DOE guidance for districts: The Florida Department of Education is still working on guidance for districts on how to react when they get a positive coronavirus test. Until it’s issued, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said, district officials should call the department before making a decision to close schools or classrooms. Corcoran, like Gov. Ron DeSantis, wants schools open and is asking superintendents to be “very, very surgical, not sweeping” when cases develop. “Before you get to the point of closing a classroom, we want to have that conversation with you,” Corcoran said. News Service of Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Gradebook.
Simultaneous teaching: In creating virtual learning options for students that would allow districts to keep more of the state funding per-student, some have settled on what is now being called “simultaneous teaching,” where a teacher is instructing in-person students as well as those following along from home on their computers. Many teachers and parents have flooded the Pinellas County School Board and neighboring districts with complaints that it wasn’t what they were promised and it won’t work. Holly Gibson, who teaches 6th-graders at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle in St. Petersburg, wonders how she can pay attention to students in two places at the same time, and how students will hear each other and collaborate. “The practical aspects of this have not been explained to anyone,” she said. “I don’t see how, practically and realistically, it can work.” The chief academic officer for the district, Kevin Hendrick, conceded it’s not the best situation but during a pandemic, “usual” is out the door. “Nothing that we are doing is optimal,” he said. Tampa Bay Times. WFTS.
Around the state: Today is primary election day for superintendent and school board races, and mediation is scheduled between the state and the Florida Education Association over the union’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state’s order to reopen schools. Meanwhile, here are developments on school reopenings, districts dealing with the coronavirus and other news from the state’s public and private schools:
South Florida: School boards in Broward and Palm Beach counties meet Wednesday to spell out the rules for wearing masks in schools, and what could happen to students who don’t. In Broward, students who don’t follow the mask rules will be “reminded” to put them on and their parents will be called. In Palm Beach County, students who refuse to put on masks could be removed from school and force into learning remotely from home. Further punishment is also an possibility for any student who “blatantly disregards the health and safety of others and/or refuses to comply with wearing a face covering.” Sun Sentinel. Free meals will continue to be available for students in Miami-Dade and Broward counties who are attending school remotely. Miami Herald.
Hillsborough: Several teachers have started a website to track positive coronavirus cases in the school district. Steve Kemp, a teacher at Blake High School, said the information will come from the district, which does not publish it otherwise. “The purpose of it is to provide information that is just not readily available,” said Kemp. The latest district update showed 329 people associated with the district have tested positive: 317 employees and 12 students. WTSP.
Orange: School board members rejected a recommendation from their medical advisory committee to delay the reopening of middle and high schools until Aug. 31. All campuses will open Friday, although online learning has been going on since Aug. 10. The board decided delaying the start for older students would cause a lot of upheaval for parents and schools without significantly improving safety. The vote was 6-2. “This is one of the most difficult decisions we’ll probably every make,” said board member Linda Kobert, but added, “Another change is just too much. It’s just too much.” Orlando Sentinel. WKMG. WOFL. WFTV. WESH. A circuit judge has ruled that the school district must disclose general information and locations of coronavirus cases. Doing so does not violate any privacy laws, the court ruled. The teachers union took the case to a judge when it couldn’t get information about cases from the district. WKMG. WESH. The school district has spend about $8.5 million for coronavirus-related expenses since March, according to administrators. WKMG.
Duval: Students who repeatedly violate the district’s face mask policy could be removed from classrooms and enrolled in online learning, the district has announced. Four stages of discipline have been established, with discipline escalating for each violation. WJXT. Multiple students at two private Duval County schools are in quarantine after several tested positive for the coronavirus. The students attend the Bolles School and Episcopal School of Jacksonville. WJXT. The union representing district school bus drivers has reached an agreement on safety measures with one of the companies that provides transportation for district students, and is continuing to talk with the other company. WJXT.
Pinellas: Even though they have offers of up to $3.3 million from developers for an undeveloped 14-acre site in the north part of the county, school district officials have decided to give a nonprofit group time to raise money to buy the property so it can be preserved. “We thought it was a unique opportunity to work with the community and give them a chance,” said associate superintendent Clint Herbic. “But we’re not going to drag this out forever, so we do need to come to a resolution.” The district bought the land, in an area near the Gulf of Mexico between Tarpon Springs and Palm Harbor, in 1990 but never found a use for it and decided to sell. Tampa Bay Times.
Brevard: About 1,600 of the laptops loaned to students last spring when schools switched to online learning have not been returned, according to district officials. But they said they have enough inventory to get a laptop to every student who needs one. WKMG.
Osceola: The school board is being asked today to approve spending $2 million to set up pool testing for the coronavirus. Tests would be collected in batches from groups of students, classrooms or even schools. If they come back negative, it likely means the virus isn’t being spread. If they come back positive, further testing is done to isolate the persons affected. WESH.
