What's Happening in Winter Park, FL…

Winter Park High School will be fixing its track soon, after students reported to their parents that they had to run in the parking lot.

Jennifer Jordan's son told her his Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) class was relegated to the lot because the track was in such poor condition. Ms. Jordan then went to the school and looked at the track, and found potholes in the surface, and spots where grass was growing through the pavement.

Concerned for her son and other students' safety, she launched an online petition and received over 1,000 signatures. The track is used not only for physical education classes, but also for activities such as band practice.

After hearing parents' concerns, facilities staff members from the school district visited the high school, and found it to be in “very poor” shape. School district spokeswoman Lauren Roth said the district was “concerned about any safety issues.” The staff has already taken down rusty goalposts, and is planning to remove an area near the track where rusty pilings present a risk.

The district plans to replace or move the entire track some time this year, with the goal of giving the school an entirely new track by the end of this year.

School officials might work with a newsletter printing company to create a letter for parents explaining the problem and the corrections now in work.