After beginning the school year with a mask mandate in place, Camden County Schools will make the wearing of masks optional starting Wednesday, the school district announced.

President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday warned top Florida education officials to “reconsider your threatened actions” after the state said it would try to thwart attempts to use federal money to cover salaries of county school-board members who approved student mask requirements.

Dozens of potential drivers were out on a test track Saturday on Gaines Road in St. Augustine, getting a hands-on experience of what it is like to drive a school bus.

Six Florida school districts challenging the Department of Health’s rule on masks in schools appeared before an administrative law judge Thursday morning.

Between supply chain issues, food shortages and higher demand, there is a problem nationwide getting meals to students.

The State Board of Education on Wednesday will consider extending a temporary rule that allows students who are ordered to quarantine at home because of COVID-19 to be counted for attendance at school.

Duval County, Alachua County and a handful of other Florida school districts will lose state funds for requiring students to wear masks in violation of a state rule prohibiting such mandates.

Declining numbers of COVID-19 cases in Duval County Public Schools combined with new quarantine direction from the Florida Department of Health has led the district to modify practices for elementary classroom closures.

The Ware County School Board of Education voted Monday to return to all in-person instruction on Wednesday.

Officials say a banking error has caused dozens of Florida teachers to see their state-issued $1,000 bonus checks bounce.

A motion to dismiss a legal battle over the Episcopal School of Jacksonville’s mask policy has been signed by Judge Robert Foster, court documents reveal.

Florida’s newly announced protocols that allow parents to decide whether their children should quarantine or stay in school if they are asymptomatic after being exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 could put many more students at risk of becoming infected, according to Dr. Sunil Joshi, an immunologist with Baptist Health.

During a House committee meeting Wednesday, Florida lawmakers continued looking for answers to why students went missing from the school system after the pandemic hit.

DeSantis and Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sat down with educators in Niceville to talk about how his plan to ditch the FSA in favor of “progress monitoring” will affect them moving forward.

“Severe” or “desperate” that’s how more than half of the country’s school districts describe their bus driver shortage.

The St. Johns County School District has hired a staffing company that will help with contact tracing needs in schools.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans Tuesday to end the Florida Standards Assessments, also known as FSA, testing for students across the state, a move applauded by the state's largest teachers union.

Glynn County Public School Students are swapping their virtual classes, to in-person classes starting on Monday.

The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force.

The teachers union in St. Johns County has come to terms with the school district over COVID-19 leave for teachers and one-time bonuses for educators.

A circuit judge on Wednesday again ruled against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ mask policy for students, setting aside a stay and allowing school districts to enact mask mandates without interference from the Department of Education as the case moves forward on appeal.

The debate over face masks in the St. Johns County School District is still being fought after a Pedro Menendez High School student died last week.

A new mask mandate begins Tuesday for Duval County Public School students.

The coronavirus is taking a toll on one South Florida school district.

The coronavirus pandemic altered how students learn in the classroom. Now, it’s the main factor behind a statewide substitute teacher shortage, according to the President of the Duval County Teachers United.

One of the 18 parents who filed a lawsuit against the Duval County School Board over its mask mandate this week is speaking out about why he feels the rule is harming children with learning disabilities.

The Clay County School Board is standing strong with its decision to not make masks mandatory in schools.

Is a local registered nurse selling mask and vaccine opt out forms at a public park? That’s the claim that’s now under investigation after complaints from fellow health care professionals.

There are more than 40 schools in St. Johns County, but when it comes to the number of COVID-19 cases in classrooms, one school has more than the rest — Mill Creek Academy.

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.

A mother who’s also an attorney claims the lack of a mask mandate in St. Johns County schools amounts to discrimination against her son.

A student at a Westside high school told News4Jax he is frustrated and concerned for student safety after long lines leading into the school’s cafeteria have become a daily ritual.

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.

As the St. Johns County School District struggles to fill substitute teacher positions, employees from the district office have been forced to step into classrooms to replace teachers who may be out sick or quarantining.

