Student in the St. Lucie County school district will now be starting their academic year two weeks later than the original proposed start date.

The start of the academic year was set to begin on August 10th, however, officials in St. Lucie County have decided to push that date back to August 24th.

“The additional two weeks gives time for the conditions in the county to improve and additional time for staff to finalize preparations for the school year,” St. Superintendent E. Wayne Gent said.

Several other factors also contributed to the decision to delay the start of school including the delivery of protective equipment, the distribution of laptops for those who opted to continue distance learning, and the establishment of general safety protocols.

“Our number one priority is to return to school safely, ” Gent said.

Parents where given three options in which their children would receive their education this year.

Students could either return to campus learning, continue distance learning, or attend the Mosaic Digital Academy, which requires a commitment of one year.

The district is currently working on the revised calendar to accommodate the delayed start and will notify parents once that is available.