'Organized chaos': First day of school in Marion goes according to plan so far

Nearly 40,000 students arrived on foot, on bikes, in cars and on buses Wednesday morning to 53 campuses for the first day of the 2022-23 school year in Marion County, experiencing what one school board member called the typical "organized chaos."

Yes, there were many bus delays due to new drivers learning routes, as well as all drivers taking time to place wristbands on young students so school officials know what bus to put them on in the afternoon. But there were no major incidents.

"Everything's is going well for the first day," said Eric Cummings, the Marion County School Board chairman. "Of course there were a few bus delays, which is typical."

Kevin Christian, the school district spokesman, said at 3:45 p.m. that all went well.

One of those new campuses was Fordham Early Learning Academy, which opened Wednesday at the former Evergreen Elementary School site.

Cummings called the first day "organized chaos." He said all school administrative teams will learn from the first day and determine how to tweak procedures and bus lines for the better.

2020: Marion school board approves Ina A. Colen Academy

2021: Marion charter high school could open with ninth grade in 2022-23

2022: Fordham Early Learning Academy (former Evergreen campus) to open in August

"And we are not dealing with the same issues as the previous few years," Cummings said. "We are coming out of the pandemic and so it has been quite interesting (seeing a more traditional start to the year)."

Elementary schools offer “stagger start” for kindergarten students, meaning one-third of students report to school either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. On Monday, Aug. 15, all kindergarten students report to class.

Staggering times like this gives students more personal time with their teacher to make the adjustment to school easier.

The district projected Marion County's school enrollment will reach 43,778 by October, the peak enrollment month. On Wednesday, 39,75 students were in attendance. The first day numbers are lower for many reasons, including "Stagger Start."

There are 49 traditional schools, with Fort McCoy School split into two campuses. One campus is for students in grades K-5 and the other for grades 6-8. There are four charter schools, with one opening for its first day on Wednesday.

Ina A. Colen Academy has smooth opening in SW Ocala

A new charter school, the Ina A. Colen Academy, opened its doors for the first time on Wednesday. The facility, located in the new community called Calesa Township, had a smooth opening on its new campus, which is aimed at grades K-6.

About 215 students were expected at the new school on Wednesday. The new charter school was approved two years ago. The school, which recently held its open house, was built by the family trust of On Top of the World developer Ken Colen.

Colen named the school for his mother, who was a staunch supporter of education. Students and parents stood in a line at 7 a.m. Wednesday before school officials opened the gates 15 minutes later.

The students were welcomed Wednesday to music coming from outdoor speakers. One of the modern popular songs, which were sung by children, featured a version of "Old Town Road," a song popularized by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus.

One parent, who moved to Ocala eight months ago from Pittsburgh, purchased a Calesa home because of the community feel. Also, his two children want to swim and the Florida Aquatics Swimming & Training (FAST) complex is next door to the school.

Proudly standing at the gate to greet the students were Colen and the school's principal, Annie Avery. Colen said the plan was to limit the number of new students to about 214 in the first year. The school is built for 862 students.

"We want to make sure that we have the quality education for the kids because it is a startup," Colen said. "This is brand new, so you want to make sure everything is going right."

The school falls under The Colen Family Charitable Trust, a private, nonprofit entity. The goal is to add seventh grade in 2023-24 and eighth grade in 2024-25. Plans are underway to build a high school next door the academy.

"This is a pivotal, exciting day that we have been anticipating for months and months and it's finally here," Avery said. "We are excited."

Roundup: School Choice, After-School Programs and buses

Students, especially seventh graders, must have had their immunizations up-to-date by Wednesday, as required by Florida law. Otherwise, they are not allowed in class on the first day.

There were 87 seventh graders who did not have proper immunizations and were not allowed to attend first day of classes. That beat last year's record low of 95..

Christian noted in a press release that, to date, "parents have submitted 9,485 applications for their students to use 'School Choice' and other reassignment options for out-of-area schools."

Marion Afterschool Programs enrollment has already hit 2,568 students. The popular program offers adult supervision of students before and after school. Christian wrote in the release that "as of today, all the afterschool sites already have waiting lists."

The bus transportation department has added “Here Comes the Bus” app, which is free and offers families the ability to track their child’s bus location in real time thanks to GPS service. More than 20,000 students ride the bus.

Here are some of the school district's transportation facts:

• 69th largest public schools bus fleet nationwide

• 45% of students ride buses

• 236 buses on road daily, servicing 957 bus routes

• 100% of buses with GPS

• 82% of buses have seat belts

• 90% of buses use digital cameras

Contact Joe Callahan at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeOcalaNews.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: First day of school: Marion County opening was 'organized chaos'