17 schools in Bay District School system receive coveted award

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is applauding Bay District Schools for its support of military-connected students.

17 schools in the Bay District School system were recently recognized as Purple Star Schools of Distinction. The awards are meant to show the district’s positive impact on its military students.

District officials reported DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education only give 200 schools in the state the coveted award. Superintendent Mark McQueen says this program started in 2021. However, he said it’s the first time the district participated in it.

“It’s a lot of commitment on behalf of Bay District Schools to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of our military students,” McQueen said. “This is yet another way, and a tangible way, that we’re showing that we have that commitment. So, it’s through what our schools do, at the teacher level, at the principal level, and certainly at the district and the board level, what we’re doing all across the board to help our military students have success.”

The superintendent also said nearly half of the schools in the district are designated as Purple Star Schools.

The schools that received the award include A. Crawford Mosley High School, Bay High School, Breakfast Point Academy, Deer Point Elementary School, Hiland Park Elementary School, Hutchison Beach Elementary School, J. R. Arnold High School, Lynn Haven Elementary School, Northside Elementary School, Oscar Patterson Academy, Patronis Elementary School, Rutherford High School, Southport Elementary School, Surfside Middle School, Tommy Smith Elementary School, Tyndall Academy and Waller Elementary School.

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