Parents at Louis S. Sheffield Elementary School in Jacksonville’s Oceanway neighborhood are upset over the district’s supposed new timeline to build a new school.
They tell Action News Jax’s Finn Carlin that the district said in a community meeting last night it may take another 11 years to get a new building, which they mostly want because of what they describe as unacceptable conditions for their kids.
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“It’s just not a safe environment for any of them,” Kandice Whitman, the mother of a fourth grader at the school, said. “It is absolutely appalling and disgusting.”
Whitman and other parents tell Action News Jax they’ve seen worn-down ceilings, dirty carpets in classrooms, and even a “roach infestation” inside the building. Action News Jax has requested the most recent inspection of the building from the Florida Department of Health and reached out to Duval County Public Schools to confirm these conditions, but we’re still waiting to hear back.
Either way, parents like Whitman may now have to wait another decade before seeing a new school.
“It’s heartbreaking because it shouldn’t take this long, you know, and this is empty promises, promises not being kept,” Whitman said.
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The district first made the more than $2 million deal with the contractor for a new school building back in November 2021. The contract has since gone through a number of changes, including an extra $82,000 approved in January 2024. The month prior, the district highlighted a need for the new building during a school board meeting.
The school’s website said superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier was supposed to be at Wednesday night’s community meeting at Sheffield Elementary, but parents tell Action News Jax he didn’t show up when they heard the news about the apparent delay.
Whitman said her daughter’s teacher started crying after hearing the new timeline.
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“She was tearing up and she was very upset by what’s going on at her school,” Whitman said.
One parent who went to the meeting tells Action News Jax he heard the 11-year timeline for the new building will come with yearly evaluations on its progress.
Action News Jax called the principal at the school to confirm what was said during last night’s meeting, but we were referred to the school district. We have since made multiple calls to the school district and made multiple emails asking the same questions. The school district sent back an email saying it has received those questions and will be sending a follow-up.
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