Thousands of Central Florida students, teachers head back to school

ORLANDO, Fla. — Students, teachers and staff in nine of Central Florida’s 10 counties will head back to school Monday. Read live updates below, and watch special live team coverage on Channel 9 Eyewitness News:

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2:25 p.m. update

Tens of thousands of Central Florida teachers, students and staff members returned to the classroom Monday.

SEE: Central Florida students head back to school

See photos from the first day of school below:

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12:14 p.m. update

One local school is celebrating a big milestone as students return to the classroom on Monday.

Lyman High School in Longwood is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

Watch: Central Florida high school celebrates 100th anniversary

Construction began on Lyman back in 1924 and the school opened in September that same year.

A big part of the celebrations is the opening of an overhauled cafeteria, designed to give students more of a college dining experience.

11:16 a.m. update

Orlando police showed support to the children of a fallen officer on their first day of school.

Officer Kevin Valencia’s former squad member met with his children once again as they returned to the classroom.

This is a touching tradition by Orlando police to help support Valencia’s family.

Officer Valencia was shot in the line of duty in 2018 and succumbed to his injuries in 2021.

Earlier this year, a section of Kirkman Road was also renamed to honor Valencia’s life and service to the community.

10:18 a.m. update

The Orlando Police Department shared its excitement for the back-to-school rush on social media.

Orlando police said school safety is a top priority for on-site school resource officers, to our neighborhood patrol officers and motors unit.

Watch: Preventing crime before it happens: How OPD is keeping your family safe

The Orlando Police Department recently shared more with Channel 9 about how they are helping to keep the community safe.

9 Investigates wanted to know how local law enforcement is tackling the issue and went along for a ride with a special Orlando Police Department unit focused solely on violent crime.

9:20 a.m. update

The Flagler Beach Police Department is reminding drivers to use extra caution around school buses.

Drivers must stop when a bus extends its stop sign and turns on its flashing red lights. The law applies to drivers traveling in both directions on two-lane and multi-lane highways.

Watch: Orange County school bus drivers shift into gear ahead of new school year

The only exception is if you’re driving in the opposite direction of a school bus on a divided highway.

You don’t have to stop and can proceed with caution if there’s a raised barrier or an unpaved median of five feet or more.

8:22 a.m. update

Several Florida school districts have come up with a plan to address substance abuse incidents happening across campuses.

Volusia, Flagler, St. John’s, and Putnam counties will execute a three-pillar approach that includes education, awareness, and accountability.

State Attorney RJ Larizza has been meeting with the four school districts in his circuit and families for almost a year to create a plan for students.

Watch: Florida school districts form plan to address substance abuse, violence among students

The initiative was created to help better address substance use (vaping/THC/fentanyl) and violence (fighting/threats/guns), which are happening in our schools and communities circuit wide. For almost a year, the five Seventh Circuit leaders and members of their staff have been working on a proactive, collaborative approach, which focuses on three pillars: education, awareness and accountability.

“Safety is our top priority. It is critical we partner together to create a strong response to substance use and violence. We are confident the ‘Safety First, Success Always’ initiative will change the script from substance use and violence to empowering our students and community to help us foster a safe environment for success.”

7:24 a.m. update

Orange County Public School students will return to class on Monday, meaning law enforcement will be back on campus to keep them safe.

Sheriff Mina said that deputies will have a physical presence at schools, and the agency will have an invisible one, too.

Watch: Orange County Public School leaders and law enforcement finalize new school year plans

“We’re able to access all of the cameras through Orange County Public Schools,” Sheriff Mina said. “Over 6,000 cameras, should an incident occur in any of the schools. We can instantly monitor that to direct resources to the direct spot.”

Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith said his agency is also committed to the safety of students.

At least one school resource officer is assigned to all schools within the city, and two at the high schools.

6:26 a.m. update

As students head back to school on Monday, parents need to help them prepare for a hot and stormy day.

Our area will be very hot Monday afternoon with a good chance to see afternoon storm activity.

Watch: Very hot with a chance for afternoon storms in Central Florida

Temperatures will be in the upper-70s as kids head into school but will be in the mid-90s in the afternoon.

Our area also has a 50% chance of rain and storms Monday afternoon.

Some of the storm activity could be strong, which could alter when students are allowed to leave school safely.

5:28 a.m. update

On Monday, both Luminary Middle School and Howard Middle School will open as planned by the OCPS.

Both schools got the okay to open as scheduled on Sunday.

There had been some concerns leading up to the start of the new school year that both schools would not be ready to open for students.

WATCH: OCPS beats deadline to open 2 middle schools before the start of the year

Orange County Public Schools had back-up plans, just in case.

On Sunday, the Principals of Howard and Luminary Middle left voicemails for parents, telling them the schools were open as of Monday.

4:30 a.m. update

Thousands of students around Central Florida are heading back to school on Monday.

The excitement for students and parents has been building for weeks.

Read: Back to school: Share your photos of the 1st day of school

Every local public school district, except Sumter County Schools, returns to class today.

Channel 9 will have live team coverage all morning long, with the changes local families may notice this year.

WATCH: ‘Heading Back to School’ It’s that time of year again! Expect new schools, schedule changes and safety measures. (WFTV)

WATCH: 9 Family Connection presents 'Literacy Matters' Daralene Jones takes a closer look at how our educators and nonprofits are working together to enhance literacy for children in and out of the classroom. (WFTV)

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