Alachua Schools Superintendent Dr. Carlee Simon said her board members “deserve praise, not penalties” for their “courageous decision” to defy an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis and implement a districtwide mask mandate.

A one-page information graphic outlining the Florida Department of Education’s recommendations on how school districts should combat COVID-19 was sent out to superintendents earlier this month, but it fails to include what medical experts conclude are the most effective mitigation strategies.

The Ware County School System will adopt a hybrid instructional model from Sept. 7 through Oct. 7 due to the number of COVID-19 cases in the county and the surrounding area, the school system said.

With thousands of kids back in school, Duval County Public Schools is encouraging the community to take a shot at the coronavirus vaccine.

Effective Sept. 7, Duval County Public Schools students must where a face covering that covers both their nose and mouth while inside a school facility, according to a new mask policy implemented Monday night.

The Episcopal School of Jacksonville is in a legal battle as several parents are suing over the right for their children to go without masks in the classroom.

The superintendent of St. Johns County schools said Thursday he’s concerned about the increase in the number of students infected with COVID-19.

The president of the teachers union in St. Johns County said the reaction among teachers has been mixed after the school district put in place a mask mandate for all school employees this week.

The Duval County teachers union has filed a grievance with the school district. It’s concerning how to properly switch a school to virtual learning.

There were 154 Clay County students who were positive for COVID-19 during the second week of classes, according to the school district.

Just over half of Florida’s 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms.

Duncan U. Fletcher Middle School in Jacksonville Beach has decided to move its classes online due to the large number of students needing to quarantine as a result of active COVID-19 cases, the school announced Wednesday.

On the same day that a mask mandate for St. Johns County public school employees went into effect, residents against mandates spoke out at a school board meeting.

Just over half of Florida’s 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms.

More than a million Florida students are currently attending school under a mask mandate with no parental opt-out, as Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Department of Education continue to ramp up pressure on the districts out of compliance.

Glynn County Schools on Tuesday said the current number of positive COVID-19 cases in its schools and the community has escalated its operational level from “yellow” to “red.”

There will be a new mask mandate in the St. Johns County School District, but only for employees.

After hours of sometimes fiery debate involving doctors, parents and local leaders, the Duval County School Board on Monday made the controversial and potentially costly decision to require face masks.

Hillsborough County is home to one of a growing number of Florida school districts imposing a mask mandate in its classrooms because of skyrocketing COVID-19 cases in its schools.

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 number of St. Johns County students quarantined due to possible exposure to the coronavirus grew by nearly 300% during the first week of classes.

What students eat during the day could impact how well they perform in class.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced the appointment of the former chair of the Alachua Republican Party to fill a vacant seat on the Alachua County School Board.

Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties have become the third and fourth school districts in Florida to adopt stricter mask mandates, a day after school boards in Broward and Alachua counties faced threats of severe penalties for defying Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, which says parents should decide whether their children wear masks.

The Duval Virtual Instruction Academy is opening up enrollment again this week to give parents the option to move from in-person learning to online.

As the state Board of Education agreed it will use enforcement powers against Alachua County Public Schools over its mask mandate, the school board voted to extend the district’s mandate eight more weeks.

Starting on Wednesday, Glynn County Schools will require masks for all students and adults after the number of coronavirus cases has increased in schools.

The state Board of Education on Tuesday voted in favor of a recommendation to “use its enforcement powers” against Alachua County Public Schools after the district defied a statewide order to allow students to opt out of wearing a face mask without a doctor’s note.

Putnam County students head back to school Tuesday morning

At the close of the first day of school, the St. Johns County School District reported a total of 155 cases of COVID-19 in its schools.

Over the first fours days of the 2021-2022 school year in Duval County, the number of positive COVID-19 cases listed on the district’s online tracking dashboard grew at a nearly exponential rate.

