These photos were taken at the annual Scholarship Night in May at Okeechobee High School.

OKEECHOBEE — It appears the attendance woes that affected Okeechobee and other schools around the nation last year have continued into the new year.

Twenty-one percent of Okeechobee students had nine or more unexcused absences last year, a total of 1,275 students. At the elementary level 14 percent of students had a high rate of absences last year.

The district said 12 percent or 711 students were absent at least 21 days last year.

So far, during the first 18 days of school, 42 percent of Okeechobee students have missed at least one day of school.

Director of Student Services Toni Wiersma said if children don’t show up for school regularly, they miss out on fundamental reading and math skills and the chance to build a habit of good attendance that will carry them into college and careers.

The school board last week passed a proclamation that designates September as Attendance Awareness Month.

“All statistics show that when students are in school they will learn,” she noted. “Last year 12 percent of students missed more than 21 days of school.”

This earned the student the label of chronically absent.

Mrs. Wiersma said she is not sure of the causes for the increase in absences.

She said 8 percent of elementary school students were chronically absent last year.

She said parents must send in notes to explain absences, because some are for legitimate health reasons.

“Attendance is one of our top priorities. We feel that if students attend they will learn and be able to pass their classes and get promoted,” she said.

The district plans to do a lot of publicity this year to raise awareness in the community. They’ll be placing information on school websites, on social media, a banner in Flagler Park to record the number of absences, and hold a competition among schools to award schools with better attendance.

“Education should be a priority. Parents need to encourage their kids to be in school,” she continued.

Mrs. Wiersma said start times are not a factor. Elementary schools start at 8:30 and middle schools at 9 a.m.

Okeechobee’s stats are better than some school districts in Florida and similar to other districts in the Heartland area.

She noted Okeechobee High School holds different events and fun activities to try and encourage kids to attend regularly.

Part of the reason could be the economy. Many families are in single-parent households. Often that parent has to work more than one job.

“We know it is difficult on some parents,” she said. “We want to avoid these problems in the future. If kids graduate with a skill, perhaps in our career programs, they can make a good living wage.”

A California study found that children who were chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade were far less likely to read proficiently at the end of the third grade.

Facts show that students who do not read on grade level at the end of third grade are retained. Being retained in third grade increases the chance of a student dropping out of school later.

The study showed 64 percent of students will read on grade level after the third grade if they miss nine or fewer days in kindergarten and first grade.

Some 36 percent of students will not read on grade level.

The study found 43 percent of students will read on grade level at the end of third grade if they miss more than nine days in both kindergarten and first grade. This means 57 percent of students will not.

Forty-one percent of students read on grade level if they miss more than 18 days of school in either kindergarten or first grade and 59 percent will not.

Some 17 percent of students will read on grade level at the end of third grade if they miss more than 18 days of instruction in both kindergarten and first grade. And, 83 percent of students will not.

These photos were taken at the annual Okeechobee High School Scholarship Night in May.

OKEECHOBEE — Losing two home games has an obvious effect on the Okeechobee High School football team. They have to travel more, lose home field advantage, and lose ticket sales for those games. But less obvious are the effects on the OHS Band. A large portion of the band’s budget each year is derived from concession sales at home football games. OHS band director Clint LaFlam estimates that the band’s budget could lose $4,000 to $6,000 this year from those missing sales.

That loss could have an effect on repairing broken instruments, buying new instruments, and travel expenses for the band.

“We have to use six school buses and a semi-truck to get the kids and equipment to anywhere we need to go,” explained Mr. LaFlam. “That’s one of the big things with travel right now. But looking past the budget issues, we miss out on performances. That’s a big thing for the kids; they aren’t in front of the audiences like we’re used to. It’s a morale thing for our school. We’re not having that home event. Friday night in Okeechobee — that’s football night. If a football game is going on, the community is going to be here.”

