State presents its case: Final arguments are today in the lawsuit brought by Florida’s largest teachers union challenging the constitutionality of the state’s order that school districts had to open classrooms to students five days a week this month. State lawyers presented their case Thursday to Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson, calling school board members, educators and health experts to explain why reopening schools was the right move and maintaining that the state’s order was not really a command. Instead, they said, it had been “misinterpreted” by the Florida Education Association, which filed the lawsuit. Lawyers for the state also argued that not offering students the option of in-person classes would deprive them of an education and have a “devastating impact” on them. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine, testified for the state that kids are a “very, very small” risk to pass the coronavirus on to adults even if they are infected. “The danger that children pose to teachers is much less than you would expect if you have the mistaken impression that kids spread the disease to adults at the same rate that they spread the flu,” said Bhattacharya. Closing arguments are today at noon. Dodson has ordered the two parties to submit draft ruling recommendations by 5 p.m. today. He will review them and the evidence over the weekend and issue a ruling early next week. News Service of Florida. Politico Florida. WFSU. Tampa Bay Times. Bradenton Herald. WKMG. Capitol News Service. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran explained the state’s aggressive posture on reopening schools in an interview with NPR. NPR.
No FEMA to the rescue: The Florida Department of Education has been telling school districts for months that it can expect reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the money they’ve been spending on personal protection equipment for students and teachers. But FEMA is apparently reconsidering, according to DOE spokeswoman Taryn Fenske. “Normal operation of schools and other public facilities are not considered emergency protective measures,” a FEMA spokesperson said this week. So any claims for reimbursements are being denied, leaving Florida districts running short of money to provide what they consider basic necessities for students and staff. WPTV.
Around the state: Schools districts that opened this week are already reporting positive coronavirus tests and quarantines. Here are more developments on school reopenings and other news from the state’s districts and private schools:
Broward: Students learning remotely reported continuing technical problems on the second day of classes. District officials said the glitches had been fixed and that any problems were isolated. Superintendent Robert Runcie, who said Wednesday that “We don’t anticipate seeing that again tomorrow,” said Thursday that parents should give the district a week for adjustments. WPLG. Jason Stein, the athletic director at Taravella High School in Coral Springs, has died of complications from the coronavirus. He was 46, and had been hospitalized since late July. Sun Sentinel. Sarah Leonardi, 30, and Alexandria Ayala, 27, talk about their elections to the Broward and Palm Beach school boards, respectively. Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough: The district opens for in-school classes Aug. 31, and a state health official told county commissioners Thursday that there will be positive tests, closed classrooms and possibly even closed schools. “We expect cases, we expect closures at least of classrooms and then potentially schools based on the outcomes of our investigation,” said Dr. Douglas Holt, director of the Florida Health Department in Hillsborough. He added, “I don’t think you’ll know much until Oct. 1 or around there, three or so weeks, four weeks, after the official opening.” Tampa Bay Times.
Orange: Schools reopen for in-person instruction today with only about a third of the district’s students attending. They will be required to wear face masks. Desks will be more spaced out in classrooms, and there will be extra cleaning and sanitizing but no campus visitors. Orlando Sentinel. WOFL. Nearly 200 positive coronavirus cases have been reported at schools or district worksites. WFTV. WKMG. A coronavirus rapid testing site dedicated for students and school employees is being opened Monday by the Florida Department of Health-Orange County. WKMG. WMFE.
Duval: About 170 district teachers called in sick for the first day of school Thursday. At least some of them did so as a protest to the resumption of in-person classes. “I’m sick to my stomach,” said Andrew Jackson High School teacher Bradley Fisher, who called in sick but did teach his classes remotely. “I’m morally sick. I’m sick with panic and fear for my students and my colleagues and their lives.” Superintendent Diana Greene called the day a success, though some students reported problems logging into the district’s remote learning platform. Florida Times-Union. WJXT. WJAX. WTLV.
Polk: A teacher at the South McKeel Academy in Lakeland has tested positive for the coronavirus. The teacher has been quarantined, and the school has been deep-cleaned and remains open. Lakeland Ledger. WFLA.
Brevard: Schools open Monday, and thousands of students still have not registered for school. Most are elementary students. District officials said there are about 6,000 fewer of the younger students registered than there were at this point last year. Teachers are being told to just “wait and see” how many students show up. WKMG.
Seminole: Thirty-three students and staff members at Lake Brantley High School have been asked to quarantine themselves after someone on the campus tested positive for the coronavirus. The students affected with revert to online learning. WKMG.
Volusia: District officials have decided that students will be required to wear face masks in classrooms without plexiglass desk dividers or enough space to be able to maintain social distancing. About 62 percent of the district’s students plan to return in-person when schools reopen Aug. 31. Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Manatee: At least five county schools have now had confirmed coronavirus cases, according to district officials. The latest are at Tara Elementary School and Manatee Technical College. The affected areas of all the schools have been disinfected. Students returned to schools Monday. Bradenton Herald.
