by the school districts and state attorney’s office to raise awareness of the risks and consequences.
3. Accountability: All four school districts have identified circuitwide, age-appropriate and meaningful consequences and a required education component related to substance use and violence that will be applied consistently through each district’s Student Code of Conduct.
View the Seventh Circuit Initiative Press Conference on August 8, 2024
View the Seventh Circuit Initiative Public Service Announcement
“We are excited to announce this Seventh Circuit initiative, which is a first of its kind in Florida,” the group said in a joint statement. “Safety is our top priority. It is critical we partner together to create a strong response to substance use and violence. We are confident the ‘Safety First, Success Always’ initiative will change the script from substance use and violence to empowering our students and community to help us foster a safe environment for success.”
As the Seventh Circuit initiative gets underway during the 2024-2025 school year, the school districts and state attorney’s office will be looking to include other circuit leaders who can aid them in accomplishing the three pillars.
The first day of school is Monday, Aug. 12, and the newly built Trout Creek Academy, located at 855 Timberwolf Trail St. Augustine, will welcome its inaugural class to campus. Drivers traveling in the vicinity of Trout Creek Academy on County Road 16A and Timberwolf Trail will notice new signs and flashing beacons installed by St. Johns County Public Works. This is the newly installed intersection conflict warning system, and it’s the first warning system of its kind on St. Johns County roads.
The St. Johns County Office of Public Affairs produced the following video to highlight this new safety feature.
This new warning system uses radar to detect vehicles on Timberwolf Trail that are approaching CR 16A. When a vehicle is detected on Timberwolf Trail, the system will activate flashing yellow warning beacons on CR 16A. This will prompt drivers on CR 16A to slow down and watch for vehicles coming out of Timberwolf Trail. On Timberwolf Trail, the stop sign has a 24-hour continuous flashing beacon to remind drivers to come to a complete stop before entering onto CR16A. Drivers on CR 16A will also be alerted by the newly installed oversized signs that read, “VEHICLE ENTERING HIGHWAY WHEN FLASHING.”
“Public safety is our top priority,” St. Johns County Public Works Director Greg Caldwell said. “The newly installed vehicle detection system will help promote more cautious driving and elevated awareness in this area.”
Drivers should take note that weekday morning drop-off starts at 7:40 a.m., and afternoon pick-up begins at 2:20 p.m.
Approximately an hour before and after these times, drivers should anticipate a higher volume of traffic with sudden slowdowns and intermittent back-ups.
“Patience and planning are paramount during the first days, sometimes weeks, of school,” Dr. Brennan Asplen, Deputy Superintendent for the St. Johns County School District, said. “Students will arrive to Trout Creek Academy as car and bus riders, walkers, and bikers.”
The St. Johns County School District encourages the public to carefully review the arrival and dismissal overview map. Trout Creek Academy parents also received a copy of these materials via the School District’s internal messaging system in advance of the school year.
In addition to the intersection conflict warning system, there will be a public service assistant at Trout Creek Academy for the beginning of the school year to monitor traffic flow and provide assistance if needed. Schools in the St. Johns County School District have a Youth Resource Officer assigned to them from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office or the City of St. Augustine Police Department. Trout Creek Academy has designated areas for both the car line and the bus line for walkers, bikers, and cart riders to travel safely.
“The overall safety of students, staff, and visitors at our schools is a priority for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office (SJSO), and traffic safety is a major component,” Sheriff Rob Hardwick said. “Plan for the usual delays that come with the first few weeks of school as families are establishing their routines, and we are evaluating the traffic flow at new locations to determine if additional resources are needed. In addition to the increase in traditional vehicle traffic, there will be an influx of school buses, pedestrians, bicycles, and golf carts on our roadways, and it’s important to understand the related laws and regulations. SJSO resources will be in full force, and we look forward to a safe and productive school year.”
When outdoor temperature exceeds 85 degrees, school leaders will monitor and communicate decisions regarding outdoor activities for K-12 Physical Education, K-12 School Sponsored Activities, Recess and Extended Day. The heat index (“real feel/feels like”) will guide decisions. What is heat index? How hot it feels to the body when the air temperature (in Fahrenheit) and relative humidity are combined. Also known as “real feel” or “feels like.”
Heat Index Guide
Designed to help protect students from incurring heat-related illnesses or problems, school personnel will reference the Heat Index Guide to modify and/or suspend outdoor activities. This guide applies to K-12 Physical Education, K-12 School Sponsored Activities, K-5 Recess and Extended Day. High School Athletics and Marching Band must reference the Zachary Martin Act linked below.
heat index is less than 95 degrees – Normal outdoor activities
heat index is 95 to 98 degrees – Outdoor activities should be limited or may be cancelled
heat index is 99 degrees or above – Outdoor activities will be cancelled.
Playground equipment must be considered. Is it too hot for students to touch?
Hydration should be encouraged frequently before, during and after outdoor activities.
Medical Conditions must be considered.
If students are outdoors, teachers should be aware of medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, allergies, medications, or other conditions which may place students at higher risk for heat-related illness. Students should not be outside if the parent has advised the school their child should not participate in outdoor activities due to the possibility of heat-related illness.
Sunscreen
Students may possess and use a topical sunscreen product while on school property without a physician note or prescription if it is approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration for over-the-counter use.
The St. Johns County School District announces the schedule of 2025 graduation ceremonies for St. Johns County high schools and First Coast Technical College.