The band had other fund raisers planned throughout the school year, but unfortunately they were set before the band knew about the loss of the home games. Mr. LaFlam is now trying to schedule additional fund raisers in order to help cover the costs. In the meantime the band has their annual cheesecake fund raiser, which begins Sept. 14, where you can buy cheesecakes from band members to help support the program. There’s also the Christmas card stroll in the park, where local businesses can buy a blank 8×4 board to paint with their holiday greeting, which is then displayed in Flagler Park throughout the month of December.

One of the new fund raisers still in the planning stages is a haunted house this October. In what would be a collaborative effort with the band, drama department and the art club.

“We want to try to get a full fine arts haunted house for a few days in October,” Mr. LaFlam said, “Our thinking is we could charge $5 a person. We’ll have the kids in there and let them do the set-up, design and the scaring. We’ve been graciously given the opportunity to use the new Steve Dobbs engineering facility, which has 300 square feet of room for us to use.”

Cheryl Worlow, current president of Band Boosters of Okeechobee County Inc., is working with Mr. LaFlam and his wife Courtney LaFlam to help raise funds.

“We’re limited in what we can do,” said Ms. Worlow. “Next year we’re going to need at least 25 to 30 uniforms that are about $500 a piece to fit every student. With the LaFlams and the band, no student is turned away because they can’t pay. Everybody who wants to participate, participates. And the fees are handled on a case-by-case basis with the LaFlams. I really like that, because you never want to turn away a child from participating in something they love because of the financial part of it.”

Steve Dobbs, who is a former president of the Band Boosters, offered his newly purchased engineering building for the proposed haunted house in October.

“We’re still early in the planning phase of the haunted house,” Ms. Worlow said before adding, “We need to form a committee with the parents and the people at the high school who could help with that, see what kind of interest we could get. I think the kids would be really excited for it. The Interact club, which is a high school club with quite a few band members in it, has offered their support, as well as the Rotary Club.”

If you’re looking for ways you could help, or if you have inquiries about supporting the cheesecake and Christmas card fund raisers, email ohsbandboosters18@gmail.com. You can also ‘like’ the official Okeechobee High School Brahman Band on Facebook to keep up with their performances and fund raising updates.

“The Christmas Stroll in the Park is one that would be great for the community to jump in on,” Mr. LaFlam said. “Schools, churches, doctor’s offices. We’d love to get some newer local businesses involved too. It’s great advertising and it decorates the west side of the park really well. Our cheesecake fund raiser in September is typically a good one for us. We can make up a lot of our losses if we sell like we have in the past. We’ve been doing that one since 1997. The Okeechobee community is great, we always have people coming out to support us. A lot of times it is just by word of mouth, but we’re going to try to advertise more what we do this year.”

The OHS band’s first performance will be at the Labor Day parade on Sept. 4.

Mr. Clint LaFlam, OHS Band Director

OKEECHOBEE — The Okeechobee County School Board, at its Oct. 10 meeting, honored community organizations, churches and businesses that helped students and teachers prepare for the new school year.

“We are recognizing those who supported our schools during pre-plan, or getting our schools ready for the new school year,” said Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy.

Community organizations and businesses that helped students and teachers prepare for the new school year were honored at the Oct. 10, 2017 meeting of the Okeechobee County School Board. Left to right are Leah Suarez, representing First Methodist Church; Christina Bishop of Brennan Eye Care; and Linda Vaughn, Judith Mix and Laura Murray of Delta Kappa Gamma; with Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy.

Community businesses and organizations recognized for pre-plan week support included Brennan Eye Care, Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority, First United Methodist Church, Glades Electric Cooperative, MidFlorida Credit Union, Okeechobee Chamber of Commerce, Peace Lutheran Church, Raulerson Hospital and State Farm Insurance.

Back to School supporters recognized included Celebrate Youth, CPA Tax Solutions LLC, Firefighters and Paramedics of Okeechobee Local 2918, My Aunt’s House – The Closet, Oakview Baptist Church, Okeechobee County Fire/Rescue, Our Village, Publix, State Farm Insurance, United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties, and Zachry Industrial Inc.

