Reopening suit goes to judge: Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson is expected to decide as early as today whether the state’s order to reopen schools for students five days a week is within the state’s authority or illegal because it violates the Florida constitution’s guarantee to provide a safe and secure education for students. The Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, brought the suit. The state has countered by pointing out that it also is required to provide a high-quality education. “This is a tough balance,” Nathan Hill, an attorney with the Gunster law firm that represents the state, said during closing arguments Friday. “But we are required to balance not only safety, but everything. And this is a reasonable way that we’ve decided to do it.” News Service of Florida. USA Today Network. Education Week. WUSF. WFSU. WTSP. WKMG.
Teacher firings threatened: Teachers who don’t show up for work because they’re worried about the coronavirus will be “terminated,” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran threatened in an interview Friday with Fox News. “Gov. (Ron) DeSantis just led the largest single pay increase ever for teachers in the state of Florida so we’re not having a problem recruiting teachers to come to sunny Florida, a low tax state with great educational opportunities,” Corcoran added. Later in the day, Corcoran acknowledged that he doesn’t have the power to fire teachers; that would have to be done by school districts. In the Fox interview, Corcoran also called the lawsuit fighting the state’s order to reopen schools “an absolutely frivolous case.” Florida Politics. WOFL. WJXT.
Aid for private schools: Private schools in four central Florida counties received almost $5.4 million in federal coronavirus aid from the CARES Act through public school districts and at least $17.7 million from the federal Payroll Protection Program. U.S. Department of Education officials have said the aid was necessary because most private schools serving low- and middle-income students were “under great financial strain” because of the pandemic, and that more than 100 had already announced they would not be reopening. Orlando Sentinel.
Around the state: Another Florida child under the age of 18 has died of complications from the coronavirus, more school districts are reopening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated guidance for schools, which emphasize keeping schools open if possible, and the ousted director of the Florida Health coronavirus database has started a version for schools in Florida and around the nation. Here are more developments on school reopenings and other news from the state’s districts and private schools:
South Florida: Mental health experts are offering advice on how south Florida parents and students can identify and cope with the stress they feel by starting the school year with online learning and not being able to interact directly with classmates and teachers or take part in extracurricular events. “Kids may not be aware of their anxiety or stress,” said Kasi Patterson, a Broward licensed clinical psychologist. “It’s important we as caregivers are observant of changes in behavior — hair twirling, pencil biting, chewing on nails.” Sun Sentinel.
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco: A 6-year-old Hillsborough student has become the youngest Florida victim of the coronavirus, and the eighth child under the age of 18 to die. No other details have been released. Tampa Bay Times. Orlando Sentinel. WTSP. CNN. Schools reopen today in Pinellas and Pasco counties with a mixture of in-person and online learning. Hillsborough’s schools also begin, but with a week of online learning before some students return to classrooms Aug. 31. Tampa Bay Times. WFLA. WTVT. WTSP. The pandemic has brought special problems for special needs students. For many, losing the daily contact with teachers and other trained school employees has been replaced with a parent in charge, which has often led to academic regression. “His teachers know how to get him out of his funks,” said Peggy Steele, mother of a 9-year-old son who’s in 3rd grade. “They’re professionals. They have the training. I don’t have those same tools.” Tampa Bay Times. The first school built in Hillsborough County in more than a decade opens for students next week. Sumner High School in Riverview cost $70 million and was built to hold 1,900 students. WFTS.
Orange: An English teacher at Glenridge Middle School in Orlando has been arrested and accused of sexual battery on a child. Deputies said Kenneth Black, who has been a district teacher since 2016, fondled a girl. District officials said the alleged incident did not happen at school, and that Black has been put on leave. WESH.
Polk: The teachers union has filed a grievance against the school district, alleging that it has “unilaterally, arbitrarily” and discriminatorily denied requests from teachers who asked to teach remotely under the Americans with Disability Act. Union president Stephanie Yocum said 543 employees asked for a remote teaching assignment because of pre-existing health conditions. Eighty-four were denied and 397 were approved. Lakeland Ledger. WFLA. One Polk County teacher quit his job after his request to teach remotely was denied. Richard Littleton said he applied for the online job because his wife is seven months pregnant. “I’m not willing to sacrifice my wife or our first child for Polk County schools,” he said. Lakeland Ledger. District officials said they’re ready for the reopening of schools today. Students will wear masks, social distancing will be enforced and hands will be frequently sanitized. Lakeland Ledger.
