ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Massive growth in St. Johns County has once again prompted the school board to allow for class sizes larger than permitted under state law. Some parents are worried it could impact their students’ learning, especially after COVID already caused learning disruptions and set many students behind.
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The current class size limit for grades K-3 is 18 students.
The resolution now allows for as many as 21 in a class.
Grades 4 through 8 are currently limited to 22 students per classroom.
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The resolution now allows up to 27.
High school grades will be allowed to reach 30 students per-class, up from the 25 previously allowed.
Some parents, like Honesty Harless, aren’t fans.
“I would be concerned about kids falling behind and not getting enough individual attention, and I would be worried about the teachers too, and being overwhelmed and overworked,” said Harless.
District Superintendent Tim Forson told us he was a little confused by the attention the resolution is getting.
He said a similar resolution has been passed every year for the past decade and has resulted in minimal impact.
He argued it’s a way of absorbing the county’s fast-paced growth, while minimizing disruptions to students.
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“The idea of moving classes or splitting classes multiple times during the course of the year doesn’t make much sense for kids, and so we’re going to do what’s right for children,” said Forson.
We asked whether the continuing need for classroom size flexibility signaled the district is failing to prepare for the county’s ballooning population.
Forson said the county is doing its best to keep up with the growth, but it isn’t always predictable where and when that growth will occur.
“You don’t always know where the hot spots, so to speak, are going to be within the district, and so sometimes we’ll see a school really peak up in a short period of time,” said Forson.
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As far as parents’ concerns, Forson said if you haven’t noticed an impact in the past, you likely won’t this time either.
In response to multiple media reports, Forson issued further clarification on Thursday in a video message. You can watch that video by clicking here.