On behalf of Brennan Eye Care, Dr. Christine Bishop said, “My father and I enjoy supporting the school system. I grew up in it and I was excited to come back and to give back.”

“Delta Kappa Gamma provided lunch, gifts and laughter for Project ONE, which stands for Okeechobee’s New Educators,” explained Mr. Kenworthy. “Any opportunity that is out there, these ladies step up,” he said.

Representing the chamber were Christine Bishop, Brian Melear, Paulette Wise and Mariah Parriott. At right is Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy.

Linda Vaughn said Delta Kappa Gamma is an international society that reaches out to educators.

Mr. Kenworthy said First United Methodist Church provided a luncheon for the new teachers, “and that is the one you don’t want to miss!”

“Glades Electric is no stranger to us, and any activity that we have, adult or student, Glades Electric is there to support us,” said Mr. Kenworthy. “It’s nice to see Glades Electric step up to the plate to support our seniors on scholarship night,” he continued. “We also appreciate the support during pre-plan week.”

“Glades Electric members make it a priority that we support education in all of the communities we serve,” said the cooperative’s director of business development, Paul McGehee.

Amy Daniel of MidFlorida, and Paul McGehee, Denise Whitehead and Angie Hodges of Glades Electric are pictured with Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy.

“MidFlorida does so much for us,” Mr. Kenworthy continued. “We couldn’t ask for a better partner.

“The chamber came in during pre-plan week to talk to the teachers and help them learn about the community,” said Mr. Kenworthy. He added that it was very helpful to the new teachers to have individuals and businesses share information about the local community “not only the businesses, but our culture.”

“The chamber is the focal point of the community where most visitors and new arrivals come for information,” said Paulette Wise. She said they were happy to welcome the new teachers to Okeechobee.

Mr. Kenworthy also thanked Peace Lutheran Church. “For many years, they have gone above and beyond with support of our new teachers,” he said. “They are motivated to help us and assist us in any way they can.”

“We were the first church that honored the new teachers,” said Gay Carlton. She said the church has participated in the pre-plan week activities for about 25 years. “I want to thank the business people that stepped up,” she said. “We had door prizes for every person there.

“We have a core group at the church; they always step up regardless of what we are doing at the church,” she said. “They do whatever they have to do to make everybody feel welcome.”

Raulerson Hospital was also honored by the school board. “They set up Apple stations at the Back to School rally,” said Mr. Kenworthy. “You couldn’t think of a better organization that supports students,” he said, noting the hospital’s support of career and technical programs and the scholarships given to future nurses.

Left to right are Jenny Pung, Raulerson Hospital marketing director; Gay Carlton, representing Peace Lutheran Church; Raulerson Hospital CEO Brian Melear; and Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy.

Hospital CEO Brian Melear said about 18 months ago, the hospital staff came up with a new mission statement: “We are Raulerson, founded on integrity, driven by quality and inspired by care.”

“Thank you for allowing us to be part of this community,” he said. “We will continue to work hard to earn that trust.”

Gretchen Robinson was also recognized for her support during pre-plan week. Mr. Kenworthy said the program to send food home with students was made possible starting through a grant by State Farm. The insurer also recently donated chairs and desks to the high school.

Big Lake Missions Outreach was honored at the last meeting for donating school supplies.

Also recognized was Celebrate Youth, which supplied 200 backpacks and supplies to Douglas Park Youth.

CPA Tax Solutions, represented by Paula Younger, Sandra Torres and Joanna Hoover, and My Aunt’s House, represented by Denise Whitehead, Judy Watts and Wendy Watts, were honored by Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy at the Oct. 10, 2017 school board meeting.

Mr. Kenworthy said CPA Tax Solutions helped Osceola Middle School prepare for the school year by donating new uniforms for the OMS volleyball team.

