School Board Agenda & Packet Summary – Volusia County (VCS) – July 28, 2026

Meeting Information

• Public Body: The School Board of Volusia County
• Organization Type: school-district
• Government Body: school-boards
• Meeting Title: Agenda - Workshop/Work Session - The School Board of Volusia County, Florida
• Meeting Date: 2026-07-28
• City: Deland
• County: Volusia County
• State: florida
• Meeting Source URL: https://go.boarddocs.com/fla/vcsfl/Board.nsf/Public?open&id=DT8P5262E0AA&unid=E7002CCBD818DE2D85258DDC0062E0AA
• Meeting Listing URL: https://go.boarddocs.com/fla/vcsfl/Board.nsf/Public
• Public Body Website: https://www.vcsedu.org/school-board
• Meeting Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgWPVn_roW5fECP4g7eU7A/live
• Video Channel URL: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgWPVn_roW5fECP4g7eU7A

What Community Members Should Know

This workshop packet centers on three major operational priorities for Volusia County Schools: strengthening a healthcare partnership with AdventHealth, reviewing the district's Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program, and receiving the quarterly school safety report required under Florida House Bill 1473. Unlike a regular voting meeting, the agenda is structured around presentations and discussion intended to inform board members and the public.

One of the largest topics is the district's partnership with AdventHealth. The presentation describes ongoing work to reduce chronic absenteeism, expand free student athlete health services, improve food security for students, and build career pathways into healthcare professions. The partnership includes a dedicated $50,000 commitment toward absenteeism reduction and highlights measurable participation and outreach results across Volusia County.

The packet also provides a comprehensive update on Exceptional Student Education. District leaders report that the U.S. Department of Justice formally closed its disability-related settlement with Volusia County Schools in May 2026 ahead of schedule after required corrective actions were completed. The presentation also describes improvements in compliance monitoring, professional development, and school performance while identifying continuing priorities for supporting students with disabilities.

The final major presentation addresses school safety inspections required under House Bill 1473. During the reporting period, six schools were inspected or reinspected, and all six were reported as having no identified school safety requirement deficiencies.

Major Discussion and Action Items

AdventHealth Partnership Update

District staff and AdventHealth review the first year of a broad partnership focused on student health, attendance, athletics, and workforce development. Rather than concentrating on a single program, the partnership combines healthcare resources with educational initiatives intended to improve student well-being and long-term career opportunities. The presentation emphasizes reducing barriers that prevent students from attending school, improving preventive healthcare access, and strengthening healthcare career pipelines for students interested in medical professions.

Chronic Absenteeism Strategy

One major focus is reducing chronic absenteeism through targeted interventions rather than districtwide one-size-fits-all programs. AdventHealth committed $50,000 to support efforts addressing transportation challenges, food insecurity, and other school-specific barriers. According to the presentation, chronic absenteeism has declined by 2.8% over the previous year. Additional initiatives include attendance recognition programs, incentive toolkits for schools, and continued refinement of intervention strategies.

Student Nutrition and Community Support

The partnership presentation highlights efforts to reduce food insecurity by working with community organizations. Nearly 49,728 meals were provided, 296 food-pack cases were assembled and delivered, and more than 4,200 students are reached weekly through partner organizations including Backpack Buddies, Food Brings Hope, Provision Packs, and Volusia School Fuel. The district also notes that student-athletes receiving free physical examinations received meals during sports physical events.

Student Athlete Health and Safety

Board members receive extensive information about annual athletic physical events. The 2026 event registered 1,880 students, with 1,509 attending. The district reports 7,852 free sports physicals provided since the partnership began and 3,197 ECG screenings completed through the "Who We Play For" partnership. Sixteen students required follow-up with primary care physicians, while two students were identified as high risk and referred for immediate medical intervention. The workshop also proposes discussion about the new requirement for band students to complete pre-participation physicals and ECGs and whether similar requirements should be expanded to additional student groups.

Healthcare Career Pathways

Another significant topic is preparing students for healthcare careers. AdventHealth has added a Workforce Development Specialist dedicated to Volusia County Schools and reports expanded career previews, job shadowing, internships, volunteer opportunities, and clinical experiences. More than 250 students participated in campus immersion activities, seven academies joined career previews, and all four AdventHealth campuses in Volusia now participate in structured student experiences. Future plans include additional career exploration events and classroom upgrades supporting health academies.

