Featured image for “Duval School Board member will represent both district, conservative group in Tallahassee”
July 11, 2023

Duval School Board member will represent both district, conservative group in Tallahassee

Duval County School Board member April Carney will help the district lobby the Florida Legislature — that’s after some Board…

Featured image for “Duval Schools doesn’t know what to do with unapproved books”
Media specialists pulled dozens of boxes of old, outdated or objectionable library materials from Duval County school libraries this year.
June 4, 2023

Duval Schools doesn’t know what to do with unapproved books

Duval County Public Schools sent almost twice as many library books to its recycling plant this school year than it…

Featured image for “Superintendent Diana Greene ends trailblazing Duval career under scrutiny”
Duval County Superintendent Diana Greene reviews her notes during a May 2, 2023 emergency school board meeting where she announced her resignation. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
May 23, 2023

Superintendent Diana Greene ends trailblazing Duval career under scrutiny

The Duval superintendent’s tenure ends amid criticism from both the political left and right, but she also won bipartisan support…

Featured image for “Duval Schools reverses trans restroom policy, no longer discourages ‘outing’ students in new LGBTQ+ support guide ”
The former guide (left) was replaced with new guidance on the district's website.
April 18, 2023

Duval Schools reverses trans restroom policy, no longer discourages ‘outing’ students in new LGBTQ+ support guide 

Students in Duval County Public Schools now must use restrooms and lockers in line with their sex assigned at birth…

Featured image for “Duval Schools face 20% vacancy in media specialists, the only staff who can approve books ”
Mandarin Middle School is one of 67 schools without a certified media specialist.
April 5, 2023

Duval Schools face 20% vacancy in media specialists, the only staff who can approve books 

School librarians are a rarity in Duval, and 1-in-5 of the few remaining positions are vacant as the district faces…

Featured image for “Most Florida school districts aren’t requiring teachers to hide classroom libraries. Duval is.”
The Duval County Public Schools administration building, with a bronze statue of children reading in front of it. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
February 7, 2023

Most Florida school districts aren’t requiring teachers to hide classroom libraries. Duval is.

Duval Schools says media specialists have reviewed about 2,000 of the 1.6 million titles in the district.…

Featured image for “Enrolling your child in Duval County Public Schools | JAX TODAY GUIDE”
The Duval Schools administration building. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
January 19, 2023

Enrolling your child in Duval County Public Schools | JAX TODAY GUIDE

If you’re looking to enroll a first-time student in Duval Schools for this coming fall, here’s what you need to…

Featured image for “Duval Schools to keep 73 ‘diverse, inclusive’ books out of classrooms”
Ami Polonsky, author of "Gracefully Grayson," speaks during a rally ahead of the Dec. 6 Duval School Board meeting. The district ordered her book for fifth grade classrooms in 2021 but decided to send it back after a review process. | Claire Heddles, Jacksonville Today
December 22, 2022

Duval Schools to keep 73 ‘diverse, inclusive’ books out of classrooms

Dozens of books the Duval County school district ordered in the summer of 2021 will never hit classroom shelves. That’s…

Featured image for “2 new Northwest Jacksonville schools mix HBCU culture with elementary curriculum”
Mikynzi Alexander recites Useni Eugene Perkins' poem "Hey Black Child" during a ribbon cutting for Becoming Collegiate Academy. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
November 28, 2022

2 new Northwest Jacksonville schools mix HBCU culture with elementary curriculum

Mikynzi Alexander spoke with confidence as she recited Useni Eugene Perkins’ poem “Hey, Black Child” at her school’s ribbon-cutting last…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Why wasn’t the school tax referendum during the general election when more people vote?”
The Duval County School Board voted Tuesday, March 1, 2022, to put a property tax increase referendum on the August primary ballot. Charlotte Joyce was the sole no vote.
August 26, 2022

#AskJAXTDY | Why wasn’t the school tax referendum during the general election when more people vote?

With the August primary in the books, and most races going to runoff elections November 8, the Jacksonville Today team…

Featured image for “More Duval students could take JTA city buses to school”
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority provided more than 34,000 fares to Duval County students in the 2021-22 academic year as part of the My Ride 2 School program. Both the authority, and Duval County Public Schools, anticipate the number to increase this year. | Jacksonville Transportation Authority
August 12, 2022

More Duval students could take JTA city buses to school

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority may be one of the solutions to Duval County’s school bus driver shortage. Later this month,…

Featured image for “#AskJAXTDY | Will the proposed property tax for schools compound each year?”
Duval Schools HQ
August 9, 2022

#AskJAXTDY | Will the proposed property tax for schools compound each year?

The Jacksonville Today team is answering your voting questions ahead of the August 23rd primaries. A hot topic? The Duval…

Featured image for “What Duval Schools is cutting from its LGBTQ+ Support Guide”
District staff presenting a plan for how Duval Schools will comply with Florida's critic-dubbed "Don't Say Gay" law to the school board Tuesday.
May 17, 2022

What Duval Schools is cutting from its LGBTQ+ Support Guide

In response to Florida’s new, critic-dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” law, Duval County Public Schools plans to slash the district’s decade-old…

Featured image for “‘It all boils down to one paragraph.’ Duval Schools could change its LGBTQ support guide Tuesday”
The 37-page document under review outlines how teachers can ensure LGBTQ students' safety on school campuses.
May 16, 2022

‘It all boils down to one paragraph.’ Duval Schools could change its LGBTQ support guide Tuesday

The Duval County School Board is set to meet Tuesday morning to discuss an update to its LGBTQ support guide,…

Featured image for “OPINION | Teachers should make a life, not just a living”
March 7, 2022

OPINION | Teachers should make a life, not just a living

My mother was a public high school teacher for 33 years. She worked at Bloom High School in Chicago Heights.…