ORANGE COUNTY, Florida. – Two Orange County middle schools that were feared to be empty on the first day of school due to construction delays have now received the approval they need to welcome students back on time.
Howard Middle and Luminary Middle had not received building permits as of this time, which proved to be a thorny issue ahead of the upcoming start of classes on Monday, August 12. The Howard Middle campus is currently undergoing a $36 million renovation project, while Luminary Middle is a new school being built in Lake Nona.
Orange County Public Schools responded by saying in a statement that both schools were full on Sunday morning, allowing all 213 schools in the district to open on Monday as originally planned.
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Howard Middle School Principal Walton McHale and Luminary Middle School President Jeffrey Aldridge left the following messages for parents on Sunday. Aldridge further explained that Luminary would be inviting families to a tour of the school on Sunday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.:
Good morning, Howard Middle School families! It’s Dr. McHale here with an exciting follow-up to last night’s great news. We have received the necessary approvals for faculty and staff to return to campus today in preparation for our students’ return to school tomorrow, Monday, August 12th. I want to thank you all again for your patience. I really appreciate the dedication of our teachers, support staff, and administrative team for their hard work and flexibility over the last week. I will be in touch later today with any additional information you need for the first day of school. We are so excited to welcome our students back to campus tomorrow. Thank you for your continued support, and I hope you have a truly great day.
Walton McHale, principal of Howard Middle School
Good morning, Luminary School families. This is Principal Jeff Aldridge with a follow-up to last night’s exciting news. We have received the necessary approvals to allow faculty and staff to return to campus today in preparation for our students’ return to school tomorrow, Monday, August 12. I want to thank you again for your patience. I truly appreciate the dedication of our teachers, support staff, and administrative team for their hard work and flexibility over the past week. I will be in touch later today with any additional information you need for the first day of school. We will be hosting families to tour the campus between 5 and 7 p.m. this evening. While not all of our teachers will be able to attend, many will be there. Student schedules are available in Skyward and we will have very limited ability to pull schedules this evening. All students will receive a paper schedule on Monday. Overflow parking for this evening is available along Pearson Avenue and in the new development directly behind the school. We are very excited to welcome our students to campus tonight and tomorrow. Thank you for your continued support.
Jeffrey Aldridge, president of Luminary Middle School
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