As a new Brevard County school board focuses on student discipline, the state released a report on student mental health awareness and training.

As parents and students get ready for the new school year, we are still in a global pandemic, which may be causing some uncertainty ahead of the return to the classroom.

Meet the panel of experts who will be sharing their knowledge during the Real Talk: A Candid Conversation on What's Changed town hall on June 15.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried held a virtual chat to discuss modernizing policies after a Brevard County teacher was fired for using medical marijuana.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard Public Schools announced Friday it has partnered with the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to teachers, substitutes and other district employees over 65 years old. “We wish all teachers can get it right now, but this is a great start,” said Kyle Savage of the Brevard Federation of Teachers. Savage added that it’s great news knowing that was made possible at an event solely for senior teachers and staff from Brevard County schools on Saturday morning. Back in Brevard County, Saturday’s vaccine event also happened as this 52-year-old reading teacher from Lyndon B. Johson Middle School in Melbourne died last month from COVID-19. More than 300 school employees got the vaccine, according to the district.

MELBOURNE, Fla. – Elizabeth Toro, a 52-year-old intensive reading teacher at Lyndon B. Johnson Middle School in Melbourne, died this week after contracting the coronavirus. Toro, who had been with Brevard Public Schools for five years, is the first known Brevard County teacher to have died as a result of the coronavirus. “The Brevard Federation of Teachers is saddened and grieving alongside our teachers at Johnson Middle School over the passing of Ms. Toro,” the statement said. Toro was best known for her dedication and immense passion for helping her students succeed,” officials said in the statement. [RELATED: Database: Tracking coronavirus in Central Florida schools]In total, Brevard Public Schools has reported 924 cases of COVID-19 since school began Aug. 24.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. The first day at the bargaining table fizzled with no agreements and little progress toward the 2020-21 Brevard County teacher contracts, News 6 partner Florida Today reports. With teachers set to return to schools in less than three weeks, leaders from both sides noted the urgency of the talks. "We still need to bargain salary and health insurance and normal things," Skipper said. "If we're still kind of stuck ... that's going to put us dangerously close to when students and teachers are going to be on campus." The safety of our students and staff is our top priority.News 6 partner Florida Today reported on this story

This week on Florida's Fourth Estate we get the teachers' perspective on opening schools during a pandemic. Vanessa Skipper, vice president of the Brevard Federation of Teachers, tells us how their teachers union is reacting to the governments mandate to open brick-and-mortar schools during the week. Join us for another edition of Floridas Fourth Estate. Floridas Fourth Estate looks at everything from swampy politics to a fragile environment and even the crazy headlines that make Florida the craziest state in the Union. Big influencers like Attorney John Morgan, renowned Florida journalists and the scientists protecting Floridas ecosystem can often be found as guests.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. Local school district and teachers union representatives say a new state order requiring public schools to physically open in August likely will not impact Brevard Countys school reopening plan, News 6 partner Florida Today reported. However, the order was not expected to have a substantial effect on plans in development by Brevard Public Schools, school district spokeswoman Nicki Hensley said Tuesday. Hensley said Brevard Public Schools will continue to offer online or distance learning for families uncomfortable with sending their kids back into classrooms. The workshop will be livestreamed on the Brevard Public Schools website and its official social media pages. While the order doesn't change much for Brevard schools, Belford still called the shelving of options "somewhat unnerving."

Before our event takes place, you can read about each of our panelists and their roles in the communities they serve. University of Central Florida assistant sociology professor Dr. Jonathan CoxDr. Jonathan Cox (Courtesy)Dr. Jonathan Cox is a race scholar and assistant sociology professor at the University of Central Florida who specializes in racial and ethnic identities and racial ideologies. Before that, he was the first black Orlando Police Department chief in 1998 and the first black Orange County sheriff in 2008. He served in the last position for 10 years before making his way out of law enforcement and into politics. Orlando Police Chief Orlando RolonOrlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon (Courtesy)Orlando Rolon moved to Orlando’s Engelwood neighborhood in 1977 and has called Central Florida home ever since.