Legacy High School opens website and posts assignments; district sends letters, sets Jan. 30 opt-out and March controlled open enrollment

St. Lucie Public Schools told the board Jan. 28 that initial notification letters were mailed Jan. 17 to current 9th- and 10th-grade students who are newly zoned for Legacy High School and that the district followed up with a Jan. 24 reminder. The letters explain new assignments and give families a choice to opt out and remain at their current school; the district set the opt-out deadline at Jan. 30 to help plan staffing and capacity.

Why it matters: Knowing how many students accept reassignment affects teacher staffing, program offerings and controlled open enrollment planning. The district said it needs firm counts to determine whether affected schools can accept additional students through controlled open enrollment and to allocate teachers for Legacy’s initial year.

What the district said: Deputy Superintendent Dr. Helen Wilde explained the communication timeline and said the superintendent sent a school-messenger voice message to reinforce the letters. She said the district will be flexible if families request a change after Jan. 30, but needed a date-certain to complete initial staffing planning. “Knowing that is gonna help us determine staffing allocations and know how many teachers are needed at each of our high schools,” Wilde said.

Legacy details posted: The Legacy High School website and curriculum guide are live; the site lists CTE programs, first- and second-year course offerings and college-credit options (Advanced Placement, Cambridge ACE, dual enrollment) but will not include a senior class in its first year. The district posted an interactive boundary map and a quick-reference matrix comparing CTE and college offerings across district high schools.

Enrollment and logistics: Staff told the board the 1st-year projected enrollment is about 1,500 students and eventual build-out is roughly 2,000 students. Administrators have posted Legacy positions and begun interviewing; Principal Todd Smith was reported to be conducting interviews to staff the school. The district said athletics will be offered, including football, despite rumors to the contrary.

Controlled open enrollment and related dates: Officials said controlled open enrollment (a process established in state statute) will run in March; the district will use the opt-out returns and new moves into the zone to assess capacity. Eighth-grade high-school assignments will be mailed Feb. 10; magnet and attractor applicants who met the Dec. 6 deadline have already been notified and later applicants will receive notices by Feb. 10.

Board questions and clarifications: Board members asked about boundaries (interactive map on the Legacy website), transportation, sports offerings and the difference between magnet and attractor programs. Staff clarified that magnet acceptance includes districtwide transportation, that attractor programs are school-based specialized programs (not entire‑school magnets), and that Legacy’s CTE programs will include first- and second‑year sequence classes in year one.

Next steps: Staff will continue outreach to families who have questions, monitor opt‑outs, finalize staffing offers, and prepare controlled open enrollment materials in March. The district asked board members to refer constituent questions to the student-assignment office for case-by-case follow-up.