Students board a LifeWise Academy bus for religious instruction away from school. | News4Jax

A sign outside the Duval Schools headquarters advertises that the property is available on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. | Megan Mallicoat, Jacksonville Today

Ribault junior Jasmine Delphonse (14) applauds Trojans setter Rivka Woolf after the Trojans recorded a side out during the first game of the season. Ribault hosted Raines in the first volleyball game inside the new Austin-Wilkes Gymnasium on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick, left, talks about online threats and sextortion issues on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. He is joined by Jason Carley, FBI Jacksonville special agent in charge, and Jackson Short, Duval County Public Schools police chief. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today

Duval County Superintendent Christopher Bernier speaks during a town hall sponsored by the Jacksonville NAACP and Upsilon Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. on June 24, 2025. | Photo by Will Brown

Elementary students eat lunch in Canton, Miss., on Aug. 9, 2019. | AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

The Duval Teachers United building on July 27, 2025. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts students rehearse for the 2025 Douglas Anderson Extravaganza at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

The Duval Teachers United building on July 27, 2025. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today

A Douglas Anderson School of the Arts student rehearses for the 2025 Extravaganza at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts. Extravaganza dates back to 1986 and has served as one of the highlights of the school's academic calendar. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Children's backpacks are a staple in schools throughout Duval County. | Jessica Palombo, Jacksonville Today

Oceanway principal Delayna Simpson speaks July 7, 2025 at a news conference where statewide grade results were announced by Gov. Ron Desantis. | Office of Gov. Ron Desantis

The Orange County Courthouse. | Google via Central Florida Public Media

Johna Daniels, grants and project officer for the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, says federal funding cuts will have an effect on the organization. The coalition serves nearly 17,000 children from low-income families in Jacksonville. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Vin'Tavia Gaines, right, reads the fifth grade address during a promotion ceremony at Susie Tolbert Elementary on Friday, May 23, 2025. She is joined by classmate Danielle Fenner. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Library board nominee Elizabeth Andersen, who's the CEO of Jacksonville nonprofit OneJax, seen here during its 2025 Humanitarian Awards ceremony on May 1, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

In a file photo, a student puts apple slices on his tray during lunch at Central high School in St. Paul, Minnesota. | Jim Mone, AP

Mitchell Patch and his 1-year-old son Everett were killed while crossing Baymeadows Road on Friday, May 16, 2025. | GoFundMe via News4Jax

Vivianna Rivera, left, and Netsury Lominy are two members of the Thrive Scholars Jacksonville high school class of 2025. The two announced their intentions to attend the University of Central Florida and the University of North Florida, respectively, during a celebration Tuesday, May 13, 2025, inside the Jessie Ball duPont Center. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

A Duval Schools police officer was arrested. | Duval County Public Schools

Vivian Soto received her Certified Nursing Assistant pin during a ceremony Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Ascension St. Vincent Riverside. Soto says she plans to become a traveling nurse. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

Thieves broke into the athletic field house and softball rooms at Terry Parker High School. | Cyd Hoskinson

Nicola Gibson, and English Language Arts educator at Annie R. Morgan Elementary, is one of four Duval County educators who received the 2025 Gladys Prior Awards for Career Teaching Excellence on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today

James Weldon Johnson Park has been digitized as part of a "New Jax City" world that was created in Minecraft Education to spur Jacksonville students to learn about coding and urban planning. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today