Duval school closures weigh on parents as Venetia Elementary meeting approaches

# What happened Duval County School Board members voted this month to pause plans to rebuild Venetia Elementary and to change how the district handles school-closure decisions. The move follows strong parental criticism that the district rushed some closure-related steps and favored wealthier neighborhoods in past decisions.

# How the process changed

# Why parents objected Parents criticized a summer move by the district that sought to declare Ortega Elementary surplus property—a step that could lead to selling the site—without first presenting a closure vote. They said that sequence violated district policy and was rushed.

Community members have also questioned why many closed schools are located in higher-poverty neighborhoods and why closures seem more likely to be revisited when a school has vocal advocates. At a recent board meeting District 7 representative Melody Bolduc said the public's advocacy is a challenge to the district to follow its policy and be fair across the board.

# Equity language and desegregation The revised policy removes nearly all mentions of the word "diversity." District officials say the change brings the policy into compliance with current laws and shifts the language to focus on "access" and "equity." The policy text now says all students should have "equitable access to high-performing schools in a manner that supports voluntary desegregation and reduces Minority Group Isolation."

Some parents see that change as significant because prior zoning rules had included explicit provisions to draw zones to maximize diversity within schools. The history of school building in Duval County matters here: many small neighborhood schools that are now under-enrolled or facing maintenance backlogs were originally built during the era when the district operated segregated schools.

Tiffany Clark, a Duval parent and member of Parents Who Lead, pointed to those histories. She recounted that her mother was among Black students who were mistreated while being bused in during court-ordered integration in the early 1970s.

# What's next for Venetia

# What to watch

• Whether the district's published criteria are detailed and specific enough for parents to assess closure proposals.
• Whether the absence of a formal ACE committee changes the number or outcome of closure recommendations.
• How the board handles individual closure votes going forward, and whether decisions change in neighborhoods that raised earlier concerns.