My Aunt’s House provided help with back-to-school clothing for families in need.

“Any student or family who needs clothing for their kids can go there and get clothes,” said Mr. Kenworthy. He added that Wendy Watt “probably has given more volunteer hours to the school district that anybody since I have been working here.”

Firefighters and Paramedics of Okeechobee County Local 2918 and Okeechobee County Fire/Rescue were honored for their volunteer work at a school supply collection drive. “They volunteered their time for three days collecting school supplies at Walmart,” said Mr. Kenworthy.

“Back-to-school supplies are an expense for our families. If you have multiple kids, you would be surprised how quickly the costs add up,” he said.

Okeechobee County Fire/Rescue Chief Ralph Franklin and Leah Suarez, representing Our Village Okeechobee, were presented with certificates of appreciation by Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy at the Oct. 10 school board meeting.

“Most of our employees were born and raised right here so it is our pleasure to give back,” said Fire/Rescue Chief Ralph Franklin.

Seacoast Bank was a big help with collecting school supplies, and also helping at other programs, said Mr. Kenworthy. “No matter where you look, you see the turquoise shirts.”

The bank has a collection area for customers to donate school supplies. Usually it starts with a big donation by customer Tim Prescott, the bank staff shared, and then donations start flowing in.

Oakview Baptist Church recently “adopted” South Elementary School and Osceola Middle School, said Mr. Kenworthy, “They sent volunteers to open house, and served breakfast and lunch at those two schools.” He said the church also sponsored a softball league.

Our Village Okeechobee again organized the Back to School Expo.

Superintendent Ken Kenworthy (right) thanked Seacoast Bank, represented by Teresa Lara, Briseida Ayala and Jon Geitner, for the support of the bank staff and customers in collecting school supplies.

“Leah Suarez took the lead in hosting the Back to School Expo,” said Mr. Kenworthy. “It was a tremendous event.

“If you needed something to start school, you could find it there, be it information, school supplies or clothes.”

Mrs. Suarez said Our Village has about 50 to 60 volunteers who help students and families “using our connections to be that pivot point to get what they need.”

She said Our Village also now hosts the graduation night party and sponsors families at Thanksgiving.

At the Back to School event, they had about 75 volunteers, she said. “We gave away about 350 cases of clothing and school supplies.”

Everglades Elementary School student Eva Sanchez thanked Zachry Industrial for their donation of supplies to the school. At right is Superintendent of Schools Ken Kenworthy.

Publix is another great resource for the schools, said Mr. Kenworthy. “Through their partnership with United Way, they distributed school supplies that were donated by customers and staff. They’ve done that for many years, and it always continues to grow.”

Also recognized were State Farm for donating backpacks and a check to My Aunt’s House and United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee Counties for generous donations of backpacks and school supplies.

Zachry Industrial was honored by Everglades Elementary School student Eva Sanchez.

“I just wanted to say thank you because they donated supplies for us at our school. The teachers and the students there were very happy about that,” she said.

OKEECHOBEE — Everglades Elementary School was evacuated Wednesday afternoon due a bomb threat. A call was made to the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) regarding a bomb threat. The children were loaded up on school buses and transported to the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center.

According to Sheriff Noel Stephen, who was present at the  Agri-Civic  told the Okeechobee News that “a call came in around 3 p.m. that an unknown device appeared to be a bomb and was due to go off at approximately 3:45 p.m.”

Everglades Elementary School students were loaded on school buses and transported to the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center.

“We chose to evacuate based on uncertainty of 100 percent safety of the children and school staff,” said the children.

The children were removed from the school and relocated to the Okeechobee Agri-Civic Center and a search was conducted of Everglades Elementary.

No bomb was found.

“A criminal investigation of a false report of a bomb threat is now under way and we apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to the students, parents and members of the school” the sheriff continued.

Sheriff Stephen also said that “The parents have been great” in reference to their cooperation of the school evacuation.

