A plan to crack down on hate crimes in the River City continues to move forward in City Hall. Monday, council members announced the bill introduced earlier this year has been amended to be named in honor of a local woman shot and killed in a racist attack 60 years ago.

When the board paused the search last year, it said there were a lack of qualified applicants and the plan would be to re-advertise the position later.

After the Duval County School Board voted on Wednesday to pause the search for a new superintendent and re-advertise the position early on in 2024, questions remain as to why there was such a low number of applicants for the job.

Dozens of people are expected to attend a rally Monday in front of the Duval County School Board to show support for Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene.

The largest district in this corner of the state, Duval County, had two contested school board races.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Jacksonville on Sunday for his education tour.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend what was expected to be a more “normal” school year, an ad hoc committee of the Duval County School Board met Monday morning to talk about updating the district’s permanent policy for dealing with communicable diseases.

The Duval County School Board on Tuesday voted to automatically lift the district’s mask mandate once the COVID-19 positivity rate in the community reaches a “moderate level.”

In a letter sent to Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, the Duval County School Board said it chose to put in place a mask mandate for students with a medical opt out after 11 school district employees died and more than 1,600 cases were reported in schools over the first three weeks.

The Florida Department of Education is now taking aim at Duval County Public Schools over the district’s decision to impose a 90-day mask mandate for students.

A Leon County judge has ruled that Florida school districts can require students to wear masks, and on this edition of “This Week in Jacksonville,” we hear from Duval County School Board Chair Elizabeth Andersen and local attorney and parent Chris Hand. We also have state Rep. Cord Byrd, who supports parental choice. And the rush to evacuate Afghanistan has turned violent. With American and Afghan casualties, it has become emotional for veterans. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, the first Green Beret elected to the U.S. House, gives his view.

Hours of fiery debate involving doctors, parents and local leaders dominated a special Duval County School Board meeting Monday before the board approved a 90-day student mask mandate with a medical opt-out.

The Duval County School Board will hold an emergency meeting at 2 p.m. Monday to discuss COVID-19 mitigation measures.

Duval County Schools board member Darryl Willie has asked for an emergency board meeting on Friday, with the objective being to discuss no longer letting students opt out of a face-mask mandate.

After nearly 11 months of debate, the Duval County School Board on Tuesday voted in favor of the superintendent’s recommendation to rename six public schools that are branded after controversial historical figures, and keep the names of three.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County School Board Chair Elizabeth Andersen on Friday sent a letter to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis asking him to make teachers a priority during the next phase of coronavirus vaccine distribution. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has said teachers and school staff should not expect to be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine, saying people 65 and older come first. During a press conference in Jacksonville on Monday, DeSantis said he is sticking with the policy for now. But DeSantis did express optimism that if the upcoming vaccine from Johnson & Johnson comes online soon, frontline workers could begin to get vaccinations by early March. Greene said about 200 of the 550 district employees who are either 65 or older or medical personnel were able to get vaccinated Jan. 4 during a special event held for Duval County school workers.

NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. – A teacher’s assistant at Neptune Beach Elementary has died due to COVID-19 complications, a Duval County School Board member confirmed. Ms. Martin was a beloved Paraprofessional at Neptune Beach Elementary who passed away from COVID, and a student at Twin Lakes has passed away from MIS-C, an illness thought to be COVID related,” Anderson wrote. Duval County teachers union president Terrie Brady confirmed Jeanne Martin died Monday morning. I’m so sad that we put someone’s life in danger,” said Neptune Beach Elementary School parent Manya Prescott. She had a huge heart and poured it into everything she did at Neptune Beach Elementary.

In an interim report released Thursday, a statewide grand jury studying school safety pointed sharply to the Duval County school district as an example of how not to handle crime reporting. The grand jury report accused the district of underreporting crimes and gang activity happening inside its schools. “The findings presented are being taken seriously and will be thoroughly reviewed by the Duval School Board,” School Board Chair Elizabeth Andersen said. The grand jury said it had seen testimony and documentation of “widespread gang activity on school premises” in Duval County, which has an active Gang Liasion detective. To assure the School Board and the public, Duval County Schools will pursue an external review of district and school reporting practices to determine if further improvements are needed.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board swore in two new members and elected a new chair and vice-chair on Tuesday. Board member Elizabeth Andersen was elected as the new chairwoman and Board member Darryl Willie was elected vice-chair. Former chair Warren A. Jones (District 5) along with Lori Hershey (District 7) were also sworn in after winning reelection. “I am grateful to former Board Chair Warren Jones and the many leaders that have come before me for laying a foundation for success,” said Andersen. “I am honored to serve the community as chair of the Duval County School Board.”Charlotte Joyce (District 6), who was elected in 2018, is the seventh board member.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. After days of uncertainty, it appears that the public will soon have access to COVID-19 data related to schools in Duval County. This comes after the Florida Department of Health asked the district to stop reporting staff and students testing positive in schools last week. The Volusia County school district is the latest to post its dashboard after being told by local health officials the information was confidential. In explaining why it published the data, the school district said the Florida Department of Education requested COVID-19 reporting at the district level.News4Jax reached out to the Florida Department of Education about the guidance. And for parents, deciding to bring their children back to the school setting wouldnt have that information without this dashboard.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After one of the biggest school districts in the country decided to allow students to have an excused absence to participate in protests, a school board member is exploring bringing the idea to Duval County. Duval County School Board Vice Chairwoman Elizabeth Andersen broached the topic during a school board workshop last week. A Fairfax school board member told NPR the plan for the district of about 188,000 students was inspired by the rise in student activism that followed the deadly 2018 mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school. A DCPS spokesman told News4Jax the relatively new idea needs further study in order to adequately inform the School Board. If the superintendent does decide to recommend a civic engagement day, she and the school board can expect backlash from conservative critics.