Coronavirus Updates

If parents have input or questions about the reopening of schools for next year, they are encouraged to submit those through our contact us form. This will help the district understand parents’ thoughts on these topics and help the district identify questions that need to be addressed.

If your district issued laptop is in need of repair, please visit Samuel S. Gaines Academy from 9am-11am or Oak Hammock K-8 from 1:30pm-3:00pm. Repair technicians are available and on-site Monday and Wednesday.

If your district issued laptop is in need of repair, please visit St. Lucie Elementary from 9am-11am or Northport K-8 from 1:30pm-3:00pm. Repair technicians are available and on-site Monday through Thursday.

St. Lucie Public Schools Child Nutrition Services Department will continue to serve free meals to children in St. Lucie County from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 9, 2020 – July 31, 2020.  

The multi-day meal packages include breakfast and lunch. On Tuesdays, the meal packages contain 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches.  On Thursdays, the meal package contains 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches.

Click for locations

SLPS is pleased to announce the traditional graduation dates and times.

Ft. Pierce Central High School Courtyard:
June 25, 2020
Mosaic Digital Academy, 8:00 A.M.

Lawnwood Stadium in Ft. Pierce:
June 30, 2020
Lincoln Park Academy, 8:00 A.M.
St. Lucie West Centennial High School, 11:30 A.M.

Due to the continued health threat associated with COVID-19, St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) will offer summer academic programs virtually this year. 

The virtual summer program will be expanded to include current Kindergarten through 4^th grade targeted students who will receive supplemental reading and math intervention.  Eligible students will be notified by their schools.

Furthermore, SLPS is pleased to announce that all current Kindergarten through grade 4 students will be provided grade appropriate summer packets called “SPARK: Summer Prep Activities to Recharge your Knowledge.” The packets contain lessons that will provide students a review of key standards from the previous year to ensure readiness for the next school year.

 Impacted summer programs include:

• All district operated Summer School Programs will operate virtually.

• Extended School Year (ESY) will take place virtually.

• School based Credit Recovery and Academic Bootcamps will be provided virtually.

• Summer Slide ESOL Programs will take place virtually.

SLPS remains committed to following all guidance provided by the Florida Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect the health and safety of students and employees.  Additional updates will be shared as they become available. 

If your district issued laptop is in need of repair, please visit Manatee K8 School from 9am-11am or Samuel S. Gaines Academy from 1:30pm-3:00pm. Repair technicians are available and on-site Monday through Friday.

If your district issued laptop is in need of repair, please visit Fairlawn Elementary School from 9am-11am or Morningside  Elementary School from 1:30pm-3:00pm.  Repair technicians are available and on-site Monday through Friday.

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has launched a vitally important education impact survey for Florida educators and parents to share their thoughts and opinions on recent crisis response from the Florida Department of Education, their local school district, and their school. This feedback will help us achieve our number one goal of keeping Florida’s students safe while ensuring they continue to receive the best education in the nation.

This short, 2-minute survey, is intended to be completed by parents, educators and students throughout Florida to include and incorporate their opinions on the next steps for education due to COVID-19.

This survey does not request any personal information and your answers will remain strictly anonymous.

Please help FDOE by sharing your opinion on how to move forward, together, to mitigate the spread and to reach out number one goal – ensuring Florida students continue to receive a great education.

Access the survey here.

You were born in the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11, you lived through the great recession of 2008 and just two years ago, as sophomores in high school, you experienced the tragic events that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Now, as seniors, you are feeling the effects of COVID-19.

Our promise as a school district is that you will graduate from safe and caring schools, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and desire to succeed.  No graduating class has been more tested; however, it is through these experiences that we learn about our character, our resolve and our resiliency as we move forward. As your Superintendent, I am committed to doing all I can to honor the Class of 2020 with the graduation ceremony you deserve.

Understanding the need to adjust our traditional graduations due to COVID-19, St. Lucie Public Schools will hold virtual graduations to celebrate and recognize the Class of 2020.  

During the broadcast of the ceremonies, you are invited to gather online with your family and friends as your school recognizes you and confers your high school diploma. The prerecorded, streamed ceremonies will feature valedictorian and salutatorian speeches, digital slides honoring each graduate as their name is called and the traditional “turn your tassel” moment that you can participate in safely at home in your cap and gown. Furthermore, St. Lucie Public Schools is committed to holding live graduations in late June if it is safe to do so. 

Although we are disappointed that we will not be able to hold our traditional graduations in May, we are committed to commemorating this very special occasion in a unique and memorable way.  I want you and your family to know that we are thrilled to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2020.

Schedule of Virtual Graduations

May 26, 2020

• St. Lucie West Centennial, 9:00 A.M. 
• Ft. Pierce Westwood Academy, 11:00 A.M.
• Treasure Coast High School, 1:00 P.M. 

May 27, 2020

• Lincoln Park Academy, 9:00 A.M.
• Ft. Pierce Central High School, 11:00 A.M.
• Port St. Lucie High School, 1:00 P.M.

