Debbie Jordan

We are looking forward to welcoming you back for the 2022-23 school year. It seems like just yesterday we were making our plans for summer break, and now we are planning for the first day of school. We hope you have had a restful summer with your loved ones. As we prepare for a return to class, we have gathered important information that parents need to know in order to be ready for the school year.

Focus Parent Portal – One new and very important update is that report cards will now only be exclusively available digitally via our Focus Parent Portal. It is imperative that parents and guardians sign up for a Focus account to view their child’s grades, schedules, and fill out important school related forms. We also want to be able to communicate with families at the district level whenever we have important news to share.

School Messenger – Our major avenue for communicating directly with parents is our School Messenger notification system that sends emails, and occasionally phone calls. We can also send text messages, but parents must opt in to receive notifications via text.

COVID 19 Protocols – While many of our major containment and preventative measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing have been lifted, our schools will continue to take precautions to help reduce the spread of this and other viruses such as access to hand sanitizer and cleaning materials, as well as the use of HVAC systems to fresh air circulation. We ask that families help us prevent the spread of illnesses by keeping their children home when they are sick.

Transportation – We continue to work on our recruitment efforts to fill bus driver vacancies. We have been able to fill many, but are still in need of more drivers. We encourage interested candidates to visit our website and apply. As parents, we ask for your patience with our drivers, especially during the first few days of school. You can track your child’s bus by registering for the “Where’s My Bus” application.

School Nutrition – The school district will continue to participate in the Community Eligibility Program through the USDA that provides free breakfast and lunch for all students. There is no need to apply. Parents are welcomed back to our schools to have lunch with their child if they wish. There is a small cost for parents and you should coordinate your visit with your child’s school.

You can find this and much more information on back to school on our website: https://www.leeschools.net/parent_portal/back_to_school.

The School Board of Lee County and our new Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier, our administrators, teachers, and staff, all very much look forward to seeing you all on Aug. 10.

— Debbie Jordan represents District 4 on the Lee County School Board.