LCS Agenda Review: Staff Notes 1,000 “Families in Transition”

Below are the news briefs that took place during the Leon County School Board agenda review/workshop meeting on March 25, 2024.

Staff provided the Board with a presentation on the School District’s English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. The program is designed to meet the needs of English learning students who come from a home environment in which the native language is other than English. When asked how to prevent ESOL students from dropping out of school, staff explained that there are ESOL coordinators at each school that keeps tabs on the ESOL students. Additionally, schools have meetings with the parents of the ESOL students with translators present.

Staff provided the Board a presentation on the updated dining services for the school district. Board member Laurie Cox asked staff if menus with nutritional information about the food being served to students could be posted on the walls in the lunch room for students to see as they wait in line. Staff explained that there is already signage required by the district’s federal programs on nutritional value. However, the district could incorporate signage that is more specific to Leon County.

The Attendance Policy has been updated to be in compliance with the Florida Statutes. Additionally, staff noted that the district average daily attendance rate last year was 82% and the current daily average attendance rate is now 90.85%. Lastly, the district’s goal for attendance is 95%.

The Homeless Student Policy has been updated to be in compliance with the Florida Statutes. Additionally, staff noted that homeless students are being referred to as “families in transition” and that as of the moment, there are over 1,000 families in transition within our district. That number has gone up considerably since December 2023 when the number of families in transition was near 800.