OKEECHOBEE  The Okeechobee County Education Association (OCEA), the union that represents instructional employees and classified employees in Okeechobee County, has declared an impasse with the Okeechobee County School District.

According to an OCEA press release, impasse was declared because the Okeechobee County School District did not offer a raise for its teachers. They only offered a guarantee of a bonus given out by the Florida state legislature. They offered to pay the 10 percent of employees not covered by the bonus. This money will not be released until February. These bonuses are temporary salary increases that go away after this year. The district did not offer a raise despite having almost $5 million in reserves, OCEA stated.

Okeechobee County Schools Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Renee Geeting said the Florida State Legislature is offering an $800 bonus for teachers who had an “effective” rating in their annual evaluations and a $1,200 bonus for teachers who were rated “highly effective.” The state bonus only applies to classroom teachers. Mrs. Geeting said the school district offered to provide the same amount to all instructional personnel, plus an additional $400 for every teacher with an effective or highly effective rating last year. The school district’s cost of the bonuses (minus the state’s contribution) would be $276,695, she said.

She said while the school district has reserve funds, expenses have exceeded revenues for the past few years.

The state requires the district keep 3 percent of the annual budget in reserves; the Okeechobee County School Board’s policy has been to keep 5 percent in reserve, she said. “We do have higher than 5 percent in reserve, but if we continue to expend $2 million more than revenues, there will be a point where reserves will be exhausted,” she explained. She said while bonuses are a one-time expense, raises are a continuing expense.

This year, the district offered bonuses but no step increase, she stated.

Graham Picklesimer is the chief negotiator for OCEA. He is a union representative from the Florida Education Association (FEA). He has been negotiating the contracts for Okeechobee County School Board employees for the past 3 years.

“The district’s proposals equal more work for teachers, less time to do the work, and no money for extra work done,” said Mr. Picklesimer. “Employees are at a breaking point. They are going to have classrooms without teachers and buses without drivers pretty soon.”

OCEA stated the district also refuses to negotiate annual contract language which would help with the current teacher shortage in the district. This shortage has caused paraprofessionals to have to substitute on a regular basis. Compensating these paraprofessionals for classroom teaching has also been a priority for the union.

The district is also proposing a 2-year probation period for classified employees, according to the OCEA press release. Most counties in the state only have a 1-year probation period. The Okeechoee district currently has a 3-year probationary period for classified employees.

Mrs. Geeting said the union wants the classified employees to have tenure after only one year of employment; currently 3 years is required. She said the district offered to reduce the probationary period to 2 years.

Lisa Harwas, an elementary school teacher at Seminole Elementary School is currently the OCEA president. She has been a part of the negotiations since last year. She wasn’t pleased with how the district was bargaining with its employees.

“It’s disappointing that our employees are not being made a priority,” said Ms. Harwas. “How is this good for students?” While both parties continue to bargain, they seem to be miles apart on the issues at hand, she stated. This is especially true when it comes to salary and benefits.

Mrs. Geeting said while the district and the union have made progress on some issues there are two other items still on the table. She said the union requested early release days every Wednesday. “We believed that would negatively impact the parents,” she said.

The union also wanted 50-minute planning periods each day for elementary school teachers and a requirement that administrators could not use planning period times for meetings more than twice a month, Mrs. Geeting said. She said the district agreed to increasing the planning periods to 50 minutes — which would total an increase of 30 hours a year in planning time — but found the limit to twice a month meeting too restrictive for the administrators.

The next bargaining session is Oct. 30, at 4:30 p.m.

Mrs. Geeting said the union declared an impasse, but wanted to continue negotiations. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the issues would go to a magistrate. The magistrate would hear both sides, and make recommendations. If either side did not accept the recommendations, the issue would go to legislative hearing before the school board.