Lee and Collier: Two southwest Florida school districts are approaching the release of information about coronavirus cases in schools from different directions. Both will inform people directly affected by cases, including parents and those exposed, and the health department. But Collier has decided to withhold public disclosure of any information, while Lee plans to post an updated daily report of statistical changes on its website. Fort Myers News-Press. High school athletes in Lee and Collier will have to sign waivers that release the school districts from any liability if those athletes contract the coronavirus. Naples Daily News.
Central Florida: Students in Brevard, Osceola, Lake, Marion, Flagler and Sumter counties return to school today. WKMG. Florida Today. Daily Commercial. WKMG. Spectrum News 13. WFTV. A nursing student at Marion Technical College has tested positive for the coronavirus, so those classes are being moved to online for the week. There are 36 students in the nursing program at the school, which is part of the Marion County School District. Ocala Star-Banner. Brevard County has the same number of substitute teachers as it had last year, but is looking to hire more because it anticipates an increased need. WFTV.
Volusia: Teachers at the pre-K through 8th-grade St. Barnabas Episcopal School in DeLand have transformed students’ desks, which have plexiglass shields, into mini Jeeps “as a way to make them feel playful rather than imprisoned.” WOFL. CNN.
Manatee: At least nine county schools have now reported positive coronavirus tests since schools opened a week ago: Ballard Elementary School, Tara Elementary, Willis Elementary, Moody Elementary, Bayshore Elementary, W.D. Sugg Middle, Parrish Community High, the main campus of Manatee Technical College and Rowlett Academy for Arts and Communication. Bradenton Herald. Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Clay: The school district has opened a back-to-school hotline to answer questions parents have about schools reopening. The first day is Tuesday. WJXT. A custodian at Middleburg High School has been arrested and accused of selling a controlled substance to an undercover deputy in the school parking lot. Kristen Howard has been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation. Florida Times-Union. WJXT.
Leon: District officials are launching a call center to answer questions from parents about the coronavirus, online learning and more. WTXL. WCTV. Parents from Chiles High School are organizing a fund-raiser for athletic director Mike Eto, who is fighting COVID-19 from home. Eto’s claim for workers compensation was denied by the school district in July. Tallahassee Democrat.
Alachua: A Gainesville Buchholz High School sophomore is one of just 54 U.S. students and the only one from Florida still eligible to have their artwork turned into a Google “doodle.” Chloe Greene’s design of the theme is called “What Kindness Means to You.” Five of the 54 will be chosen as finalists, with the winner receiving a $30,000 college scholarship, $50,000 worth of technology for the student’s school, and other prizes. Gainesville Sun.
Santa Rosa: The layoffs or reassignments of about 150 teachers were prompted by enrollment losses that will lead to a reduction of $6 million to $7 million in state funding, school officials said. About half of the 75 or so teachers laid off have been rehired to teach online classes. Pensacola News Journal. Charles Elliott’s slim election night lead over Felicia Fortune Northcutt for the District 4 school board seat has held up in a recount. Elliot received 16,698 votes to Northcutt’s 16,677, according to the recount. Pensacola News Journal.
Bay: Federal investigators have subpoenaed various documents from the school district. All communications by any school board member, school administrator or department head, including Superintendent Bill Husfelt, Doug Lee and Leon “Lee” Walters, with representatives from GAC Contractors Inc. are sought. The nature of the inquiry has not been disclosed. WJHG. Joanna Odom, a 2nd-grade teacher at Waller Elementary School in Youngstown, has died. She fell ill Aug. 10, according to district officials, who did not release a cause of death. Grief counselors will be available on campus. WMBB.
Martin: Nearly 50 more county students and staff are under quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus. At Port Salerno Elementary School, 35 students are switching to remote learning and four employees are under quarantine, and nine students and an employee at Pinewood Elementary are also affected. WPTV. WPEC.
Citrus: An undisclosed number of Crystal River High School students have been encouraged to quarantine after another student reported an unconfirmed positive coronavirus test. Seven classes were moved so classrooms could be cleaned. Citrus County Chronicle.