Seminole: Two 5th-grade teachers at Altamonte Springs Elementary School had to go into quarantine after one of them tested positive just days before schools opened Monday. Substitutes will fill in until the teachers are cleared to return. WKMG. WOFL. Students called the first day of school the beginning of “the most unusual school year ever.” Everyone had masks on, plastic shields separated desks, social distancing markers were on the floors everywhere, and so was hand sanitizer. About 44 percent of students chose to go back into classrooms, while 46 percent opted for online learning and 10 percent picked a hybrid model. Some online learners reported problems connecting to school programs. WKMG. WOFL. WFTV.
Manatee: About 48 percent of the district’s students returned to classrooms Monday, with the rest opting for remote learning. Some students were excited, and some were apprehensive. “Going to school during this pandemic . . . it’s kind of scary,” said 15-year-old Warren Pryce, a freshman at Palmetto High. Warren said. Some students called the day “hectic,” while others expecting the usual buzz of a first day were struck by the silence. “People that didn’t know each other were spread out, apart. It was mainly silent,” said 14-year-old Angel Gonzalez. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. WWSB.
Lake: District students can get free coronavirus tests this week at several locations. Parents must register in advance. Schools reopen Aug. 24. WKMG.
Clay: Students will be required to wear masks on school buses, the district has announced. Bus drivers will hand out masks to students who don’t have one. Hand sanitizer will be placed at the front of the bus, but students will be loaded from the back to limit interaction. WJXT.
Leon: A county principal who recovered from the coronavirus is urging parents to choose online learning for their children. Jimbo Jackson is principal at the Fort Braden School, which has already had two employees and the son of one of those employees die from the disease. “I would encourage parents, if they have the ability to keep the children at home as distance learners, to do that until we see a drastic improvement in the numbers, or possibly through the discovery of a viable vaccine,” he said. CNN. Washington Post. The school district has denied a workers’ compensation claim by the Chiles High School athletic director. Mike Eto said he contracted the coronavirus while he was in an enclosed room with a student-athlete who tested positive. The district said in a county with more than 5,000 cases, it cannot be proven that’s how Eto got the disease. Tallahassee Democrat. A local law form has donated $2,000 to the J. Michael Conley Elementary School food pantry. Tallahassee Democrat.
Martin: The number of county students under quarantine since schools reopened a week ago is now 238, according to district officials. One positive coronavirus test has been confirmed, and several other students are showing symptoms associated with the disease. The latest cases have been at Jensen Beach and South Fork high schools. Those students have been switched to online learning while under quarantine. TCPalm. WPTV. Politico Florida. WPEC. Seven semifinalists have been announced for the superintendent’s job, which opens in November when Laurie Gaylord retires. Forty-five people applied for the job. The semifinalists will be emailed a list of questions to be answered. School board members expect to name finalists by Sept 2, and choose the new superintendent by the end of September. TCPalm.
Walton: About 75 percent of the district’s 10,700 students returned to classrooms Monday, while the rest logged in for remote learning. Superintendent Russell Hughes visited several classrooms and said nearly every student was wearing a mask when social distancing was not possible, even though masks aren’t mandatory. “I’m proud of the students, proud of the parents,” he said. Northwest Florida Daily News. WJHG. WMBB.
Okeechobee: About half of the district’s students returned to classrooms Monday, with the other half tuning in from home on their computers. Superintendent Ken Kenworthy said the district is doing everything it can to give students a safe environment, but is also prepared for dealing with positive coronavirus tests. “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” he said. WPTV.
Glades: The first day of school went smoothly, according to West Glades principal Doreen Sabella. “I’m surprised because it is usually hectic but it isn’t more so than any other time,” she said. Most of the 1,600 or so district students returned to classrooms, where the desks were spread out and items such as pens and pencils were not to be shared. Masks are highly encouraged but optional. WBBH.
More on the coronavirus: The pandemic has brought special challenges for LGBTQ students. For some, online learning was a relief to get away from bullying in school. For other students, school was an escape from a lack of support from family or even being homeless because they’d been thrown out of their homes. Either way, the number of LGBTQ students seeking help is climbing. Tampa Bay Times. Another coronavirus-related problem is the backlog in the release of ACT test scores that some students are relying on as they apply for college. WFTX. Eight private schools in central Florida have formed their own conference for fall sports. Daily Commercial.
Opinions on schools: The pandemic has accelerated the trend of cutting out the middleman into core academic instruction. But if policymakers want low-income children and those with special needs to have the opportunity to participate, public policies allowing dollars to follow children will be necessary. Matthew Ladner, redefinED. How many Martin County parents are sending them to school even if they’re sick? Gil Smart, TCPalm. Unless Florida’s policy-makers find a way to maintain or even improve opportunities for the state’s students to achieve at the highest levels in science and engineering, the state will simply fall back onto its dangerous reliance on a tourism industry that has let us down again. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow.
