The signals are all around: Band camps in parking lots, football practices, backpack giveaways, aisles and aisles of pencils, markers, glue sticks and notebooks in stores. If that wasn’t enough, Port Orange has for days had an electronic message board flashing near school zones noting the start of classes, Aug. 10.
“Expect delays.”
Volusia County Schools has noted some key changes for not just students and parents, but motorists whose routes take them past the elementary, middle, and high schools. Here’s a look at six developments as school resumes.
School zone flashing lights
Creatures of a morning get-to-work routine will likely feel this one the most. While school start times remain the same — elementaries at 7:50 a.m., high schools at 8:30 a.m., middle schools at 9:30 a.m. — the time of the flashing lights in school zones are moving up by 10 minutes, each. So if you previously planned to be out the door and past your neighborhood school by 7:20 a.m. to avoid the speed-limit slowdown or parent drop-off lines, you’ll need to do it by 7:10.
Hours for Volusia schools will be: elementary 7:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; middle 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.; and high 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Middle school metal detectors arriving
Now that all Volusia high schools are equipped with metal detectors, Mike Micallef, chief communications officer for Volusia County Schools, said a multi-year program involving the Xtract One Gateway model will be expanded to all 12 middle schools. The first will go into Galaxy Middle School in Deltona, with all schools getting the AI-driven, bi-directional weapons detection systems before the end of November, he said. District officials say the system is designed to scan people and their belongings “without disrupting flow,” so students won’t have to stop and have their bags searched separately.
E-bike safety campaign
Micallef said the number of e-bike riders has grown significantly over the last year, and the district has strategized a new way of emphasizing safety. In order for students to ride electric bicycles to school, they must get an e-bike riding permit by first passing a safety course. The course is written at a 5th-6th grade level, and covers rules such as helmets being required for riders younger than 16, how to navigate sidewalks and crosswalks, and following traffic signals.
LifeVac choking devices in every school
Volusia County Schools has added a new choking-safety device, the LifeVac, to all of its elementary, middle and high schools. The device uses a suction tube to extract food that might be blocking airways. “We’ve had parents who have come to speak here, and we’ve had teachers who have reached out, and your voice matters,” said Jessie Thompson, a Volusia School Board member. “If there is any child who is choking, if there is a staff member who is choking — I’ve had it at one my schools happen twice now, and thank goodness people knew the Heimlich maneuver. … I’m so proud that we have those in our schools.”
Dress code explained
The Volusia district’s dress code hasn’t changed, but Micallef said principals and administrators want to sharpen students’ understanding of it. They launched a campaign with an explainer graphic noting dos, such as “tops overlap the beltline or tuck in,” and “messages and graphics are school-appropriate.” The don’ts: “clothing that exposes undergarments,” and messages that promote drugs, alcohol, tobacco, violence, and discrimination.
Hours at Flagler County’s A-rated schools
Flagler County Schools, still basking in the glow of the district’s first A-grade from the Florida Department of Education’s accountability program, were getting ready for Monday’s opening with one assistant principal, Abra Seay at Rymfire Elementary, expanding her duties to include large reptile removal on Aug. 6, in a remarkable video. The district’s elementaries will be operate from 9:10 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.; middle schools from 7:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.; and high schools from 8:10 a.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Charter schools to share former Bonner school building
The Chiles Academy, a charter school for pregnant and parenting students, has announced it will share its Daytona Beach building with a new partner. The Chase Academy Learning and Social Collective will join Chiles in the former Bonner Elementary, a 100-year-old building at 868 George Engram Blvd., in the Midtown neighborhood.
Chase serves neurodivergent children, adolescents, young adults, adults and their families. While The Chiles Academy will open, Chase’s programs will launch on Aug. 24.
“This partnership allows us to expand opportunities for our students while becoming an even stronger resource for families throughout our community,” said Amy Filson, the school’s cofounder and principal.
− Mark Harper covers politics, government, and education for The News-Journal, with a focus on Florida, mostly in Volusia County. He can be reached at mark.harper@news-jrnl.com
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: School starts Aug. 10: What’s new in Volusia, Flagler counties?
Reporting by Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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By Mark Harper, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
