[{"_1":2,"_124":-5,"_125":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6494857,"mediaKeyId","5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99","parentId",5615244,"title","State rule changes force updates to district student-progression plan; certificates of completion eliminated","audioSeconds",809,"startMs",5069000,"endMs",5878000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99&start=5069&end=5878","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99/thumbnail_5069000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6494857/Florida/State-rule-changes-force-updates-to-district-student-progression-plan-certificates-of-completion-eliminated","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494857-76516c1e772309bd052b573d29625283/orig.mp4?Expires=1770542208&Signature=h-NGJCybXvf8XccSIQYHD7FeXrmBVuF6qxIAPHltw3Y7mA1QZTchDsil-KTkpTptxo23TXw7zEaXm5HN9PGFjF-VATM~48vGMuxkrkCh-L1-FbfRXQynEbXjIbG9AigfLK1rC4QCYT~EerDJHGWi5mGjvJdcin4LedyIRnQYD4nu-O0LNkaTwH44LN9OmE7E63YnR5IB5S4HiXwnc2rsg6YSggpoSaRy5MjZdjX6OD2rsUQOYxKnYcmP0asuFZZILnhlcOsDAFcI-FAN3TxWUMy0~uNb-urkV9zsu-RdDy8VIcpYcZQwLOK8KcFQrg4jRPJnRK-yY8VBqffyA052NA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Marion County School Board","date","2025-08-21T17:21:00.063Z","article","Marion County Public Schools told the board on Aug. 21 that late state rulemaking required updates to the district’s student-progression plan. District staff said rule changes eliminate the “certificate of completion” option previously available to students who met some requirements but not the state assessment concordance or other expectations; students may instead remain in high school for up to one additional year to earn a diploma.

Mark Ingram, who presented the revisions with Miss Connor, said the State Board of Education’s rulemaking removed the language that allowed awarding a certificate of completion for students who had earned the required credits but not met testing or concordant-score requirements. ‘‘The certificate of completion is no longer an option for students. Our schools will not award certificates of completion because the state does not allow for it,’’ Ingram said. He told the board that existing students who previously received a certificate of completion had numbered about 70 districtwide last year and that roughly 68 were high-school-level students in that group.

Staff explained that students may elect to stay in high school as full- or part-time students for a fifth year to complete missing requirements. The district clarified that fifth-year students are not funded with additional FTE by the state (i.e., non-funded fifth-year enrollment) and said the district will offer appropriate tutoring, credit recovery or test-prep supports. Ingram said students who graduate before the district’s summer-school cutoff are reported as graduates for that school year, but students who complete graduation requirements after the reporting cutoff may not be reflected in the school-grade component tied to graduation calculations.

In addition, Ingram said the state changed concordance score options: the SAT reading and writing concordance score was increased by 10 points, PSAT scores may now serve as concordant scores for ELA in certain cases, and additional assessments (Pre-ACT, CLT10) were added as concordant options. He said students who were juniors this year and who earned concordant scores before the state date (Aug. 19) may use the old concordance table; the district is identifying which students are affected and will report the changes publicly.

Staff said they would schedule a public hearing and review of the updated progression plan; the district indicated a public hearing would be held on Sept. 23 following corrections to one date that was updated by the state during the week of the work session.

Board members asked about the impact on fifth-year seniors and funding. Staff said the number of students affected is small relative to district enrollment but that the district will maintain outreach and counseling so students understand paths to graduation and the consequences of certificates no longer being available.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Marion County School Board Work Session, August 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","After late state rulemaking, district staff told the board that the State Board of Education removed the certificate-of-completion option and clarified concordance-score rules; staff will hold a public hearing and revise the progression plan for September review.","taxTitle","Marion, School Districts, Florida","taxId",15365,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6494862,"District outlines McKinney-Vento supports; community groups describe coordinated homelessness response",3949,5932000,9881000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99&start=5932&end=9881","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99/thumbnail_5932000.jpg","/articles/6494862/Florida/District-outlines-McKinney-Vento-supports-community-groups-describe-coordinated-homelessness-response","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494862-e2be799e594abae8b89aafef4c173556/orig.mp4?Expires=1770542208&Signature=e0GypaHB4~5KHYtU5~hNle6fRyxyVtZkGv5vsWBuJzRXen7cHVUkD64WoMp0gZIVUG9j8McvNSk-cdNN44HKkd5XrUHwDQU1MLwwIIuZBWdb6awQ1jv4pm-G~qjcBL3ok57gRBjl7fsMfLOmrN2eHxCXwX4F0yvVgu96GHTYl3ib0a2TpE6PrcPTac6yDiri7mNbJHjVo-FcXtbuo82wFQWaBZNxwzbvrT3C0bj~K9XLI6gD8UMRdPUMOOjsmoRWFQIuoDGdSv~95qpxiexpfn-vupgTdh5RLoz2jdqsS74l334NZkurzRMB0CSFojAUV8l6cjMo7f3mzmwIJoulzw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marion County Public Schools staff and community partners described on Aug. 21 how the district identifies and supports students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act and how local agencies coordinate services through a Continuum of Care.

