The Walton County School District Office located at 145 S. Park Street, DeFuniak Springs, FL. will be closed today at 1:00 pm for cleaning.
Please continue to contact us through email or by phone.
WMBB Channel 13 reporter, Courtney Mims, interviewed ECMS teacher Saige Merchant following a special assignment she gave to her 8th grade students asking what they were grateful for during the COVID-19 crisis.
Click the link below to access the article!
Superintendent A. Russell Hughes has streamlined food distribution to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and to also help you maximize your resources (gas, costs, and time). Our revised plan will focus on a single week day distribution- Tuesdays. On Tuesdays, parents will be provided with 10 meals per child (five breakfasts and five lunches). Our five food distribution sites will remain the same (Paxton, Mossy Head, Maude Saunders Elementary, Walton Middle, and Freeport High School); however, transportation routes will adjust slightly due to the larger distributions (please see our website). Our revised plan will begin April 7th and run every Tuesday for the month of April (April 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th). On Tuesdays, food distribution sites will stay open longer – from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – to accommodate the larger amounts of food being disbursed.
Walton Middle School Cafeteria workers, Custodial workers, District maintenance staff, along with Keith Alford, Jeff Infinger, and Jill Smith from the District Facilities Department making it happen for families in EPIC3 fashion! They packaged over 1000 meals for the District’s Grab and Go Meal Program for next week! #UnsungHeroes #BehindtheScenes #ItTakesEveryone #TrueCaring
Parents, we want to ease your mind regarding food. Governor DeSantis issued a new executive order which defines essential services during our COVID-19 Emergency. One of those essential services is food distribution in which the Walton County School District is providing for our community during this pandemic.
Food distribution will continue as scheduled today, Friday, and Monday (April 6th). Beginning, Tuesday, April 7th, Superintendent A. Russell Hughes has streamlined food distribution to minimize exposure to COVID-19 and to also help you maximize your resources (gas costs and time). Our revised plan will focus on a single week day distribution - Tuesdays. On Tuesdays, parents will be provided with 10 meals per child (five breakfasts and five lunches). Our five food distribution sites will remain the same (Paxton, Mossy Head, Maude Saunders Elementary, Walton Middle, and Freeport High School); however, transportation routes will adjust slightly due to the larger distributions (please see the attached list). Our revised plan will begin April 7th and run every Tuesday for the month of April (April 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th). On Tuesdays, food distribution sites will stay open longer - from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. - to accommodate the larger amounts of food being disbursed.
In addition to providing food, education is also an essential service and K-12 schools in Florida will continue to facilitate distance learning. Walton County Schools will continue to provide virtual education for your children through the At-Home Learning Calendars provided on your school’s website. Although our school campuses will minimize interactions to help slow the spread of COVID-19, our school leaders, teachers, and other support staff are essential workers and are able to be a resource for you and your family. Please continue to call or submit online questions to your child’s school if you need information about food, technology help, computer devices, paper portfolios, and more. We are here to help and continuing your child’s education is important to us!
Actualización de COVID-19, 2 de abril del 2020
Padres, queremos que permanezcan tranquilos con respecto a la comida. El gobernador DeSantis emitió una nueva orden ejecutiva que define los servicios esenciales durante nuestra emergencia de COVID-19. Uno de esos servicios esenciales es la distribución de alimentos tal cual el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Walton está proporcionando a nuestra comunidad durante esta pandemia.
La distribución de alimentos continuará según lo programado hoy jueves, viernes y lunes (6 de abril). A partir del martes 7 de abril, el Superintendente A. Russell Hughes ha simplificado la distribución de alimentos para minimizar la exposición al COVID-19 y también para ayudar a maximizar sus recursos (costos de gasolina y tiempo). Nuestro plan actualizado se concentrará en una única distribución los días martes. Los martes, los padres recibirán 10 comidas por niño (cinco desayunos y cinco almuerzos). Nuestros cinco lugares de distribución de alimentos seguirán siendo los mismos (Paxton, Mossy Head, Maude Saunders Elementary, Walton Middle y Freeport High School); sin embargo, las rutas de transporte se modificarán basado en los lugares de distribución más grandes (consulte la lista adjunta). Nuestro plan actualizado comenzará el día 7 de abril y se realizara todos los martes durante el mes de abril (7, 14, 21 y 28 de abril). Los martes, los lugares de distribución de alimentos permanecerán abiertos más tiempo, de 9:00 a.m. a 1:00 p.m. - para acomodar las grandes cantidades de alimentos que se entregaran.
