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Duval students return to school Monday with stricter rules for cell phone use
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Duval students return to school Monday with stricter rules for cell phone use

Nearly 100,000 Duval County schoolchildren returned to school Monday after a summer that at times seemed — for students and parents, in different ways — like it would never end.

The day started well, with Superintendent Christopher Bernier having been up since 3 a.m. visiting a bus yard to talk to drivers before walking the halls of Raines High School, meeting with teachers and students and waiting for classes to start at 7:15.

A Teams channel the school district created for administrators to communicate about equipment or human issues was silent except for reports of minor problems like faulty technology, which Bernier said could be easily fixed.

The basics: Back-to-school season is upon us in Duval, Clay and St. Johns. Here’s what you need to know.

Bernier said human resources teams had spent the weekend processing new bus drivers for the yard he visited, so by Monday, the rosters for drivers who are chronically hard to fill had only six openings. The school district still has about 120 job openings within the school, but he said classrooms are fully filled.

St. Johns, Nassau and Baker counties also begin the school year on Monday. Clay County schools open Tuesday, while some major private schools will have start dates scattered throughout the week.

The school district is starting the year with about 400 fewer teaching positions than last year because of funding changes, but school administrators have expressed optimism about handling students at their schools, 91% of which received state grades of A, B or C last month.

“We’re in a good position for this year where we don’t have any major issues that would impact our people other than our students not showing up, which will happen,” Bernier told the School Board last month. School budget data projects about 98,800 full-time students this year, though actual numbers have to wait until district-wide student counts are completed.

Duval schools’ new year begins with a modest policy change that requires students to keep cellphones off, out of sight and in a backpack or purse unless a teacher gives specific permission otherwise.

Last year students also had to keep their phones off and out of sight, but until this year they could keep them in a teen’s pocket and still follow the rules.

The new rule covers headphones and other items, such as some watches, that the school district considers “assistive wireless communication devices.” Phones and other devices that are not put away can be confiscated by a teacher and only returned to the student’s parents or guardians, the school district said last week.

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