(left to right) Gary Chartrand, Chair, State Board of Education; Pam Stewart, Chancellor of Public Schools, Florida Department of Education; Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity; Patricia Good, School Board Chair; Superintendent Robert W. Runcie; and Hadi Partovi, Co-Founder and CEO of Code.org.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) announced its new partnership with Code.org, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing opportunities for students to learn computer science in school. School Board members; Superintendent Robert W. Runcie; Hadi Partovi, Co-Founder and CEO of Code.org; Gary Chartrand, Chair, State Board of Education; Pam Stewart, Chancellor of Public Schools, Florida Department of Education; Jesse Panuccio, Executive Director, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity; school leaders and students attended the press conference announcing the event, which included live coding demonstrations.

Through the Code.org partnership, BCPS middle and high school students will receive increased access to high-quality computer science courses, curriculum and resources. Teachers will also have new opportunities for professional development.  

“This is an incredible opportunity for our students. Today’s generation is growing up in a high-tech world. The skills they learn in computer science will benefit them throughout their lives and can open doors to many high paying, in demand jobs,” said Superintendent Robert W. Runcie.   

“Partnering with Broward County Public Schools – one of the nation's largest school districts – is a huge step forward in expanding access to computer science for American students. Computer science is just as foundational today as basic algebra or chemistry. Taking one of these courses early on can be life-changing for Broward students," said Hadi Partovi, Co-Founder and CEO of Code.org.