Getting ready
Registration
Students must be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 to enroll in kindergarten. To register for the first grade, students must be 6 and have proof of completing kindergarten. If the child did not attend a public school for kindergarten, parents should present a report card or completion letter from the director of the private school.
Identifying a school
Families can contact the district's transportation department at (352) 797-7003 to confirm which school their child is zoned for. Parents will need to provide both the street address and the nearest cross street of their home.
Parents interested in enrolling their child at a school other than their zoned school will need to complete a student reassignment form, available at any school or from the district office. They'll be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
New to Florida?
If this is the student's first time enrolling in a Florida school, the family will need to provide:
• A birth certificate (for kindergarten and first-grade enrollees; please bring the official document, not the hospital certificate).
• A physical completed by a licensed physician dated no earlier than Aug. 1, 2014.
• An immunization record.
• Proof of residency, either in the form of a rent receipt, home contract, utility bill with parent or guardian's name on it or a notarized statement from the family member with whom the student resides.
• A copy of the student's last report card, if applicable, or name and phone number of last-attended school.
New to Hernando County?
If the student is coming to Hernando County from another Florida school district, he or she will need to provide:
• A birth certificate (for kindergarten and first-grade enrollees; please bring the official document, not the hospital certificate).
• An immunization record.
• Proof of residency, either in the form of a rent receipt, home contract, utility bill with parent or guardian's name on it or a notarized statement from the family member with whom the student resides.
Immunizations
Pre-K
• 4-5 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine or age-appropriate tetanus vaccines.
• 3 doses hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B).
• 3-4 doses inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
• 1 dose MMR (measles, mumps, rubella).
• 1 dose varicella vaccine (chicken pox).
• Hib immunization. Numbers of doses depend on type of vaccine and student's age.
K-Grade 5
• 4-5 doses diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine or age-appropriate tetanus vaccines.
• 3-5 doses inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) (one dose of polio must be after age 4).
• 3 doses hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B).
• 2 doses MMR (measles, mumps, rubella).
• 2 does varicella vaccine (chicken pox).
Grade 6
• 4-5 doses diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine or age-appropriate tetanus vaccines.
• 3-4 doses inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
• 3 doses hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B).
• 2 doses MMR (measles, mumps, rubella).
• 1 dose varicella vaccine (chicken pox).
Grades 7-12
• 4-5 doses diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTaP) vaccine or age-appropriate tetanus vaccines.
• 3 doses hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B).
• 3-4 doses inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).
• 2 doses MMR (measles, mumps, rubella).
• 1 dose varicella vaccine (chicken pox).
Grades 7-11 only
• 1 dose Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis).
Grade 12 only
• 1 dose Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) or TD (tetanus-diphtheria).
Open houses
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Brooksville: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 19 (kindergarten only); 4-6 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 1-5).
Chocachatti: 9-11 a.m. Aug. 21.
Deltona: 5-7 p.m. Aug. 20 (kindergarten only); 9-11 a.m. Aug. 21 (grades 1-5).
Eastside: 9 a.m.-to 1 p.m. Aug. 20 (kindergarten only); 2-4 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 1-5).
Moton: 6:30-8 p.m. Aug. 20 (kindergarten only); 9-11 a.m. Aug. 21 (grades 1-5).
Pine Grove: 4-6 p.m. Aug. 19 (pre-k and kindergarten); 4-6 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 1-5).
Spring Hill: 3-4 p.m. Aug. 20 (kindergarten only); 4:30-6:30 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 1-5).
Suncoast: 6 p.m. Aug. 13 (kindergarten only); 3:30-6 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 1-5).
Westside: 4:30-5:30 p.m. (kindergarten only), and 5:30-7 p.m. (grades 1-5) Aug. 20.
K-8 SCHOOLS
Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics: 4-6 p.m. Aug. 19 (middle school); 4-6 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 1-5); 4-6 p.m. Aug. 21 (kindergarten only).
Explorer K-8: 5-7 p.m. Aug. 19 (PreK-grade 3); 5-7 p.m. Aug. 20 (grades 4-8).
J.D. Floyd K-8 School of Environmental Science: 5-7 p.m. Aug. 20.
Winding Waters K-8: 5-7 p.m. Aug. 20.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Fox Chapel: 2:15-6 p.m. Aug. 20.
Parrott: 3-6 p.m. Aug. 20.
Powell: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 20.
West Hernando: 4-6 p.m. Aug. 20.
HIGH SCHOOLS
Central: 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 2.
Hernando: 1-3 p.m. Aug. 21.
Nature Coast Technical: 6-8 p.m. Sept. 10.
Springstead: 6-8 p.m. Sept. 1.
Weeki Wachee: 6-8 p.m. Sept. 2.
OTHER CENTERS
Endeavor Academy: by appointment only.
