Team Duval
Parent Champions
A Parent Champion is a volunteer parent or guardian designated by each school's principal to serve as a support to their respective schools within the areas of improving academic achievement and increasing school enrollment.
Below are useful links to resources that can aid Parent Champions in this distinguished role.
If you have any questions or want to learn more about this important role, contact the Family Engagement team. Email: FamilyEngagement@duvalschools.org
School District Resources
School District Initiatives
Team Duval News:
¡Buen trabajo! Three DCPS students shine in annual Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest
¡Felicidades! to the three outstanding winners of the district’s annual Hispanic Heritage Month Essay Contest:
Nathalie Raices, Beauclerc Elementary
Tania Diaz Paredes, Southside Middle
Andrea Navarro, Riverside High
Board decides to remain at Southbank headquarters
Following thoughtful consideration and robust community engagement, the Duval County Public Schools School Board voted on October 7, 2025, to remain at it’s current administrative headquarters at 1701 Prudential Drive on the Southbank, opting not to relocate to the proposed facility at 8928 Prominence Parkway in Baymeadows.
Team Duval students with disabilities learn and grow through music therapy
Guitar in hand, music therapist Laura Fennell made her way around the Mandarin Oaks Elementary classroom, singing and interacting with students. As Fennell visited with students throughout the school, spreading the gift of music and song, teachers like Jan Kemper told Team Duval News that these visits are special.
Team Duval Receives $3 Million in Federal Grants to Strengthen Civics and History Education
Duval County Public Schools through a partnership with the University of North Florida (UNF) and Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) has been awarded more than $3 million in federal grants to boost civics and U.S. history education for students across the district. The funding, provided by the U.S. Department of Education, will support new professional learning programs for teachers.
National Bullying Prevention Month: Spotlight on the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program
For Chaffee Trail Elementary School Counselor Joshua Nelson, the reasoning behind bullying prevention education is simple.
“The overall purpose is we want students to feel safe,” said Nelson. “Because when students feel safe, they come to school. And when they come to school, they’re able to reach their academic goals.”
Paxon Graduate Makes TIME Magazine’s List of 100 Most Influential in Artificial Intelligence
Mark Zuckerberg. Sam Altman. Elon Musk. The Pope. These are some of the world’s most influential people, and they all appear on TIME Magazine’s 2025 list of the 100 Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence.
Also on that list is Dr. Heidy Khlaaf — a computer scientist and 2008 graduate of Paxon School for Advanced Studies.