Families in Transition coordinator Thomas Butler told the board that the McKinney-Vento Act protects students who “lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” including those doubled up with other families, living in motels, cars, tents or shelters. Butler said the district identified 1,556 students as homeless in 2024–25, and he provided a breakdown: about 102 living in shelters, about 1,007 doubled up with other families, 314 in motels/hotels, and 133 living in cars, tents or abandoned buildings. Butler said 68 identified seniors were in the 2024–25 school year and that 65 of those 68 graduated; 30 of the graduates subsequently enrolled in college.

Butler explained program services: immediate enrollment under McKinney-Vento (students may be enrolled without documents and records obtained later), transportation to a student’s school of origin when appropriate, case management, school supplies and referrals to community services. He said the district pays for items that enable school engagement, such as calculators and graduation fees, and that staff help families obtain identification and birth certificates when needed.

Representatives from the county-city Continuum of Care (COC) outlined coordinated strategies: Roberta Cincati (COC manager) said the COC unites service providers, coordinates planning, and pursues prevention and housing navigation. Robin Ford (City of Ocala deputy director, Office of Homeless Prevention) described the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) used to record services, avoid duplication and prioritize the most vulnerable for rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing. Ford noted that coordinated entry focuses on the “literally homeless” population (people in cars, encampments or similar unsheltered settings).

Kimberly Center executive director Dawn Westgate described the center’s work as the local children's advocacy center: trauma therapy, multidisciplinary-team staffing for child-abuse investigations, in-class safety curricula and a program that houses children temporarily while they wait for foster-care placements. Westgate said Kimberly Center provided more than 2,000 trauma-therapy sessions last year and reached more than 32,000 students with prevention education.

Board members and staff discussed logistics — including transportation, documentation for college admissions, and limited motel/hotel funding — and suggested pursuing legislative or interagency changes to reduce barriers (for example, to obtaining IDs or birth certificates). Butler and community partners said outreach, partnerships with churches and nonprofits, and targeted casework are central to supporting families and connecting students to longer-term housing solutions.

No board action was recorded; staff and partners said they would continue outreach, coordinated entry and planning work, and that the COC meets monthly.","Families-in-Transition staff described McKinney-Vento identification, transportation and services; community partners (Continuum of Care, City clients, Kimberly Center) described outreach, coordinated entry, shelter and trauma services.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6494865,"District details code-of-conduct rollout, behavior trends and campus safety upgrades",1546,2880000,4426000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99&start=2880&end=4426","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99/thumbnail_2880000.jpg","/articles/6494865/Florida/District-details-code-of-conduct-rollout-behavior-trends-and-campus-safety-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494865-96703a7a078011336013c33faec05e8e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770542208&Signature=lTAf23Vso3qaxkVihWRhLqx607N7uxr4G8x6tz-UW2tSnU9Nz8iKaozyw8fRRp73jIqNq1fSq4O-b3RtGJjeoVrkNvkaYEq-GbDYlPCMHKGzvSutlf7ANccWr~FaSn4eys1yBV~XPilll3~xsWYdGWzLXOqWLhb9CJHCa17fNtS4SyiYTqZGk8fsu2Oz4K1adWR4Z-6G-KnReXPhJqqyS4~jQPHIGpKjBHZfBMihrxHgZsX325UraBUSq4jUBlhYFZJBcXYpR4C6T2dju5lNYwRi3tXn4zlntSnWkfGXSo8GLBGPYzjanh4CZlGbQAti~lbSBf7K2P97eY-B1s2tDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marion County Public Schools staff told the school board on Aug. 21 that the district has implemented the new student code of conduct and is pursuing several safety and behavior measures intended to reduce repeat discipline incidents and improve school climate.

Student-services staff said the code-of-conduct implementation began with targeted training for principals, assistant principals and student-service managers in July and during staff return sessions. The district plans an electronic Skyward acknowledgment for students and parents and said the acknowledgment will go live after official approval; students logging in after that date will complete the acknowledgment.

