The Hillsborough County Public Schools held a School Board Workshop on October 7, 2025, focusing on critical issues affecting student performance and well-being. The meeting addressed various topics, including mental health support, academic performance, and instructional strategies.

The workshop began with discussions on the importance of social-emotional learning and mental health resources for students. A representative highlighted the partnership with Joshua's Way of Hope, which provides social-emotional learning programs and parent workshops aimed at fostering a positive growth mindset among students. The school has also implemented a character education program to support individual development. Additionally, mental health clinicians have volunteered to conduct caregiver workshops and train teachers to identify students needing extra support.

Food security was another significant topic, with the school providing resources to families in need. The representative noted that a local food pantry assists families, and students receive food bags to take home each week. This initiative aims to address the economic challenges faced by the student population, with nearly all students identified as economically disadvantaged.

However, concerns were raised regarding the school's academic performance. A board member expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of a clear plan to improve the school's low grades, citing that only 27% of students are proficient in reading and that a significant portion of teachers are substitutes. The board member criticized the focus on attendance rates rather than addressing the underlying academic issues.

In response, school representatives emphasized the importance of having students present in classrooms to facilitate learning. They outlined their curriculum alignment with state standards and the use of various educational tools, such as I-Ready and IXL, to support student engagement and assessment. The focus is shifting towards strengthening tier 1 instruction to ensure all students make progress, rather than concentrating solely on those in the lower performance tiers.

The meeting concluded with a call for a more robust plan to address the academic challenges faced by the school, emphasizing the need for effective instructional strategies and support systems to enhance student learning outcomes. The board members agreed to continue discussions on these critical issues in future meetings.