May 28, 2020

• Mosaic Digital Academy, 9:00 A.M.
• Performance Based Preparatory Academy, 11:00 A.M.

The graduation ceremonies will air on WLX-TV, the St. Lucie Education Channel, appearing on Comcast channel 13 (Ft. Pierce), Comcast channel 19 (Port St. Lucie), Blue Stream channel 19, and ATT TV channel 99. Furthermore, a link to the broadcasts will be found on the St. Lucie Public Schools webpage.  Once aired, the ceremonies will be available on-demand on YouTube.

American author, Catherine Pulsifer stated, “Adversity in our life may seem like a problem, however, adversity can make us grow and learn, an opportunity that we may never have experienced. It all depends on how you look at it.” I know that each one of you will overcome this disappointment and go on to achieve great things. 

Quarter 3 Report Cards are now posted. You can access your student’s report card through their Skyward account or through Family Access. Here are step by step directions.

Canvas is the learning platform that all students will use for distance learning. Students will be expected to log in daily to access their courses and find their lessons/assignments. Canvas is accessible through your phone, tablet, iPad or laptop computer. This video will show you how to access Canvas through an app on your phone.

• AP
• IB
• AICE

We want to thank you in advance for your support, patience and understanding as we work to meet the needs of all our families.  We are committed to making sure you have what you need for Distance Learning.

A school messenger phone call was sent home yesterday evening, March 23^rd to all families who will be checked out a device tomorrow afternoon.

Please DO NOT show up to pick up a laptop if you did not receive a district phone call yesterday.  Once again, we are asking for your cooperation and ONLY come to pick up a laptop if you received a phone call yesterday.

This is only Phase I of our laptop deployment.  Phase II will take place later in the week with more phone calls will be going out on Wednesday evening for a pick-up time later in the week.  This process will continue until we make sure that every household has at least one digital device for learning in their home.

SLPS is preparing for distance learning by distributing laptops to families that meet the following criteria:

• The family completed the Digital Readiness Survey

AND

• There is not at least one digital device in their home

AND

• The student(s) are receiving free or reduced lunch at school

Families who will receive a laptop in Phase I, will be contacted on Monday, March 23rd through a School Messenger phone call with the time and location for laptop pick up.

• Families will be checked out one laptop for all students in the house to use. Parents must bring an official ID to check out the laptop.
• Do NOT show up to pick up a laptop if you are not contacted on Monday, March 23rd by a School Messenger call.
• We will be deploying 4,500 laptops on Wednesday, March 25th. Those combined with the nearly 4,000 laptops already in the hands of Port St. Lucie High School and Ft. Pierce Westwood Academy students through their 1:1 digital device initiative, represents a large percentage of families in St. Lucie Public Schools.
• SLPS is committed to working to meet the needs of our families and we thank you in advance for your patience, cooperation and understanding.
• Phase II of laptop deployment will happen later in the week and will allow for even more families to check out a laptop.

Comcast has taken steps to implement the following new policies for the next 60 days:

• Xfinity WiFi Free For Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit www.xfinity.com/wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser.
• Internet Essentials Free to New Customers: New customers will receive 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. Additionally, for all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the program’s Internet service has been increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. That increase will go into effect for no additional fee and it will become the new base speed for the program going forward. Learn more at www.internetessentials.com

Florida Department of Education Announces Additional Guidance for the 2019-20 School Year

~ All public and private K-12 schools are closed through April 15, 2020 ~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 17, 2020 – Today, the Department of Education and Commissioner Richard Corcoran are using executive authority to support the Florida Division of Emergency Management to ensure Florida citizens are kept safe.

“The containment of COVID-19 is essential, and this is not a decision we made lightly. Districts have taken action and have instituted distance learning as a necessary precaution to protect students, educators, families, and Florida’s overall public health,” said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. “We are working with our local school districts to provide guidance and help children who need access food during this time. Our number one priority is keeping our families safe and healthy and stopping the spread of this virus. These actions will help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Florida. I will continue to work with the Governor, Superintendents, Florida College System and the State University System to do whatever we can to protect our children, our families, and our communities.”

Commissioner Corcoran is taking the following actions, effective immediately:

School Districts

All public and private K-12 and career and technical center campuses are closed through April 15, 2020.   

• Schools are encouraged to operate virtually or through other non-classroom-based means to the greatest extent possible to implement distance learning. 
• School districts should be prepared to extend their educational calendars through June 30, 2020, to the extent feasible and necessary. 
• For Collier, Duval, Sumter and Union county school districts, which are all completing their extended spring break on March 20, 2020, school campuses will remain closed through April 15, 2020, although they will begin instruction virtually on March 23.
• To support students with identified IEP-related services who may have a disruption in services, school districts are given flexibility for the remainder of the school year to provide alternative services or delay services until later in the summer months, in coordination with a student’s parents and IEP team. 

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