School Board of Highlands County

HURRICANE MILTON UPDATE All Highlands County schools and district offices will be closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We will do an assessment on Thursday afternoon and make an announcement regarding Friday once we have more information. Wednesday is predicted to be the day we feel most of the storm’s impact in our area. We have been through this before in our community, and we know how predictions can change in the days and hours leading up to landfall. Make sure to continue to monitor local news and reliable media outlets, including our Board of County Commissioners Facebook page, for accurate and timely updates. Please continue to make preparations, and stay safe. Thank you- .

𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Based on our afternoon call with Emergency Management, all schools and District offices will be open for normal operations tomorrow, Friday, September 27.

WEATHER UPDATE: We are monitoring the weather developments in the Gulf and as with all storms we will be in communication with Highlands County Emergency Management. It is too early to predict what the potential impact will be to our area, but we will update school information as we move through the next few days.

Insurance Committee Meeting Thursday, October 3, 2024 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Board Room

⭐🎉Congratulations to our Highlands County Principal of the Year Courtney Floyd and Assistant Principal of the Year Patricia Smith, both of Lake Placid Elementary School! These amazing leaders work tirelessly to support their students, staff, and families. Thank you Mrs. Floyd and Mrs. Smith for all you do to ensure that your LPE students succeed!⭐🎉

𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟 We have been working with local law enforcement this weekend due to the social media screenshots containing non-specific threats to schools. The Highlands County Sheriff's Office investigation indicates that there is NO credible threat to ANY Highlands County school campus. The HCSO shared, “The screenshot with the name Darius on it was determined to be in Manatee County and an arrest has been made there in that case. We will be conducting extra patrols around all schools in the coming days out of an abundance of caution, but once again, there is NO reason to believe any of these threats are local.” All threats are taken seriously and investigated immediately and thoroughly. Unfortunately, the viral spread of random social media screenshots has become an issue across our state and around the nation. Please know that we have multiple layers of safety and security measures in place on and around our campuses all day, every day. We look forward to welcoming all students to school in the morning.

We are aware of a social media post being shared this morning indicating a potential threat to schools across Florida, including some Highlands County schools. We have been working with law enforcement on this since it was posted. The investigation has not revealed any reliable information at this time. There has been a tremendous increase in posts like this across the nation, and all potential threats are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. Out of an abundance of caution the schools mentioned have been put on a Controlled Campus as an added layer of security.

𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥 All Highlands County schools and School Board offices will be closed tomorrow, September 2, in observance of Labor Day.

Insurance Committee Meeting Thursday, August 29, 2024 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM Board Room

𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥: Tomorrow, Wednesday, August 28, is a two-hour early release day.

Insurance Committee Meeting Wednesday, July 3, 2024 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Room

Insurance Committee Meeting Friday, June 21, 2024 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM Board Room

CANCELLED - HCESPA NEGOTIATIONS MEETING Monday, June 20, 2024 10:00AM - 12:00 PM Boardroom

HCEA NEGOTIATIONS MEETING Thursday, June 20, 2024 2:00PM - 3:00PM Boardroom

HCESPA NEGOTIATIONS MEETING Monday, June 3, 2024 4:00PM - 5:00PM Boardroom

Happy Earth Day! #EarthDay2024

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗘𝗡𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 The window for Controlled Open Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is from April 29 through May 3. For complete information on Student Transfer and Choice Options- visit https://www2.highlands.k12.fl.us/page/student-transfer-and-choice-options

Registration for the 2024 Summer VPK Program is now open! Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten is a free program to prepare every Florida five year old for kindergarten. Children MUST be five years old on or before September 1, 2024, and NOT previously completed a VPK program. Registration is open NOW! The deadline for registering is May 24th, 2024. Click the links to view the full flyer for complete information- English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HVkr3c9ClVD87MSujgjgikWvyVuFdO5Y/view?usp=sharing Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qPQc7epu7KhjgKt5tOm-FuLxyeP-6moB/view?usp=sharing

At the most recent Superintendent's Student Council meeting, Judge Angela Cowden of the 10th Judicial Circuit was the guest speaker. She talked to Dr. Longshore's student council about her journey to becoming a judge, the life lessons she has learned along the way, and the importance of a strong work ethic. Thank you Judge Cowden for taking the time to speak to these young leaders!

Paraprofessionals are an integral part of our School Board of Highlands County family. We thank our paraprofessionals for the countless roles they fill on our campuses and the tremendous support they give to students, staff, and families! Thank you!!!