Además de proporcionar alimentos, la educación también es un servicio esencial y las escuelas K-12 en la Florida continuarán facilitando el aprendizaje a distancia. Las Escuelas del Condado de Walton continuarán brindando educación virtual a sus hijos/as a través de los calendarios de aprendizaje en el hogar que se proporcionan en la página Internet de su escuela. Aunque nuestros edificios escolares minimizarán las interacciones para frenar la propagación de COVID-19, nuestros líderes escolares, maestros y otro personal de apoyo son trabajadores esenciales y pueden ser un recurso para usted y su familia. Continúe llamando o envíe preguntas por internet a la escuela de su hijo/a si necesita información sobre alimentos, ayuda tecnológica, dispositivos informáticos, carpetas de papel y más.
¡Estamos aquí para ayudar y continuar con la educación de su hijo/a que es importante para nosotros!
Horario actualizado de autobuses de distribución de alimentos - 2 de abril de 2020, ver lista adjunta.
Translation courtesy of Maria Florencia Branagan. Van R. Butler Elementary School.
COVID-19 Update March 31, 2020
We have just received official word from the Florida Department of Education regarding school campus closures. The 3/31/20 press release states:
"Today, Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran recommended that all Florida public and private K-12 school campuses extend campus closures through May 1, 2020. This recommendation follows President Donald J. Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) extension of social distancing guidelines until April 30th."
Parents, please know that we always want to provide you with accurate and up-to-date information, which is why we waited until FDOE’s official press release. Based on the information above, Walton County School District will continue our At-Home Education Plan and school campuses will remain closed to students through May 1st.
Please be sure you have visited your child’s school website to receive this week’s school-based At-Home Learning calendar. The calendar will provide a list of resources for core subject areas. For specific questions about curriculum, instruction, and/or technology, please refer to your child’s teachers and/or your school. The district is continuing to work with the Florida Department of Education regarding attendance and grades, and updates will be provided soon.
Please remember that you can submit a question online to your school or school district by using the “Contact Us” tab on our websites. We are also available during regular school hours by phone. Again, thanks to everyone for being patient and understanding during this trying time.
COVID-19 Update March 27, 2020
We hope you can watch our newly released video message. Superintendent A. Russell Hughes, along with his district office staff, would like to dedicate this message to all Walton County School District students, parents, and employees. The video serves as a special thank you to parents, who are the rock stars of our first ever At-Home Learning model. We could not have done this week without you, and we appreciate you! We also miss our students and employees dearly and all of you are in our hearts and minds as we navigate these uncharted waters TOGETHER.
Before we get to academics, we must give a big thank you to our extraordinary bus drivers and food service workers. Because of you, along with district and school teams, the WCSD is feeding approximately 1,500 children, a total of 3,000 meals, on a daily basis. Due to this response, we will continue to provide meals for children ages 1 to 18 at our five school sites and on bus routes throughout Walton County. We also want to thank our partners, the Florida Department of Agriculture, Food for Thought, The Matrix, and numerous restaurants and organizations throughout Walton County.
We do have two changes that are coming Monday, March 30th in regards to food distribution. First, food pick up at our five sites (Paxton, Mossy Head, Maude Saunders Elementary, Walton Middle, and Freeport High School) will now be from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Also, there has been small changes to our bus routes, which were posted yesterday. These changes include lengthening stop times and adding additional stops.
Looking at academics, we want to thank and recognize our parents who have started WCSD’s At-Home Learning plan. We have heard from so many of you, and we appreciate your dedication to your children and your positive attitudes. We can see our students logging on daily to Class Link and their success in our many online platforms, such as Compass Learning, Study Island, Khan Academy, and more, which we are now so grateful to have had in place.
As we are transferring instruction back to schools, please visit your school’s website. Each individual campus will post their own At-Home Learning Calendar for the week of March 30th. Many of the schools’ plans may mirror our initial At-Home Learning Calendar as we are using parents’ feedback from this week. Many of you have said you appreciate straight forward and clear directions as you embark on this new journey.
Parents, we have mailed report cards home, so you can view your child’s grades for the third nine weeks, which reflects work prior to Spring Break. Please expect report cards on Monday. Teachers will also begin to reach out to you regarding how we will capture your child’s work during our At Home Learning model.
We also want to welcome back our teachers and staff at schools next week; however, as we continue to keep our employees safe, we may work in a variety of different settings and times in order to follow CDC guidelines. Parents, as teachers return, you will start to see them reach out to you via phone or other technology. When we reach out, please let us know any individual questions or concerns you may have. This can include technology help, curriculum clarifications, and content questions. Your school’s administration will also be available as school offices will be open Monday through Friday during your school’s typical hours. Please contact your individual school for questions and concerns. You can also submit a question via any school or district webpage. We are here to help you and your child!
As a final note, we just want to say thank you again to students, parents, employees, and the entire Walton County community. We have received well wishes and positive messages from so many groups and individuals, and it is appreciated more than you know. We are so blessed to be a part of such a strong community that values education! Please continue to stay safe, and thank you!
Link to Superintendent Hughes' Message to Students, Families and Teachers!