Last year, if teachers had to miss work to get a coronavirus test or were forced to quarantine due to possible exposure, their salary was covered by funding from the federal government’s Families First Coronavirus Response Act. But since that expired, districts have been left to figure things out on their own.

Our area’s top-rated and fastest-growing school district began the new year Monday with two brand new schools: Pine Island Academy and Tocoi Creek High School.

Starting this week, each secondary school in Duval County will host a vaccine event.

One of the last groups of Northeast Florida students heads back to school on Monday. But on Friday, St. Johns County parents and students got to meet their teachers for the first time.

After just over a week in session, Ware County Schools made the decision Friday to put the school year on hold following a “sharp increase” in the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported among students and staff.

A 17-year-old Columbia High School student died from coronavirus-related complications days before the start of her senior year, her family told News4Jax.

One local roofing company is gifting new roofs to educators, as part of an annual initiative.

St. Johns County students return to class Monday. The district is preparing to bus up to 24,000 to and from school every day.

University of North Florida faculty members laid out their health and safety concerns during the public comment portion of a Board of Trustees meeting Thursday.

Impact Church, which founded the school in 2015, has been holding its services in the mall for years, and now its school is there too.

All public schools in Ware County will follow their early release schedules on Friday so they can close for deep cleaning the district announced Wednesday.

The number of Duval County Public Schools students who opted out of the district’s face mask recommendation grew by 1,300 in the last 24 hours.

The call-outs are straining school operations even further as hundreds of vacancies already exist district-wide.

St. Johns County School Board Chair Patrick Canan expressed frustration at the end of a sometimes testy board meeting Tuesday that included hours of public comment over mandating masks in school.

The first day of school in Clay County became a nightmare for some students and parents left without school buses.

Catholic schools in the Diocese of St. Augustine have reversed course and will once again require masks inside school buildings, the diocese announced Monday.

Dozens of people holding signs stood outside the St. Johns County School District offices Tuesday morning to call for a district-wide mask mandate when students return to classrooms next week.

Somewhere between 38,000 and 40,000 students will return to in-person learning in Clay County public schools, while at least 300 students will learn through Clay Virtual Academy full time.

In an effort to get more students vaccinated, the University of North Florida announced Monday it will give each student who gets vaccinated against the coronavirus $100 in “Ozzie Bucks” if they meet certain qualifications.

On Tuesday, students in Clay County return to the classroom.

The St. Johns County School Board is asking a federal appeals court to again consider a years-long battle about whether a transgender male student should have been allowed to use boys' bathrooms.

Lila Hartley made national headlines last week when she wrote a letter to the Duval County School Board urging members to consider a mask requirement when the new school year begins.

Students will come back to a lot of the same safety measures they grew familiar with last year. While masks are not one of them, they’re strongly encouraged.

Students in Duval County will head back to school on Tuesday.

An online petition calling for St. Johns County schools to impose a mask mandate when the new school year begins has garnered more signatures.

Florida’s Board of Education approved an emergency rule on Friday that will make private school vouchers available to parents who say a public school district’s mask-wearing requirements amount to harassment of their children.

Taking your child to get an EKG is an unexpected new item on the back-to-school checklist pediatricians recommend parents to mark off immediately.

Between the two of them, Clay County school bus drivers, Rhonda Bradshaw and Yvonne Billings have driven school buses for 13 years. But they still get excited for the first day of each new school year.

What you do when your child is not acting up may be the first step to promoting good behavior.

With many Northeast Florida students returning to the classroom in the coming days, health officials want to remind parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date on all of their immunizations.

A new curriculum may help students catch up. It involves combining two subjects for a better outcome.

Many districts throughout the area are still looking to hire for positions for the school year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis threaten to withhold funding from school districts that implement mandatory mask mandates in the fall has drawn blowback from his potential 2022 Democratic opponents.

At least four Florida school districts are trying to work around Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order barring school boards from requiring students to wear masks because of the COVID-19 pandemic.