Latest news with #ChristopherBernier
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Families, local leaders honor fallen service members at Jacksonville's Memorial Day ceremony
From the playing of the volunteer JFRD Pipes & Drums, to the Navy Band Southeast's horns ringing and Voices of Jacksonville's singing, the Veterans Memorial Wall was filled with the sounds of salute during the city of Jacksonville's yearly Memorial Day ceremony. by The city says no new names were added this year, but the U.S. Department of Defense says close to one thousand military members have died each year over the last 10 years. 'We live a life of freedom, secured by the lives of your daughters and sons, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers,' said Mayor Donna Deegan, one of the local leaders who attended the ceremony. The mayor was joined by military leaders of Naval Station Mayport and NAS Jax, city council members, leaders of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Duval County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier, and a handful of state lawmakers. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< All of them joined military families of those who've lost their loved ones, like Thomas Feuerborn, who just lost his father, an Army veteran drafted into the Vietnam War, last week. 'I can now honor my father who sacrificed when he was during a time that he didn't want to go to war,' Feuerborn said. The City of Jacksonville says there are more than 68,000 military members working in Duval County. Naval Station Mayport says there are more than 8,000 active-duty members and reserve working for the base, and NAS Jax says it has more than 4,500 active-duty military. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Duval School Board Chair says accelerated programs not ‘in jeopardy' despite proposed funding cuts
Duval's School Board Chair is speaking out in an effort to tamp down fears of potential cuts to accelerated programs like AP (Advanced Placement), IB (International Baccalaureate), AICE (Advanced International Certificate of Education), and Dual Enrollment. Under the proposed spending plans being pushed by the Florida House and Senate, bonus dollars awarded to districts when students pass accelerated programs would be slashed in half. The proposal prompted Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier to send a letter to parents earlier in the legislative session, warning the loss of funds would force the district to cut courses, lose teachers, or even charge parents for exam fees and lab materials. 'I don't see a situation where those programs are in jeopardy,' Duval School Board Chair Charlotte Joyce (District 6) said. RELATED: Why Florida lawmakers want to slash AP funding and why education groups say the math doesn't add up Joyce told Action News Jax that after working with lawmakers, the district is now confident those impacts won't come to fruition. She explained that the bonus funding districts previously received will instead go to the district's discretionary fund, so the district won't lose money overall. 'I can tell you that Dr. Bernier has said publicly he is committed to pulling that money back out and putting it back into those programs,' Joyce said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] But with the Senate only proposing a $135 per-student increase and the House even lower at just $62, Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar argued districts will likely find it difficult to shift money back into accelerated programs, given overall cost increases due to inflation. 'The reality is if we divert those dollars back to those programs, we don't have that new money. It's not new money,' Spar said. But Joyce told Action News Jax that districts are still working with lawmakers to ensure that districts aren't put in that position. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'It depends on who you are and how you're interpreting those numbers. And so, again, at the end of the day, we just want to make sure that we're well funded in Duval County and we do what is absolute best for our children,' Joyce said. Budget negotiations were still underway as of our interview with Joyce. Lawmakers have until midnight to hammer out a final spending plan to avoid going into session overtime. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DCPS considering splitting certain health classes by gender
The Duval County school board is moving forward with changes to its health classes and sex education policy, including possibly splitting up health glasses for students from 6th-8th grade by their gender. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] The district's policy handbook review committee went over the change along with a list of other curriculum changes during its meeting on Wednesday, which included changes to how sex education is taught in schools. One of the board members brought up a concern over how exactly health classes would be split up, should the policy change end up getting approved. It was over the new policy not mentioning, specifically, how students who identify as male, female or nonbinary would be placed between health classes. 'How are we looking at whether female will be comfortable with a male saying 'hey I'm a female,' and vice versa?' the board member asked. Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier took the question, saying, firstly, that classes would be split for students by the gender assigned to them at birth, lining up with the Florida law allowing health classes to be taught by gender. He added any parents uncomfortable with the changing of classes would have the chance to opt-out. The school board said parents would be made aware of any changes to their student's health classes both with a physical paper and electronically. Last month, Action News Jax told you about the school board's consideration of changing the way sex education is taught in schools, which was also included in the policy changes brought up in Wednesday's meeting. Board members shared concerns they received from parents that the policy sets abstinence, or saving sex until marriage, as a standard for the district, which is already the standard in Florida, but doesn't mention teaching about ways to prevent pregnancies. 'It has been scaled back, limited information that is provided on contraceptives. We don't particularly talk about condoms like we have in the past,' one of the district officials said in response to the concerns. It's worth noting the policy surrounding sex education changes does mention it will teach students about 'ways to control the spread' of sexually transmitted diseases, like AIDS. The policy also would reserve education on STDs for students in grades 6-12. The school board still needs to make a final approval of these changes before they can happen. The next chance of this happening is in the next school board meeting, which is set for April 1st. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Has to be fed every day': Duval schools superintendent encourages parents to be literacy partners
When kids miss school, they can get behind on their learning and literacy. The proof is in the numbers. The State of Florida's 'State Reading Assessment' in the Spring of 2024 is one measure of literacy in local students. The St. Johns County School District leads the state, with 76% of third graders reading at or above grade level. The same report notes that St. Johns County also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the state and has had that distinction for ten years. Nassau County ranked second in the state at 68% at grade level. Clay ranks 12 at 63%. Duval County ranked 51 out of 67, at 49%. That's also lower than the state average. Those numbers led to a community-wide push to get Duval third graders on track. Duval County Public Schools' Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier believes literacy is a family matter. 'If you're proficient in third grade, you're 96% likely to graduate from high school. That's why it's important' Bernier said. WATCH: Action News Jax Family Focus presents 'Raising Readers' special Bernier said students are making progress. 'In our scores across the board last year, from state testing, every single grade band that's tested 3 to 10 made positive gains in proficiency. That's unheard of.' Bernier said. He expects the improvement is continuing. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'I have anecdotal evidence with the third-grade teachers talking about 60, 70, 80-percent of their children are now arriving in a position where they can start to read to learn,' he said. Bernier credits support from community partners, the tireless work of educators, and some new programs the school district has incorporated into its curriculum. That includes incorporating the University of Florida Literacy Institute curriculum for kindergarten, first, and second grade students. The UFLI curriculum focuses on foundational skills, like sounding out words. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] 'What I tell parents is, if you go into one of our kindergarten, first and second grade and third-grade classrooms, you'll recognize reading again,' Bernier said. 'It'll remind you of the way we were taught to read.' The superintendent said parents are seeing the difference, and he encourages families to be partners in the process. 'You know, we always make sure that our kids are fed right, and we give 'em the right amount of food and we snack 'em and we try to chose healthy snacks for their own nutritional basis. We have to approach literacy acquisition the same way. It has to be fed every day' Bernier said. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Serious work to be accomplished': Duval County schools' national test scores decline in all areas
Duval County Public Schools students' test scores are declining in four key areas tested by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The assessment tests Grade 4 Reading, Grade 8 Math, Grade 8 Reading, and Grade 4 Math. These are Duval's 2024 scores compared to those in 2022: Grade 4 Math: 2024 ranked 8th, 2022 ranked 4th Grade 8 Math: 2024 ranked 14th, 2022 ranked 7th Grade 4 Reading: 2024 ranked 12th, 2022 ranked 5th Grade 8 Reading: 2024 ranked 17th, 2022 ranked 4th A decline in test scores led to a drop in DCPS's ranking among other participating large urban school districts. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'The value of these results is that they serve as a lens into student achievement,' Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said in a news release. 'Utilizing the results strategically, we can ensure the work to improve student outcomes for all remains an urgent priority. This information demonstrates there is serious work to be accomplished.' [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
