Promoted as a model by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos for its comprehensive reopening plan, Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Florida offers up to five days of in-person learning, along with an online option. But the superintendent is now questioning the possibility of children returning to classrooms on the first day of school if the city remains the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, though Florida’s new reopening plan mandates that the state’s public schools Reopen in August for at least five days per week for all students.
Republicans have said for decades that school decisions should be made at the state and local levels, and have often scorned the United States Department of Education. So even when Trump and DeVos push kids onto buses and back to school, they can’t force the problem. Most education spending is monitored at the state and district levels, and the federal government can do little to meet Trump’s demands that schools be reopened and aid in an economic recovery.
“We want teachers and students to be face-to-face, as much as possible safely,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Connecticut Democrat), head of the congressional panel that controls spending on education, said Monday. “In some states in the nation with a virus that is out of control, we cannot simply open schools based on the statements of the secretary of education.”
Trump was asked Monday what he would say to concerned parents who saw the news that a teacher in Arizona, another virus hot spot, recently died after teaching an online summer school class. Two teachers who shared their class also contracted the virus.
“Yes, schools should open,” said Trump. “Schools should open up. Children want to go to school. You’re losing a lot of lives by keeping things closed. “
Despite the administration’s lobbying campaign, the federal workforce in the DC suburbs may still have children at home for the foreseeable future.
Montgomery County, Maryland’s largest school system, could start remote learning before gradually returning to students in the fall. Parents of students at the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, one of the nation’s largest districts and a frequent target for DeVos, have been asked to choose either full-time online instruction or at least Wednesday two days of in-person instruction.
Here is what some of the larger school districts plan:
New York
Most children in the nation’s largest school system will go to school two or three days a week, city leaders announced last week. Families will also have the option of learning full time online if they do not feel confident returning to school in person.
“We can regain learning for students. We cannot bring back a student who is infected and dies, ”said School Chancellor Richard Carranza.
Los Angeles, San Diego
Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified, which collectively enrolled more than 700,000 students, issued a joint announcement that students will resume classes next month online in hopes of returning to physical classrooms sometime in this school year “as soon as public health conditions allow.”
Teachers have increased their opposition to the reopening of campuses in the fall, and the California Teachers Association said last week that schools are not safe to open, citing a resurgence in cases and the need for more protective gear. personnel and other supplies.
Chicago
Chicago Public Schools is conducting family surveys, and Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said Friday that schools may have “some capacity for in-person instruction” if the city keeps its cases under control, ABC 7 Chicago reported. But a poll of Chicago Teachers Union members released last week found that more than 85 percent of respondents felt they shouldn’t or couldn’t return to work in the fall without a detailed plan and resources to ensure safety. The union is currently negotiating with the school system about the reopening plan.
Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Parents have until Wednesday to decide their preferred fall option, whether it’s up to five days at school or learning online. “If the conditions on August 24 are the current, it would be very difficult for us to reopen the schools,” Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said on MSNBC Monday.
Carvalho said that if conditions prevent them from reopening schools, they plan to provide alternatives, including continuous remote teaching and various hybrid models. “But we are ready to swing between any of those models, based on medical and public health advice from local entities here in our community,” he said.
DeVos, in CNN Union State on Sunday, touted the plan to have a “wide variety of approaches, but with the expectation that if he has to move into a remote instruction situation, he will have full-time learning for all. the students”. at all times.”
Clark County, Nev.
County officials, which includes Las Vegas, are considering a plan that requires in-person learning calls two days a week and online learning for three. Another option is online-only instruction, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
The Clark County School District’s board of trustees approved the plan last week for submission to the state, but it is still subject to change, the newspaper reported.
Broward County, Florida
Despite the state mandate, the Broward County School District is still considering whether to reopen classrooms when school begins on August 19.
The school district’s plan has not yet been finalized, Sun Sentinel reported, and the district and the teachers union are discussing safety issues with in-person instruction.
“At this time, we do not see a realistic path to open all district schools with 100 percent full enrollment every day as we were before schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Superintendent Robert Runcie the last week.
Houston ISD, Texas
HISD Acting Superintendent Grenita Lathan said the district is still finalizing its fall plans, but is considering resuming classes in person, online instruction, or hybrid models. Parents are expected to receive an update to the district plan by July 15.
The Houston Teachers Union intervened with a number of recommendations, including the start of the school year online, if the number of Covid-19 cases has not yet decreased for 14 consecutive days. She says educators, support staff and parents “fear reopening without the infrastructure and investment to do so safely and equitably.”
Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida.
Superintendent Addison Davis, citing CDC guidance, announced that masks will be required at all schools when classes resume on August 10. He said it was the “best option” to keep teachers, staff, and students safe, and Davis added that they will all receive three reusable masks each, which equates to more than 760,000 masks. Parents must tell the district how their students will attend school this fall before July 17 and can choose between committing to traditional school or distance learning.
Orange County Public Schools, Fla.
Parents of Orange County Public Schools are asked to discuss three options for their children to attend school: face-to-face instruction, which is required by the state, virtual education through Orange Virtual County, that the district said it has been around for several years, or OCPS [email protected], a new option that requires state approval but allows parents to choose a hybrid model. Under the last option, students would follow standard school hours and bell times, according to the district website. The school board is expected to vote on a complete reopening plan this week.
Palm Beach County School District, Florida.
Palm Beach County schools are looking to start the school year completely online, despite the state’s reopening plan.
So far, the school board has not formally approved a reopening plan, but the board is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to approve a plan by District Superintendent Donald Fennoy. The local teachers union and school board agreed to start school online last week, The Palm Beach Post reported.
Fennoy recommends that schools start online for all students, “allowing a gradual return to brick-and-mortar in-person instruction when county health conditions allow,” according to Wednesday’s schedule. It is also asking the board for authority to implement the plan “as necessary to protect the health, safety, and welfare of students and employees.”
Erin Durkin and Mackenzie Mays contributed to this report.