Exceptional Student Education Progress

District administrators present organizational changes intended to improve services for students with disabilities. The updated structure includes dedicated coordinators, specialists, program teachers on assignment, and student staffing specialists to improve instructional support, compliance, and placement decisions. The presentation also reviews the evaluation process, individualized education planning, and placement within the least restrictive environment.

Department of Justice Settlement Completion

A major milestone highlighted in the packet is the early closure of the Department of Justice settlement involving services for students with disabilities. The original investigation began in 2018 following complaints involving disciplinary practices and services for students with disabilities. District officials report the settlement formally closed on May 12, 2026, ahead of schedule after required corrective actions were completed, monitoring systems were implemented, and policy revisions adopted.

School Safety Quarterly Report

The quarterly House Bill 1473 presentation summarizes required school safety inspections. During the reporting period, six schools underwent inspection or reinspection. According to the report, every inspected school met school safety requirements with no reported deficiencies, resulting in a 100% compliance rate among inspected schools during the quarter.

Financial Matters

The packet contains relatively little traditional budget or purchasing business because this is primarily a workshop meeting.

The largest identified financial commitment is AdventHealth's dedicated $50,000 investment supporting district efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism by addressing transportation barriers, food insecurity, and other underlying causes of student absences. The funding supports collaborative intervention programs rather than direct instructional spending.

The packet also references continued investment in healthcare career pathway programming, sports physical events, ECG screenings, classroom improvements for Health Academy programs, and community nutrition initiatives. However, additional district expenditures or contract values beyond the $50,000 commitment are not detailed in the accessible packet text.

Policies, Ordinances, Resolutions, and Governance

The Exceptional Student Education presentation discusses continued implementation of district Policy 303 governing exceptional student programs and procedures.

The presentation also describes districtwide policy revisions completed as part of the Department of Justice settlement. These include ADA non-discrimination provisions, updated behavioral support practices, documentation requirements for law enforcement interactions, strengthened implementation of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), expanded staff training, and establishment of districtwide ADA compliance oversight. Policy 510 is identified as having been adopted and implemented across district campuses.

The school safety presentation references Policy 511 as the governing policy supporting the quarterly House Bill 1473 reporting process.

Reports, Presentations, and Informational Updates

Three principal informational presentations comprise the workshop.

The AdventHealth update presents measurable outcomes from the healthcare partnership, including attendance improvements, nutrition assistance, athletic health services, and workforce development initiatives. The presentation emphasizes expanding student access to healthcare experiences while improving student wellness and attendance.

The Exceptional Student Education report reviews department restructuring, compliance improvements, audit performance, professional learning, and future priorities. Audit scorecards indicate substantial improvement, with schools scoring 8 or higher increasing from 9% to 48%, schools below 6.0 declining from 19% to 3%, and one school achieving a perfect compliance score. Remaining priorities include continued behavioral supports, improved student outcomes, and targeted assistance for schools below federal proficiency thresholds.

The quarterly safety report provides a concise update demonstrating that inspected schools met applicable school safety requirements during the reporting period.

Personnel, Appointments, and Organizational Matters

The ESE presentation outlines organizational restructuring rather than personnel actions requiring board approval. The updated department includes school-level coordinators, program teachers on assignment, specialized ESE experts, and student staffing specialists intended to improve compliance, instructional support, and placement decisions.

The AdventHealth presentation introduces Workforce Development Specialist Truleigh Sargent, whose role is to coordinate healthcare learning opportunities and strengthen hiring pathways for Volusia County students interested in healthcare careers.

No appointments, resignations, retirements, or employment contract actions are described in the accessible workshop materials.

Projects, Facilities, Infrastructure, and Operations

Operational initiatives receive substantial attention throughout the workshop.

The district discusses expanding healthcare career experiences across all four AdventHealth campuses serving Volusia County students. Future activities include additional career exploration events, expanded job shadowing, internships, and Health Academy classroom upgrades at Pine Ridge High School and New Smyrna High School.

Operational improvements within Exceptional Student Education include expanded monitoring systems for IEPs and behavior plans, ongoing compliance reviews, continued professional learning, and tiered support for schools serving students with disabilities. District leaders also intend to expand use of the Education Modified platform to improve coaching and reporting.

