Sarasota County 2022-23 School Year: Calendar, Safety, Free Lunches

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — With the 2022-23 school year kicking off Wednesday for Sarasota County Schools, here’s everything your family needs to know.

Registration

Parents and guardians who haven’t already registered first-time students or re-registered existing students for the upcoming school year should do so online here.

Campus Safety

In the wake of school shootings, such as the one in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two adults dead, campus safety is on everyone’s minds.

A spokesperson with Sarasota County Schools told Patch that the district encourages parents and guardians to review School Board policy 5.32, which is a zero tolerance for school-related crimes, such as homicide, sexual battery, armed robbery, aggravated battery, assault and others, with their children ahead of the school year.

“Violations of this nature, including ‘joke’ threats, are unacceptable. In some cases, these instances could result in a possible arrest and/or removal from school,” Kelsey Whealy, media relations specialist, said. “We encourage everyone — students, teachers, staff members, and community members alike — to continue to ‘say something’ if they see anything suspicious, worrisome or unsafe relating to a school.”

COVID-19 Policy

In the upcoming school year, the Sarasota Department of Health won’t conduct contact tracing for COVID-19 cases in Sarasota County Schools, according to the district website.

Because of this, the district will no longer track positive cases or update its COVID dashboard.

There’s also no longer a quarantine period for any student or staff exposed to the virus. The DOH recommends anyone testing positive for COVID stay home for five days and wait until they are symptom-free before returning to school.

“We cannot force people to isolate themselves from work or school,” the district wrote. “COVID will be treated like any other illness. If you are sick, you should stay home from work/school. Employees who are out sick for any reason should utilize their accumulated sick leave to cover their time off.”

Free and Reduced-Price Meal Benefits

Because the USDA didn’t extend free meal waivers for the 2022-23 school year, families need to complete an application for free and reduced-price meal benefits to receive break and lunch for free or at a reduced price, the district shared with Patch.

The application for these meal benefits can be found online here. Contact the district’s Food & Nutrition Services’ main office at 941-486-2199 with any questions.

Register to Ride the Bus

The families of students who qualify for transportation this school year are asked to pre-register each student online here. ESE students who require special transportation as listed on an IEP don’t need to fill out a pre-registration form.

Eligible students will be assigned just one bus stop, which will be based on their primary address on file with the school district.

Unregistered students waiting at a bus stop without a parent or guardian will be allowed to take the bus to school, though a parent or guardian will be responsible for picking the child up at the end of the day until they’re registered and assigned a stop.

Sign-up for the Family Access Portal

Parents and guardians are encouraged to create a Family Access Portal account. This portal provides access to student report cards, attendance, assignment grades and other information.

2022-23 Calendar

Here are some important dates to keep in mind this school year:

• Students’ First Day of School: Aug. 10
• Labor Day, schools closed for students and staff: Sept. 5
• End of first grading period: Oct. 12
• Professional day, schools closed for students: Oct. 14
• Thanksgiving break, schools closed for students and staff: Nov. 21-25
• End of second grading period: Dec. 22
• Winter break, schools closed for students and staff: Dec. 23 – Jan. 6
• Professional day, schools closed for students, some staff: Jan. 9
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, schools closed for students and staff: Jan. 16
• Presidents Day, schools closed for students and staff: Feb. 20
• End of third grading period: March 10
• Spring break, schools closed for students and staff: March 13-17
• Professional day, schools closed for students, some staff: March 20
• Mini break, school closed for students, some staff: April 7
• Last day for students: May 26

More Back to School Info

The school district has provided additional information, including supply lists by school, in the Back-to-School section of its website.