The Okeechobee County School District employs 436 teachers. Of those, 244 are on annual contract, 191 on professional services contract and one on continuing contract, according to Mrs. Geeting. In 2011, the state Department of Education moved to the “merit pay” system with annual contracts. Those hired after 2011 are on annual contract. Teachers who were on professional services or continuing contracts at the time of the change had the option of switching to the merit pay system, which gives larger bonuses for those who are rated “highly effective.” Those who chose to stay on professional services or continuing contracts receive the same bonuses as those rated “effective” on the merit pay system.

Yearling Middle School’s students of the week for the week for Feb. 20 are: Jose Cisneros, Mia Barrett, Raymundo Medrano, Jolina Moreno, Yainer Morales, Cammryn Hawes, Dylan Thornton, Justice Shanks, Samuel Tagle, Elizabeth White, Daniel Duran, Basha Gampel, Jose Esteban and Briella Hall.

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Congratulations to North Elementary School’s students of the week for the week of Feb. 12. Go Tigers! They are: Amiya Sramek, Mabel Sanchez-Rayo, Moises Ahumada, Jessica Jimenez, Rosaleigh Alford, Aubree Madrid, Maylee Cook, Levi Waugh, Gage Thomas, Chloe Corwin, Heidy Mejia-Lopez, Joanna Loredo, Hannah Butler, Deanna Amenold, Bailey Medrano, Cooper Nolte, Kyndra Harrison, Kael Vaughan, Kylar Koedam, Julia Peralta-Escalente, Jazlynn Colon, Anthony Smith, Samaya Palmerin, Jessie Krall, Logan Penny and Aaron Gaucin.

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Congratulations to North Elementary School Student’s of the week for the week of Feb. 19. Go Tigers! They are: Eybi Cinto, Messy Domingo, Kenzie Arnold, Harper Harwas, Chloe Parker, Daniel Solórzano, Bayla Billie, Gaby Sangabriel, Kenny Laureano, Kealeigh Gilbert, Bobby Staton, Dayana Vega, Camarion Kelly, Eli Wallace, Martin Delgado, Ignacio Gomez, Zech Browning, Joana Colin, James Jasper, Kaylee McPeak, Tucker Williams, Jordan Pierce, Tanner Seabolt, Cristian Gonzalez, Oscar Lomera Sanchez, Alfonso Duran, Emma Raulerson, Jenna Moreno.

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Everglades Elementary School students are achieving excellence in the classroom for the week of Feb. 20 include: kg, Piper Faughnan, Bradley Rincon Bosley, Izaiah Smith, Aiden Terry; first, Sophia Rodriguez, Yancelin Flores, Daisy Coffee; second, Emmily Valdez, Geraldine Martinez-Duran, Lynette Ateno-Estrada; third, Dale Shorey, Yareli Serrano, Alfredo Medrano, Rhyle Fernandez, Miller Molloy; fourth, Adrian Talamantez, Jesania Jackson, Noe Santiago, Marisol Jaramillo Hernandez, Serenity Alomar; fifth, Kaden Burke, Jorge Villegas, Brianna McGriff, Abigail Mata. Congratulations to our many outstanding students.

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OKEECHOBEE — On Feb. 23 Governor Rick Scott announced a major action plan to keep students safe following the tragic shooting in Parkland.

At a press conference from the capitol building, Gov. Scott announced a $500 million spending plan to bolster school safety and improve mental health programs in the state.

In addition, he proposed increasing the minimum age to own a firearm from 18 to 21.

Bump stocks will be banned. And he wants lawmakers to approve a violent threat restraining order. The restraining order would need to be approved by a court and would be a way to keep firearms out of the hands of those who suffer from mental illness.

Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Renee Geeting said the school district has reacted positively to the proposals.

“The School District of Okeechobee County is supportive of these recommendations,” explained Mrs. Geeting. “Many of the recommendations are already in place or are being addressed locally, however, the increased funding that has been requested would allow the school district to achieve these goals quickly.”