Public Hearings and Opportunities for Community Input

The accessible packet does not identify any scheduled public hearings associated with zoning, taxation, rulemaking, or formal legislative action.

Because this is a workshop/work session centered on presentations and discussion, community members primarily have the opportunity to observe board deliberations and follow future meetings where any resulting policy or operational actions may return for formal consideration.

Community Impact

Students and families may benefit from expanded attendance interventions, increased food assistance, improved access to preventive healthcare, and additional opportunities to explore healthcare careers.

Students with disabilities could benefit from continued investments in compliance monitoring, behavioral supports, individualized educational planning, and district efforts to sustain improvements achieved during the Department of Justice settlement.

Student athletes continue to receive access to free sports physicals and ECG screenings that may identify potentially serious medical conditions before athletic participation.

School employees may experience additional professional learning requirements and continued implementation of districtwide special education and behavioral support practices.

Community healthcare providers and nonprofit organizations remain important partners supporting nutrition, attendance, preventive healthcare, and workforce development initiatives across Volusia County.

Questions Community Members May Want to Ask

• How will the district determine whether the $50,000 absenteeism initiative continues improving attendance?
• Which schools will receive the most intensive absenteeism interventions?
• What additional student groups might eventually be included in required sports physicals and ECG screenings?
• How will Health Academy classroom upgrades affect student participation and career preparation?
• What measures will ensure DOJ settlement improvements remain permanent after federal oversight has ended?
• How will schools below the federal proficiency threshold for students with disabilities be supported?
• What metrics will be used to evaluate continued ESE compliance improvements?
• Will future school safety inspections continue at the same frequency?
• How will healthcare career partnerships expand to additional schools or student populations?
• When will the board receive the next progress updates on these initiatives?

Important Dates, Deadlines, and Next Steps

• July 28, 2026: Workshop/work session reviewing healthcare partnership, Exceptional Student Education, and school safety updates.
• August 3, 2026: Planned athletic trainer kickoff meeting for the upcoming athletic season.
• Fall 2026: Planned Step Into the Future healthcare career event.
• Fall 2026: Planned donation of book vending machines supporting attendance initiatives.
• School Year 2026-2027: Continued tiered support for schools below the federal proficiency threshold for students with disabilities.
• End of School Year 2027 target: Increase the number of schools earning ESE audit ratings of 8 or higher.

Key Takeaways

• The workshop focuses on presentations rather than routine voting items.
• AdventHealth has committed $50,000 to absenteeism reduction efforts.
• Chronic absenteeism reportedly declined 2.8% over the previous year.
• Nearly 49,728 meals were provided through partnership nutrition initiatives.
• More than 4,200 students are reached weekly through partner food programs.
• Student athletes continue receiving free physicals and ECG screenings.
• Two students were identified for immediate medical intervention through ECG screening.
• The Department of Justice formally closed its disability settlement early in May 2026.
• ESE compliance scores have improved substantially across district schools.
• Six schools were inspected under House Bill 1473 during the quarter.
• All inspected schools reportedly had no school safety deficiencies.
• District leaders plan continued investment in healthcare career pathways and ESE improvement efforts.

Official Sources

• Meeting source: https://go.boarddocs.com/fla/vcsfl/Board.nsf/Public?open&id=DT8P5262E0AA&unid=E7002CCBD818DE2D85258DDC0062E0AA
• Meeting listing: https://go.boarddocs.com/fla/vcsfl/Board.nsf/Public
• Public body website: https://www.vcsedu.org/school-board
• Meeting video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgWPVn_roW5fECP4g7eU7A/live
• Video channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgWPVn_roW5fECP4g7eU7A

About the Public Body

• Name: The School Board of Volusia County
• Organization type: school-district
• Government body: school-boards
• Location: Deland, florida
• County: Volusia County
• Provider: boarddocs

Keywords

The School Board of Volusia County, Volusia County Schools, Deland, Florida, Workshop, Work Session, AdventHealth, chronic absenteeism, Exceptional Student Education, ESE, Department of Justice settlement, IDEA, IEP, Behavior Intervention Plan, ADA, school safety, House Bill 1473, athletics, sports physicals, ECG screening, healthcare careers, Health Academy, food insecurity, Backpack Buddies, Food Brings Hope, workforce development, Strategic Plan, school inspections, student wellness