Local News

LAND O’ LAKES – Pasco Schools Superintendent John Legg informed school board members on Feb. 18 that work is underway to install walls to enclose up to 700 classrooms in schools in the district.

The reason for this, Legg told board members, is to decrease the amount of distractions occurring within classrooms without walls while making those classrooms safer for students and teachers.

“We need to ensure every classroom is a distraction-free environment,” Legg said.

Fox Hollow Elementary School is the first school in which the walls are being installed.

Fox Hollow, which was built in 1991, used an “open schools” concept featured at that time. Its purpose was twofold: to make it easier for students to work with children in other classes and to allow teachers to collaborate.

Now, however, the collaborative setting is distracting, according to Principal Jessica Pitkoff.

Walls have already been installed in Fox Hollow’s kindergarten pod and work was underway in its fifth-grade section when Legg informed board members of his decision.

There are about 700 open classrooms throughout the school district. It will take about two years to enclose all of them at an estimated cost of $2.1 million, or $3,000 each, according to school board records.

District maintenance and construction workers will be used to do the work, according to Legg.

“It’s going to be driven from the principal level and the classroom level,” Legg said. “Some schools may not want the classrooms closed in.”

He added, though, that the concept of “open schools” was a model that “no longer functions in our current age.”  

Board member Megan Harding said she supported the idea. She taught at Fox Hollow before being elected to the board. Harding said she disrupted things when they occasionally ran from a class into the shared area.

Board member Jessica Wright said safety was one of her concerns. She has two children who attend another elementary school without classroom walls.

Walls are also being erected in schools without walls in Pinellas County.

Outstanding educator

Laura Carlson was recognized as an Outstanding Educator for the 2024-2025 school year.

She was introduced and praised by Colleen Wilkinson, principal of New River Elementary School. 

Carlson was a founding member of New River Elementary School when it opened in 2007. Prior to that, Wilkinson said, Carlson had begun her educational journey at Centennial Elementary School.

Carlson has a master’s degree in special education, which has equipped her to consistently demonstrate a passion and enthusiasm for teaching that is truly inspiring, Wilkinson said. 

Wilkinson described Carlson as “an invaluable member of our New River family.” 

Recognizing volunteers

Three volunteers were also honored for outstanding things they have done for Pasco County Schools.

• Keri Bethel was honored as Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. Bethel was recognized for all that she does to support students and staff at Shady Hills Elementary School.
• Victor Kodish was honored as the Outstanding Senior Volunteer. Kodish retired after working at Pine View Middle for more than 40 years but returned to the school as a volunteer. 
• Grace Carlton was honored as the Outstanding Youth Volunteer of the Year. Grace, a student at Gulf Middle, volunteers at Richey Elementary each week after school. 

TALLAHASSEE – State Sen. Danny Burgess (R-Zephyrhills) has filed legislation to examine the impact of phone-free school campuses on student achievement and behavior.

Senate Bill 1296 establishes a pilot program in six Florida school districts that currently have or will be implementing a policy to prohibit the use of cell phones by students during the entire school day.

“Florida became a model for the rest of the nation when we first passed legislation in 2023 to remove cell phones from classrooms,” Burgess said. “I was proud to help spearhead that policy change, which has helped to remove distractions, improve focus during class time and increase student interaction. Now, I believe there is more we can do to further promote ideal learning environments to increase student achievement. By establishing phone-free school campuses, we can encourage students to connect more personally with each other and their teachers and better support their academic efforts.”

The Foundation for Florida’s Future highlighted the importance of the legislation.

“Schools should be places where students and teachers are free to focus on learning,” said Nathan Hoffman, senior legislative director for the Foundation for Florida’s Future. “Data continue to show that eliminating the cell phone distraction, not only in the classroom as Florida has in place now, but throughout the entire school day produces better outcomes – both from a school climate perspective as well as academic. This is important legislation that will keep the Sunshine State moving forward. We thank Senator Burgess for being the champion of this issue for all students and teachers in Florida.”

Florida law currently prohibits student cell phone use during instructional time. SB 1296 would require the Florida Commissioner of Education to coordinate with six school districts selected by the Florida Department of Education which represent two small, two medium and two large counties that currently, or will in the 2025-26 school year, implement a policy that prohibits the use of cell phones by students during the entire school day, while on school grounds or engaged in school activities off school grounds during the school day. 

The department would be tasked with providing a report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives before Dec. 1, 2026, summarizing the effect of each district policy on student achievement and behavior. 

The report must also include a model policy that school districts and charter schools may adopt and outline exceptions for health emergencies, disasters, students with disabilities and English Language Learners, on school buses, or during activities outside of the school day. 

The report must also include student code of conduct provisions for violations of the policy which facilitate bullying or cheating, constitute illegal behavior, or capture pictures or video of another student during a medical episode.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S., with high blood pressure being one of the main factors of poor cardiovascular health.  

Two popular heart-healthy diets that you probably hear of often are the Mediterranean Diet and the DASH Diet.  

DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, originated in the 1990s from trial studies funded by the National Institute of Health researching dietary interventions on blood pressure.  

How do these two heart-healthy diets differ, and how are they similar?  

Both are evidence-based diets and have been studied extensively for their cardiovascular benefits. While they both have “diet” in their name, they are more of an everyday eating pattern and permanent lifestyle.

They also both emphasize eating whole, minimally-processed foods.  They stress eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean and plant-based protein while limiting (note: not avoiding) foods and drinks that are high in sugars and saturated fat, such as soda and red meat.  They are both highly ranked by US News & World Reports for best overall diets due to their health benefits and weight loss effectiveness, and they also support cognitive health.  

They do have some differences though.  

• Fat intake: The Mediterranean Diet promotes eating healthy fats (like from olive oil and fish), while the DASH Diet focuses on reducing total fat consumption and saturated fats, highlighting low-fat dairy.
• Sodium: The DASH Diet is centered around reducing sodium intake (no more than 2,300 mg per day), while the Med Diet does not have any specific sodium limitations.  However, simply following the Med Diet by eating whole foods will typically result in reduced sodium intake.
• Alcohol: For those that currently drink, DASH recommends no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, while the Med Diet encourages moderate red wine consumption with meals.  
• Purpose: The DASH Diet is designed to reverse or prevent hypertension, while the Med Diet focuses on replicating the eating pattern of the geographic regions with low rates of heart disease.
• Flexibility: The Mediterranean Sea is bordered by over a dozen countries, providing for more variety in eating patterns due to the different cultures and agricultures.
• Other lifestyle components: The Med Diet also encourages physical activity, managing stress, and social connections. The DASH Diet only focuses on the eating pattern.

Is one better than the other?  

The best one is the one that you are more likely to stick with for the long term.  

Some people will also do a hybrid version, combining aspects of both.  

Talk with your doctor if you are trying to lose weight, reduce your blood pressure, and/or lower your risk for heart disease to see how these eating patterns can fit in with your health journey.  

And of course, when making lifestyle changes, it’s best to start small rather than drastically, as this increases the likelihood of success.  

Mediterranean Salad (Alabama Extension)

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. dry brown rice

1/4 C. olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 C. cherry tomatoes

1 C. olives, pitted and halved

1 C. chickpeas, drained

1/2 red onion, diced

3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook rice according to package instructions and let cool.

In a bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

In a separate bowl, mix the cooled brown rice and all other ingredients.

Stir in the olive oil mixture.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Tips: If you’re using bottled lemon juice, start with 2 tablespoons and add more as desired.

Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science Agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County, An Equal Opportunity Institution.