Duval County Public Schools officially opened its doors — both in person and virtually — one week ago. But officials say they're struggling to get the message out because of COVID-19 pandemic confusion. For that reason, the school district said nearly 10,000 students are unaccounted for.
"The unique challenges associated with reopening schools amid COVID-19 have resulted in a number of students and families who have not connected with their schools," spokeswoman Laureen Ricks said Thursday.
According to Ricks, "almost 9,700 students" are enrolled but haven't connected with their school, online or in person. That's a little under 9 percent based on the district's projection to serve about 111,000 students this year.
Duval County Public Schools opened for students on Aug. 20. According to public records obtained by The Times-Union, 88 percent of students were marked present on the first day of school.
It's worth noting that this number might be skewed since the district experienced technical difficulties with online instruction during the first two days of school that have since been resolved. At the time, the district said students wouldn't be counted as absent if they faced glitches.
In a message sent to local media, officials advised families that school is in fact in session and families who haven't checked in yet should contact their specific school.
Last school year, when the district suddenly shifted to virtual school to deal with the COVID-19 related statewide shutdown, a number of students went unaccounted for, too.
As previously reported by The Times-Union, about 429 students were unaccounted for by the third week of distance learning. By the end of the school year, that number decreased by about half, with 215 unaccounted for.
Through a mix of resources and with the help of social workers, the district worked to connect with the missing students.
Now the district said it will use some of the same tactics to find those 9,700 students.
"This includes district social workers and truant officers calling parents and making home visits," Ricks said. She added that the school district's bilingual staff and support specialist are working to contact families whose primary language isn't English.
Ricks said those combined efforts helped the district connect with an additional 11,800 students who returned to school this week.
"We will continue to work to re-engage our families and appreciate all help with getting the word out," she said.
Emily Bloch is an education reporter for The Florida Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter or email her.