On Feb. 26 the Okeechobee County School Board held a meeting with Sheriff Noel Stephen to discuss the safety and security issues of the students and the schools.

During that meeting there was discussion of the plan that Gov. Scott has developed.

“The primary concern of the school board and the sheriff’s office is the safety and welfare of our students and faculty,” said Mrs. Geeting.

Students from Parkland and gun control advocates have called for a ban on assault weapons in Florida, something Gov. Scott has said is “not the answer.” On Feb. 26 the Florida Senate rejected an amendment to a bill that would ban assault weapons in the state.

The Senate Bill 7022, which allows law enforcement to seize firearms from individuals under certain conditions and prohibits a person younger than a certain age from purchasing a firearm, was advanced without the amendment.

Patricia Brigham, Co-Chair of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and 1st Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Florida, said the proposals are a step in the right direction, but aren’t enough.

“While we applaud our lawmakers for addressing the need for policy changes in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, we believe the proposals do not go far enough,” said Mrs Brigham. “Raising the age limit to 21 to purchase a rifle in Florida does not address the main problem: semiautomatic assault weapons. Many recent mass shooters were over the age of 21 when they wreaked havoc, death, and destruction. The Pulse shooter was 29. The Las Vegas shooter was 64.

The list goes on. The fact is we need a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. Anything less is woefully inadequate.”

Two more proposals were advanced in Tallahassee on Feb. 26. They are SB 7026, which relates to active shooter policies, including the creation of a voluntary program that provides “firearm safety and proficiency training for selected faculty and staff strategically focused on providing security” in attacks, and SB 702, which creates an exemption to public record laws for a victim’s address in mass violence on school grounds.

The bills will now move on to the Florida House of Representatives.

Parents and staff in the Okeechobee County School District are encouraged to share their ideas with school administrators. Social media is monitored but a direct call of concern will receive immediate attention. If you see something, say something. Call the sheriff’s office, the school, the district office or the Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers hotline (1-800-273-8477), if you have information related to school safety.

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Congratulations to the Students of the Week at South Elementary School for the week of Feb. 16. They are: Kinsley Faulkner, Cerenity Smith, Sydney Reyna, Devin Lattimore, Cassandra Castillo, Lyndon Botello, Hannah Chasse’, Lane Morse, Wyatt Duncan, Logan Kemp, Kaylee Ramsey, Abby Sharpe, Viviana Salazar Rangel, Genesis Estrada Virto, Katie Douglas, Natalie Zarrella, Gabriela Aguirre Garcia, Gracey Broadrick, Issayanna McQueen, Alex Blower, Shane Smith, and Florencio Salazar Rangel. Pictured with our students are Principal, Tracy Downing and Assistant Principal, Bryan VanCamp.

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Central Elementary School would like to congratulate the students of the week for the week of Feb. 19. They are: Braxton Corwin, Cesar Alonso, Sebastian Carrillo, Teegan Glass, Devon Dennings, Alessandro Gamez, Nayeli Rodriguez, Esmeralda Montoya, Tyrone Corey III, Benjamin Kay, Dylan Contreras, Jair Garcia, Wyatt Thompson, Maddox Cruz, Terryonna Taylor, Emelyn Jaimes, Christian Pineda, Joaquin Varillas, Eduardo Guerra, Nathan Pfennig, Madison Ayuso, Manny Ortiz, Roselyn Orozco, David Pena

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Yearling middle School students of the week for the week of Feb. 26 are: Pod 100: Will Thomas, Madison Hilliard, Sabin Griffis, Kay Arnold, Alex Hernandez, Mia Benitez, Jacob Hernandez, Maritza Alvarado, Grady Pierce, Naila Roman, Brady Seabolt, Jade Martinez, Victor Lopez and Kayla Tariche.