Dr. Curley (student services) reported discipline data from the 2024–25 year: 49,513 total referrals across the district, and that 40 of 50 schools had 80% or more of students receiving one or no referrals. She said 84% of students districtwide received one or fewer referrals, and highlighted reductions in alternative placements and expulsions. Early in the 2025–26 year, Curley reported a decrease in first-two-week referrals compared with the previous year: 578 first-two-week referrals in 2022–23, 941 in 2023–24, and 387 so far in the current year (through the date of the report).

Board members asked whether the drop reflected fewer device-related violations after new wireless-communication plans at middle and high schools; Curley said middle- and high-school plans were intended to reduce device violations and that implementation and communication were factors in the early reductions.

Separately, safety officer Mr. McFadden walked the board through campus safety work: required drills and emergency preparedness, school resource officers, access-control reviews and a vendor contract to add surveillance cameras at critical locations. McFadden said the state recently used Westport and Liberty high schools as training sites for regional compliance officers and that district compliance checks are performed and remediated, typically within 24 hours. He said the district has a threat-management team and investigates reports of student threats with law enforcement and mental-health staff.

Board members raised staff-safety survey results and concerns that frequent drills and preparedness training can leave some teachers reporting lower perceived feelings of safety. McFadden and Whitehouse said an intense focus on readiness can lead to those perceptions even as physical security measures and threat-assessment processes are strengthened.

No formal board action was taken; staff said training, audit work and additional cameras will continue under existing budgets and contracts.","District leaders described student code-of-conduct implementation, reported a drop in early-year discipline referrals compared with 2024, and outlined campus safety measures including access-control audits, SRO presence and expanded camera work.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6494866,"Marion County schools roll out attendance campaign and new data tools to cut chronic absenteeism",2072,822000,2894000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99&start=822&end=2894","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99/thumbnail_822000.jpg","/articles/6494866/Florida/Marion-County-schools-roll-out-attendance-campaign-and-new-data-tools-to-cut-chronic-absenteeism","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494866-7a16f52f67924e7a51344c289184d2e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770542208&Signature=cVOYfMH5mMhi1SAoiOqrrnocnSqO8F2C7q90sdljjOj74ElPK0qkt7kUXP55ajhSj9sA~cMDaMV5Cq3bUYwy7MYcGlMy1pR60Gi4RAsDYWQGjNSpNTBizRtJxgKjyR1VKWD~PH~pY0XBHBoLJJmTlc6uHExVVP94-6BCmbbraexziSAWpj8gbtcBvo1OMR1sax59ZApE~m2edUM6lewXZcjoDNBLqjkVI4E02HstifyYruVrCmGg1-ZKpeVYnJhF-OfKEGGNKf3fvXM4zMxaUtejW9JcfBXIcMuFF6a440DMado4ugepQU86oeRNd5BvfxLocguGng8EjJvS8rmq8g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marion County Public Schools presented an update on Strategic Plan Goal 2 — \"safe and positive learning environments\" — on Aug. 21 and described a multi-pronged strategy focused on attendance, safety and student supports. Deputy Superintendent Michael Whitehouse and attendance staff outlined a new attendance awareness campaign and a software rollout intended to identify and intervene with students at risk of chronic absenteeism.

Deputy Superintendent Michael Whitehouse told the school board the district has completed four years of strategic-plan tracking and that reducing chronic absenteeism remains a major objective. Attendance lead Dawn O'Dell described the districtwide campaign, this year titled “Here today, ready for tomorrow,” and said district teams will recognize schools that show the greatest improvement. She noted the district’s chronic absenteeism rate at the close of the 2024–25 school year was 32.9%, a decline from a 2021 baseline of 35.3%.

O'Dell described tiered attendance work at the school level and said letters are typically sent to parents after a pattern of three unexcused absences. She summarized local response processes, including Child Study Team (CST) meetings, which are “typically requested after the student has accrued at least 5 unexcused absences within a 30 day period or 10 unexcused absences within a 90 day period,” and noted that truancy petitions are filed when a student meets Florida’s truancy threshold — “missing at least 15 days within a 90 day period,” she said.

As a new tool, staff presented the Attendance Intervention Suite (AIS), which district staff said will provide school- and student-level dashboards, automated alerts and two-way communications in families’ preferred languages. O'Dell said AIS can track daily and period attendance, allow staff to target messages to groups of students, and provide early-warning indicators for chronic absenteeism. “Most exciting is the communication tool that will provide translated messages and allow families to respond directly from a mobile or email address in their preferred language,” O'Dell said.

Board members asked technical and policy questions. Board member Campbell and others pressed for clarity on how the district defines attendance for purposes of chronic-absence measurement and whether period attendance counts toward the chronic-absence definition. O'Dell and staff said the chronic-absence figure reported (32.9%) counts students who “are not setting foot on campus at all”; students who attend at least one period are not counted as chronically absent under current definitions, though period attendance will be tracked and used for targeted messaging.

