Pinellas County 2022-23 School Year: COVID, Free Lunch, Free Wi-Fi

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — With the 2022-23 school year kicking off Wednesday for Pinellas County Schools, here’s everything your family needs to know.

Registration

Students new to the school district need to reserve a seat at a zoned school in the county, if they haven’t already, according to the district’s website. Families can reserve a seat for them using the Student Reservation System.

The following documents are needed to register:

• Birth certificate or other proof of identity/age (required)
• Two forms of proof of residency (required)
• Florida Certificate of Immunization (required)
• Physical examination certificate (required)
• Child’s Social Security number
• Child’s most recent report card
• Recent Individual Education Plan if applicable

Learn more about enrollment here or contact the Student Assignment office at StudentAssignment@pcsb.org or 727-588-6210.

COVID-19 Policy

Pinellas County Schools will no longer be tracking positive COVID-19 test results or conducting contact tracing in the 2022-23 school year, according to the district’s website.

The district is also no longer providing guidance on quarantining and suggests that families follow the advice of their child’s health care provider, the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

Meal Distribution

School breakfast remains free for all Pinellas County Schools students, according to the district website.

Some schools will return to regularly priced lunches for the 2022-23 school year. Students at all schools may apply for free and reduced lunch meal benefits online here.

For those paying for school lunches, they can be prepaid by cash or check and put into a student’s account in the cafeteria.

Learn more about food and nutrition at Pinellas County Schools here.

Riding the School Bus

Families with children who are bus riders should have received information in the mail from the district’s transportation department with the student’s bus stop, route number, and pick-up and drop-off times.

Contact the Transportation Call Center at 727-587-2020 with any questions about riding the bus.

PSTA Bus Pass Program

Pinellas County Schools students and staff can ride Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority buses for free this school year. Through the Universal Pass or U-Pass program, they just need to show their school ID or employee badge to ride PSTA buses at no cost for seven days a week.

Free Wi-Fi from Anywhere

Pinellas County Schools has partnered with T-Mobile to provide free LTE hotspot devices with to K-12 students without reliable internet at home, according to a Facebook post by the district. The hotspot can connect to 15 devices and comes with unlimited high-speed data.

Families should contact their child’s school to sign up.

More Back to School Info

The school district has provided additional information, including supply lists by school, in the Back-to-School section of its website.

2022-23 Calendar

Here are some important dates to keep in mind this school year:

• Students’ First Day of School: Aug. 10
• Labor Day, schools closed for students: Sept. 5
• End of first quarter: Oct. 14
• Schools closed for students: Oct. 17
• Thanksgiving break, schools closed for students: Nov. 21-25
• End of second quarter: Dec. 22
• Schools closed for students: Dec. 23
• Winter break, schools closed for students and staff: Dec. 24 – Jan. 8
• Second semester begins: Jan. 9
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, schools closed for students: Jan. 16
• Presidents Day, schools closed for students: Feb. 20
• End of third quarter: March 10
• Spring holidays, schools closed for students and staff: March 11-19
• Schools closed for students: March 20
• Schools closed for students: April 7
• End of fourth quarter, last day for all students, two-hour early release: May 25