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Congratulations to North Elementary School’s students of the week for the week of February 26. They are: Austin Gregoire, Nicola Ramirez, Gracie Massie, Madison Garcia, Cheyenne Hall, Jaden Cheny, Graciela Sanchez, Mason Branam, Veronica Ramirez, Kiera Osteen, Gaby Sangabriel, Ethan Felkins, Marley Rugnetta, Samantha Carrasco, Kevin Ramirez, Tony Perez, Fernanda Robledo, Lakeishia Brownlee, Madison Ellis, Dionias Ruiz, Corbitt Hays, Jaslene Ponce, Natasha Moore, Catherine Raya, Cristian Chavez.

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Central Elementary School would like to congratulate the following students of the week for the week of Feb. 26. They are: Lisarah Curry, Alissa Allen, Kolbie Sullivan, Taliyah Fuse, Isabella Gonzalez, Nuhaida Yamin, Alexis Romero, Adrian Jaimez, Aliyah Rebollar, Raul Medrano, Donald Burdick, Ariana Gonzalez, Blake Yates, Reydel Combara, Deisy Serrano, Isaiah Phipps, Maryann Harris, Jakoah Spencer, Christian Pineda, Gabriel Hernandez, Jose Torres-Sanchez, Shnora Fludd, Maila Garces, Miguel Rodriguez, Tatyana Youngblood, Johana Hernandez, Brian Estrada.

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Central Elementary School would like to congratulate the students of the week for the week of March 5. They are: Lisarah Curry, Karina Garcia, Lea Edouard, Sadie Mcrroskey, Tanner Hickman, Emmalee Villars, Leah Bourque, Laine Edouard, Cadence Miller, Deontae Germaine, Raul Medrano, Kendrick Garner, Charlotte Burkes, Tyneisha Edison, Isaac Phipps, Christian Pineda, Michelle Campos, Jadyn Jeune, Jason Alvarez, Jackeline Escalante, Natalie Rebollar, Harley Goulette, Joana Antonio, Timya Bridgewater, Marco Ganuelas.

Everglades Elementary School students are achieving excellence in the classroom for the weeks of March 5 include: kg, Arya Joshi, Eduardo Ruiz, Allison Fountain, Ian Kopko, Airioni Alonso, Yulaynie Flores, Christopher Wright, Brayden Adams; first, Sophia Rodriguez, Logan Halcomb, Nicholas Douglas, Victoria Palacios, David Dennis, Bailey Beckham, Amelia Zamora, Aarnavi Karki, Nicole Ruiz; second, Aidan Fonseca, Lizet Orozco, Ahnaf Abid, Fortino Hernandez, Jason Meyer, Josue Mejia, Berenice Serrano, Jefte Acosta-Escutia, Emmett Galassini, Genesis Deleon-Vincente; third, Valeria Lopez, Arissa Carnley, Alex Garcia, Amelyah Yother, Yolanda Gijon, Shanyia Campbell, Jacob Davis, Nayely Alvarez, Isabella Robertson; fourth, Sabastian Knight, Hailey Hernandez, Kaleb Cannon, Mauricio Montoya, Samin Islam, Layne Suarez, Yamila Acosta, Rosalinda Gonzalez, Adriana Fonseca, Yelena Torres, Brayam Yoc-Godines, Laura Shockley; fifth, Jessica Forrester, Bionka Robbins, Javier Bucio, Ernesto Gonzalez, Danika Harden, Brianna McGriff, Marisol Calvillo-Alcoser. Congratulations to our outstanding students.

Congratulations to the Students of the Week at South Elementary School for the week of March 2. They are: Jaidn Gilman, Sandra Lopez, Emma Spangler, Axel Morales Ponce, Alexa Lattimore, Bryson Sheffield, Mason Staton, Dominic Garcia, Hailey Michel, Braylee Ramsey, Natalia Hernandez, Arianna Fulks, Johnny Martin, John Wilbur, Rachel Thompson, Kimber Ferrell, Eric Cottage, Clayton Oxford, Kacey Pagaduan, Alexzavia Jackson Crowell and Mark Hamilton.