The board and staff discussed transportation-related tardies and coding practices. Attorney Powers and district staff explained that late buses are coded differently from absences and, under current truancy procedures, late buses should not generate truancy filings. Staff said some retroactive Skyward coding is done to reflect late buses at the period level to protect students from inappropriate truancy referrals and to provide accurate instructional-time data.

Whitehouse and the board stressed that reducing chronic absenteeism requires coordinated work with families and that district leaders plan to continue recognition, attendance-response teams, and community engagement to reach the district target of 20% chronic absenteeism in coming years.

No formal board action was recorded at the work session; staff said additional trainings and rollout steps for AIS are underway and that schools will receive training and dashboards as the platform is implemented.","District staff presented Goal 2 metrics from the strategic plan, outlined a districtwide attendance campaign and said an Attendance Intervention Suite (AIS) will be rolled out to provide early-warning data, translations and automated messages to families.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":117,"_47":118,"_49":119,"_51":120,"_53":121,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":122,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":123,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6494868,"Naming committee recommends 'South Marion High School' for new south-end high school",386,264000,650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99&start=264&end=650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5615244-6aeb0f6b17b3eb5c29b9aeeca9901e99/thumbnail_264000.jpg","/articles/6494868/Florida/Naming-committee-recommends-South-Marion-High-School-for-new-south-end-high-school","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6494868-f1edd63fedfbafd716bc6b1ea504a227/orig.mp4?Expires=1770542208&Signature=mWZfJ09jFQciNI9cJMAJJ~WyQ7lnfQbHOElmJmbosBvCDyroFqPgxi2fe7iG~M83A~H6psF8vBpqYnMlfrmiGJczB39TEoH6f--LxMJnH1TQyb0qX5HuqvMHGslSBdrUhDUl12Jf99ErYw05UCjUq62lyBUcWrr1kvQKzv2N1cwAUcvsKNslYcyEEI1EhfR~vxkcLJjCrP7Uwtn6M02AeT9bs7xWY0W0truwqvBF4TAlBWBeHHGBP4wi1f0jq7I0G6fGunhvq56MZfNQ2ztFc~w3YHeBgcl602L54B7IRnFxYYrgfWADSRNDPq2gtFwjBDZ12a8IYErgyfm-UNRGDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Marion County School Board heard a recommendation on Aug. 21 that the district's new south-end high school be named South Marion High School. The naming committee’s recommendation — which mirrored results from a community survey — will be placed on the board agenda for a vote on Sept. 9.

The naming committee process was summarized by school-district staffer Ms. Kynard, who told the board that the committee solicited name suggestions in an initial survey that produced 151 responses representing 83 different names. A second, community-wide survey drew 406 responses. Kynard said, “When duplicate categories are combined, the breakdown of the respondents are as follows. 63.5% parents, 27% Marion County Public School employees, 7.9% community members, and 1.6% students.” Kynard said the top vote-getter in survey two was South Marion High, with 35.2% of responses.

The committee then ranked finalists and ultimately recommended the same option as the public survey: South Marion High School. Kynard said, “The naming committee's recommendation for a school name for high school CCC is South Marion High School.” The board’s chair, Lori Conrad, opened discussion and board members expressed informal support. Board member Dr. James said the geography-based name “makes sense” after comparing local high-school naming patterns; Dr. Campbell said she researched statewide use and found no other South Marion High School in Florida.

Principal McAteer, who joined staff in presenting the item, said the school will begin soliciting student input on a mascot and colors and expects to have a nickname and mascot by mid-October to meet ordering timelines for band and athletic uniforms. McAteer told the board that the mascot and colors must be chosen earlier than elementary-school naming because of procurement and lead times for uniforms and facility branding.

No formal board action was taken at the work session; the staff recommendation will be placed on the Sept. 9 regular meeting agenda for a formal vote.

The district’s timeline calls for the board vote on the name on Sept. 9 and subsequent work on mascot, colors and branding before the school's opening next August.

The decision follows a community-engagement process described by staff and includes two public surveys and input from a naming committee that included parents, community members and educators. The board will finalize the name through its usual agenda and public-vote process.","A naming committee and two community surveys recommended 'South Marion High School' as the preferred name for the district's new high school; the board will consider the name for a formal vote Sept. 9.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State rule changes force updates to district student-progression plan; certificates of completion eliminated

District outlines McKinney-Vento supports; community groups describe coordinated homelessness response

District details code-of-conduct rollout, behavior trends and campus safety upgrades

Marion County schools roll out attendance campaign and new data tools to cut chronic absenteeism

Naming committee recommends 'South Marion High School' for new south-end high school