Collier: No fans will be permitted to attend any county high school athletic events this fall, the district has announced. Football games and volleyball matches will be livestreamed. Naples Daily News. WZVN.
St. Johns: Students who decline to wear masks when schools reopen Aug. 31 could be reassigned to online learning, Superintendent Tim Forson said during an online Q&A with members of the community. Forson also explained the protocols the district will use to keep students as safe as possible and the steps that will be taken when someone falls ill or tests positive. St. Augustine Record. WJXT.
Sarasota: The city of North Port is setting up a computer lab at the Morgan Family Community Center for qualified students to use for distance learning. Students will need to call ahead to reserve a two-hour block to use a computer, starting on the first day of school Aug. 31. WWSB. The school board’s decision to fire a teacher for getting into a physical altercation with a student has been upheld by an independent arbitrator. John Russo confronted a 14-year-old black student who was wearing a hoodie before dismissal at Brookside Middle School on Feb. 15, 2018, the day after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County. The arbitrator ruled Russo did not de-escalate the situation, as required. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Bay: District officials reported that the first day of school went smoothly, with smaller classes, nearly universal mask-wearing and frequent hand-washings. “I don’t want to jinx myself, but it has been remarkably pleasant. All of the students have worn masks and our school district did a good job on giving us supplies,” said Rutherford High School principal Coy Pilson. Panama City News Herald. WMBB. WJHG.
Indian River: Some parents are challenging the district’s decision to require students to wear face masks when schools reopen Monday. Some said there is little or no evidence that masks prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while others say the rule is an infringement on their civil liberties. The school board has given no indication that it plans to reconsider the decision. TCPalm. Fewer teachers and other school employees resigned from the Indian River and St. Lucie school districts this summer than in 2019 despite the pandemic, according to district records. TCPalm.
Charlotte: About 85 percent of the district’s 15,219 students will return to classrooms when schools reopen Aug. 31, said district spokesman Mike Riley. Only 2,159 registered for online learning. Charlotte Sun.
Citrus: Superintendent Sandra Himmel called Thursday “a great first day,” with students wearing face masks when they were supposed to and adhering to one-way walking patterns in hallways. About 25 percent of students are taking classes virtually. Citrus County Chronicle.
Putnam: Students picked up their class schedules and Chromebooks on Thursday at Palatka High School. The first day of classes is Monday. WJXT.
Okeechobee: On the third day of school, 32 students and one teacher from Okeechobee High School were sent home after one of the students tested positive for COVID-19. Eleven of the students were bus riders, and 21 others were from six classrooms. All will switch to online learning while they’re quarantined for 14 days. WPTV. WPEC.
Jackson: New Chromebooks are being provided to every student who asked for one and to every teacher. Superintendent Larry Moore said the 2,000 computers came from the Florida Department of Education. WMBB.
Wakulla: Fourteen kindergarten students and their teacher are under quarantine for two weeks after one of the students tested positive for the coronavirus. Superintendent Robert Pearce did not name the school. This follows a Wakulla News report that two other students tested positive and that nine students went into quarantine earlier this week. Tallahassee Democrat. WFSU. WTXL. WCTV.
Taylor: Several employees for the school district have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Superintendent Danny Glover. He said there were fewer than 10 people affected, and didn’t specify where they worked. Schools open Monday. WCTV.
PTO president arrested: The former acting president of the parent-teacher organization at Elbert Elementary School in Winter Haven has been arrested and charged with making unauthorized purchases with the PTO’s credit card. Aaron Lanier Pickle, 39, was acting president of the PTO in August 2019 when about $3,100 was charged to the card for ATM withdrawals, food, utility payments and Walmart purchases. He told Winter Haven police that the card had been stolen. Lakeland Ledger.
Opinions on schools: Whether a homeschool cooperative or a micro-school is receiving public funding should have no impact on how the parent teachers are regulated. All instruction that is satisfying a state’s mandatory attendance laws should be held to a same standard — background checks but no certification requirements. Doug Tuthill, redefinED. I left Brevard Public Schools due to unsafe work conditions. To be clear, I am not demanding schools stay closed. I am demanding schools return only when it’s safe and equitable. Sofia Mazo, Florida Today. The Alachua County School District faces a serious coronavirus-related budget crunch. School board chair Eileen Roy, Gainesville Sun. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said, regarding children and the coronavirus, that, “The fact is, in terms of the risk to school kids, this is lower risk than seasonal influenza.” We rate the statement mostly true, though it’s uncertain if that’s because schools had closed since March and whether the rates will go up as classrooms reopen. PolitiFact.
