Florida / School Districts / Hendry
An agency official for Hendry County Schools announced the site has 'officially broken ground' for the new Lavelle High School, named contractors Owens, Aims and Kimball as involved, and said a formal groundbreaking ceremony is expected in about a month.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
District staff told the school board that rising numbers of students with disabilities are straining pre‑K inclusion classrooms. Officials outlined options — a proposed $100/week fee for non‑funded general‑education preschool peers, consolidation of remote classrooms, or moving toward smaller, self‑contained classes for higher‑need students — and said a formal proposal will return for a January vote.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
The board voted to advertise a new district policy that would set standards and expectations for use of artificial intelligence in classrooms and administration; staff framed it as an interim guide ahead of anticipated state and federal action.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
Following a protest by an unsuccessful bidder, the district attorney told the board Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services approved contract extensions to avoid disruption. The board rejected the current bids, will post a new RFP under FDACS rules, and approved a final order dismissing the protest to clear the way for reprocurement.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
District staff proposed a grant‑funded pilot to provide after‑hours mental‑health coaching for secondary students via a vendor app. Board members raised concerns about opt‑in vs opt‑out access, parental notification and data collection; a motion to amend the pilot contract to reference Florida parental‑rights law was moved and seconded and incorporated in the record. The pilot was described as a January rollout, but the transcript does not record a final vote on full board approval.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
The district will pilot a grant-funded digital mental-health platform that lets students text with coaches supervised by licensed counselors; officials said families will receive opt-out notices and the district will evaluate the program after a semester.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
District officials said they expect a final construction permit from the South Florida Water Management District within about a week and are planning a mid-February groundbreaking; they still aim to open classrooms in 2027, though the schedule is about four months behind earlier plans.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
Hendry County Schools officials told a town hall the Digital Academy of Florida (DAOF) has cut its enrollment from about 7,069 to 5,611 to remove inactive accounts, and reported roughly 10-percentage-point gains in proficiency while preparing PM2 data for a state board review on Jan. 21.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
Hendry County School Board recognized retiring union leader Jim Demchak, honored an undefeated Lavelle High football season and heard LaBelle Middle School students present on FFA growth and grants totalling $71,750.
Florida / School Districts / Hendry
The Hendry County School Board voted to approve an initial guaranteed maximum price (iGMP) of $72,903,487 for the planned LaBelle High School, covering work within the $90.6 million in state Special Facilities funding. District leaders said a separate $33 million state appropriation would be sought to complete the full campus.