Northeast Florida: Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and Columbia students return to school today. Nassau and Putnam schools are requiring students to wear masks. In Flagler, masks are mandatory for grades 3-12 and encouraged for younger students, while Columbia is encouraging face masks for students in grades 3-12. Despite those rules and other precautions such as social distancing, health officials say coronavirus infections are inevitable. WJXT. Daytona Beach News-Journal. WJAX.
Okeechobee: A teacher at South Elementary School in Okeechobee has contracted COVID-19, according to district officials. Twenty-four students and two adults are under quarantine. Cases were also reported last Tuesday and Thursday. WPTV.
Jackson: District officials are delaying the first day of school for 1st-graders at the Marianna K-8 School until Sept. 8 after learning that some of the teachers and other employees were exposed to the coronavirus. All other county schools open today. WMBB. WJHG.
Wakulla: A class at Crawfordville Elementary School and two teachers have been quarantined for 14 days after a student tested positive for the coronavirus.. WCTV. WTXL.
Bradford: An undisclosed number of students are under quarantine orders after at least one positive coronavirus test was discovered last week at Bradford Middle School. WJXT.
Taylor: Concern over the potential impact from a storm in the Gulf of Mexico has postponed the scheduled first day of school today until Thursday. “We realize that this is an early call but did not want to wait until the last minute to make the decision,” Superintendent Danny Glover said Friday. “This will also give additional time considering the incidents in our schools where several staff members are being quarantined.” WCTV.
Calhoun: All 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade students at Altha Public School have been advised by the Florida Department of Health in Calhoun County to go into quarantine after someone at the school tested positive for the coronavirus. WMBB. WJHG.
Franklin: Several students and staff members have been put under quarantine after they were exposed to the coronavirus, Superintendent Traci Yoder has announced. No other details were announced, and Yoder warned parents that they can expect “perpetual disruptions” from quarantine orders. Apalachicola Times. WJHG.
Colleges and universities: Four University of Miami students have tested positive for the coronavirus, others were showing symptoms and more than 50 have been quarantined. Miami Herald. Higher education institutions in Florida are reopening with mandatory use of face masks, social distancing guidelines, outdoor classes, staggered schedules, a mix of in-person and online learning and more precautions. News Service of Florida. Tampa Bay Times. Gainesville Sun. WSVN. WINK. Florida Polytechnic University said its freshman class is nearly 500, which is about 20 percent above last year. Lakeland Ledger.
More on the coronavirus: Laptops and other equipment needed for remote learning are in short supply around the United States. Dell, HP and Lenovo, the three largest computer-makers, said they have 5 million more orders than laptops. “This is going to be like asking an artist to paint a picture without paint. You can’t have a kid do distance learning without a computer,” said Tom Baumgarten, a California superintendent. Associated Press.
Opinions on schools: It’s clear that the precautions protecting us from the COVID-19 virus do not create ideal conditions for learning, but they are absolutely necessary for sustaining our educational system, economy and personal health until a vaccine is discovered and widely distributed. Charles Lockwood, Tampa Bay Times. Florida and three other states are using federal coronavirus aid to expand private school choice options. Here’s why that’s a good thing. Jude Schwalbach, National Interest. Here are nine indicators to watch as a gauge of how well school reopenings are going. Tampa Bay Times. Santa Rosa County school Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick owes teachers and taxpayers alike better answers for why about 80 educators are being fired at a time when our students need them more than ever. Pensacola News Journal. Pods are a “new-market foothold” that are competing with non-consumption (closed public schools), and could fundamentally change the education marketplace. Lindsey Burke, redefinED. During the week Florida reopened its public schools amid a pandemic with no end in sight, Duval County Superintendent Diana Greene rolled up her sleeves and spent most of the first day teaching 3rd grade. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, meanwhile, took a victory lap on Fox News and CNN. Nate Monroe, Florida Times-Union. Despite the extra two weeks of preparation time, both St. Lucie and Indian River schools may be walking into the same minefield Martin County schools began traipsing through earlier this month. Gil Smart, TCPalm. We all should be looking for ways to encourage the teachers who are in the middle of the most frightening situation they’ve ever seen in a professional setting. Paul Cottle, Bridge to Tomorrow. Parents of today are saddled with an eerie version of “choice,” where they have to draw momentous conclusions for their children — whether it’s even safe to go to class —based on insufficient information. This is deeply unfair. Barbara Peters Smith, Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