Hernando eSchool: by appointment only.
Springs Coast Environmental Education Center: by appointment only.
Adult Education Programs: by appointment only.
Suncoast Education Technical Center (SunTech): 2:30-3:30 p.m. Aug. 11.
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Gulf Coast Academy of Science and Technology: by appointment only.
Gulf Coast Middle School: by appointment only.
Brooksville Engineering, Science, and Technology (BEST) Academy: by appointment only.
HIGH SCHOOL OPEN CAMPUS DATES
Central: 9-11 a.m. Aug. 19 (freshmen); 1-3 p.m. Aug. 19 (sophomores); 9-11 a.m. Aug. 20 (juniors); 1-3 p.m. Aug. 20 (seniors).
Springstead: 1-3 p.m. Aug. 21 (all students).
Weeki Wachee: 9 a.m.-noon Aug. 20 (all students).
(Hernando High and Nature Coast Tech have not scheduled open campus events)
Buses
Transportation officials are continuing to update school bus routes and pickup times. Detailed bus route information is expected to be available the week of Aug. 17 and can be found on the district website, hernandoschool.org (select "District Offices," then "Transportation").
Bus stops are not listed for students enrolled in special programs such as AYP, Career Academy, TOPS and students with special needs.
Parents should remember that during the first week of school, buses often run late. Also, all bus stops and times are subject to change.
Parents who have questions or do not have computer access can call the district transportation office at (352) 797-7003.
Food service
The school district's food and nutrition department offers breakfast and lunch at all Hernando County schools.
The regular cost for breakfast is $1 for elementary students and $1.25 for secondary students; the cost for lunch is $2 for elementary students and $2.25-2.50 for secondary students.
The cost is 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch for all students who receive reduced-cost meals.
Menus can be downloaded from each school's Edline page under "Links" or by visiting schoolmenu.com/directory/fl/hernando-county-school-district/.
Parents can set up lunch accounts for students. Access to online accounts is available at mylunchmoney.com. The accounts allow parents to set daily and weekly spending limits and view student meal purchases.
Email reminders are sent out for low balances. Payments may be made securely through the website, or directly to the school. Unspent balances carry over to the next school year.
For more information, contact the food and nutrition department at (352) 797-7028.
The school district
School Board
Gus Guadagnino, chairman
Matthew Foreman, vice chairman
Susan Duval
Mark Johnson
Beth Narverud
School board meetings, held at the district office building at 919 N Broad St. in Brooksville, are open to the public and broadcast live on Hernando Instructional Television, Bright House cable Ch. 642.
• Meetings are generally at 7 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of the month.
• Workshops, during which matters are discussed but no formal votes are taken, are frequently scheduled on Tuesday afternoons. For more information, call (352) 797-7253.
District administration
Lori Romano, Ph.D., superintendent, (352) 797-7000.
Eric Williams, deputy superintendent, (352) 797-7001.
Gina Michalicka, executive director of academic services, (352) 797-7051.
Heather Martin, executive director of business services, (352) 797-7005.
Sean Arnold, executive director of support operations, (352) 797-7071.
Directors, supervisors and managers
Paula Clark, Ph.D., coordinator of professional development, (352) 797-7016
Erik Van de Boogaard, director of facility operations, (352) 797-7071
Michelle Kernan, director of federal programs, (352) 797-7051
Lori Drenth, director of food and nutrition, (352) 797-7028
Lisa Becker, director of human resources, (352) 797-7005
Cathy Dofka, director of student services and ESE, (352) 797-7022
Doug Compton, director of transportation, (352) 797-7003
Linda Peirce, manager of assessment & accountability, (352) 797-7051
Manager of safety and security, (352) 797-7054
Manager of warehouse and property control, (352) 797-7061
Public information officer, (352) 797-7009
Sophia Watson, supervisor of Adult and Technical Education, (352) 797-7018
Supervisor of elementary programs, (352) 797-7051
Judy Everett, supervisor of exceptional student education, (352) 797-7022
Deborah Pfenning, supervisor of school choice, (352) 797-7022
Marcia Austin, supervisor of secondary programs, (352) 797-7051
Betty Harper, supervisor of student services, (352) 797-7008
Jason Chase, supervisor of technology and information services, (352) 797-7006
Cindy Stewart, supervisor of Title I, (352) 797-7051
Helpful phone numbers
Adult education, (352) 797-7018
Exceptional Student Education, (352) 797-7022
Food & Nutrition, (352) 797-7028
Professional Development, (352) 797-7016
Safety & Security, (352) 797-7054
School Choice, (352) 797-7051
Technology & Information Services, (352) 797-7006
Transportation, (352) 797-7003
Title I, (352) 797-7051
Volunteers in Education, (352) 797-7054