Sarasota County Schools
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Published – November 19, 2021
Sarasota County Schools is located in Sarasota, Florida. The district has a total of 62 schools in operation with nearly 43,896 students enrolled.
Against Governor Ron DeSantis’s Executive Order banning mask mandates, the district implemented a mandate at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year. Parents weren’t given an “opt-out” for their children.
Sarasota County Schools also promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion on all grade levels through its “Equity Policy.”
According to the district, “This policy promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging within the school district community with respect to race, color, national or ethnic origin, language, culture, gender, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religious and spiritual beliefs, age (except as authorized by law), political beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition(s), social and family background, or physical and learning abilities.”
The district uses the phrase “Equity lens” to describe “A process for analyzing or diagnosing the impact of the design and implementation of policies as it relates to underperforming student groups, to identify and eliminate barriers.”
The term “Culturally responsive instructional practices” is described as “involv[ing] recognizing and incorporating the assets and strengths all students bring into the classroom, and ensuring that learning experiences, from curriculum through assessment, are relevant to all students.”
According to US News, Sarasota County Schools test proficiencies are below 63% on all grade levels:
