The Vertical

St. Johns County School District is feeling major effects of the nation-wide shortage of school staff and teachers. There are nearly 300 jobs in schools that are vacant, and the administration is desperate to have these jobs filled. There is an overload of work that is being pressed onto all the teachers who say that workload is the second biggest concern heard about behind pay, according to Michelle Dillon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing shortages, the pressure being put on our teachers is at an all-time high. The number of students in St. Johns County has been increasing exponentially and will continue to do so for years to…

The governor of Florida’s wife, Casey DeSantis, was diagnosed with breast cancer this week. The First Lady is a mother to three children, and has made efforts to solve the mental health crisis among Florida students. Just two years ago, she visited Nease High School to spread awareness about her “Hope for Healing Florida” campaign, and met with students, faculty, and other leaders in the community. Many women across Florida are proud that Mrs. DeSantis went public with her diagnosis, sharing the belief that it might raise awareness for screenings and mammograms. For more information, visit the links below. By: Sophia Yarashas Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ron-desantis-wife-casey-breast-cancer/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/10/05/casey-desantis-florida-governor-wife-breast-cancer/ https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2021/10/04/governors-wife-casey-desantis-diagnosed-with-breast-cancer/

Florida is the only state that has not applied for $2.3 billion in aid for schools. A letter from the U.S Department of Education was sent to Florida’s Education Department informing them that they had missed the deadline to release the funds. The $2.3 billion is a part of the remaining money from the American Rescue Plan funds. The state needed to submit a plan in June to receive the money. After the June deadline was missed Florida was given two extensions and missed those as well. When asked about the plans to apply for the money Gov. DeSantis’ administration has said it doesn’t need the money and does not…

Three members of the City Council have announced their support behind the removal of the confederate statue in Springfield Park. The monument, also known as the Women of the Southern Confederacy monument, would cost around one million dollars to remove, not including preservation and storage. The conversation of removing this statue was brought up back in June of 2020, when Mayor Lenny Curry announced all confederate statues and landmarks were to be removed. This movement of ridding our society of these confederate monuments has changed the city, since the park itself that this monument is in, changed its name from Confederacy Park to Springfield Park.  Once it was realized that…

Due to a labor shortage, the City of Jacksonville has announced that curbside recycling pickup services will be temporarily suspended. The purpose of this suspension is to allocate available resources to yard waste collection, which has been behind schedule since August. The suspension starts Monday, October 4th and does not have a set end date. During this time waste put out on curbs in recycling bins will be collected as garbage. People that wish to have their recyclables properly disposed of may visit one of the 14 recycling drop-off sites throughout Jacksonville that are open Monday-Sunday from sunrise to sunset.  By: Mary Vega More Information: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2021/09/27/curry-curbside-recycling-pickup-stopping-oct-4-handle-yard-waste/5881623001/ https://www.coj.net/welcome/news/city-announces-temporary-suspension-of-recycling-c https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/jacksonville-recycling-pickup-suspension-begins-monday-focus-on-yard-waste/77-efeba231-4678-445c-9e20-f559de773c17#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20Beginning%20Monday%2C%20the%20City%20of,in%20more%20than%20a%20month. Photo credit:…