LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — A few changes are coming soon to hundreds of Pasco County classrooms.

What You Need To Know

  • Permanent walls are being built in 700 open classrooms throughout Pasco County Schools

  • District officials say the idea came from teachers throughout the district who noticed an uptick in student distractions

  • Each classroom repair will run about $3,000, with their cost being covered by the district’s budget

  • Repairs will take place over the next 18 to 24 months, covering the span of a two-year budget cycle

Walls are being built in open classrooms throughout the district as part of a move designed to help students concentrate, while also keeping them safe.

“They’re a majority of our elementary classrooms and they’re all throughout the county,” said Pasco County Schools Superintendent John Legg.

At schools throughout Pasco County, classrooms are getting a facelift — permanent dividing walls are being constructed in what the county calls "open classrooms."

“While that concept was well intended back in the 70s and 80s, it just doesn’t meet with today’s day and age," Legg said. "What we’re looking at doing is providing some structure and walls to those classrooms in order to make them distraction free so students and teachers can focus on academics.”

District officials say the idea came from teachers throughout the district who noticed an uptick in student distractions. Since the district has come back from COVID about five years ago, Legg said they’ve seen an increase in behavior issues. 

“Kindergarten students were getting very distracted," said Fox Hollow Elementary School principal Jessica Pitkoff. "They hear what the other teachers are doing. They see what the other kids are doing. Sometimes we pull small groups into the middle and they saw that kids were doing something in a small group and, by nature, they have a lot of curiosity and they would start wondering toward the middle.”

Legg said the walls will also add a depth of security to the classroom.

“Under the open floor plan concept, if someone were to get in one classroom, they’re in all classrooms," he said. "What this will do is isolate it to a single classroom, so it enhances our security in all of our schools.”

A total of 700 classrooms will have new walls constructed. The cost is being covered by the district’s budget.

“Each classroom repair is going to run about $3,000," Legg said. "We’re looking at doing these repairs over the next 18 to 24 months, which would be about a two-year budget cycle. We believe we have enough money in our existing budget right now to take care of most of these classrooms.”

And he said the reception has been positive.

“So far, with the kindergarten teachers, they’re loving it," said Pitkoff. "I walk into the classrooms and the kids are all in their groups, they’re doing their thing and the teacher is teaching. It’s already made a huge impact at my school.”