Discussions surrounding the official reopening of schools are still taking place, but Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie has already indicated that he is targeting Oct. 5 for a return to in-person learning.
The announcement came after Broward and Miami-Dade had been given the green light to join the state’s phase two reopening over a week ago.
Runcie proposal sees elementary school students starting on Oct. 5, with middle and high students going back on October 12.
The reopening is phase two of BCPS’s e-Learning model which gives families the option of the student receiving eLearning instruction either from home or by being physically present in the school. Students will stay in the same grades, have the same teachers and take the same courses.
The Superintendent is to make the official recommendation to the school board during the Sept. 22 workshop.
Meanwhile, in Miami-Dade County, students are expected to return to school at the end of Septemeber.
“We will then begin welcoming students, whose families indicated a preference for the schoolhouse model during Stage 2 in July, on Wednesday Sept. 30th,” said Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho.
The reopening plan for the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) includes:
- a face mask requirement
- directional hallways
- staggered start dates dependent on the students’ age
- a hybrid of online and traditional learning
The district will also make sure every family has a thermometer at home.
In Palm Beach Country, students went back to school on Monday, September 21, but the reopening was not smooth sailing. The School District of Palm Beach County Facebook page received complaints from parents about many teachers being absent from classes.
According to the Palm Beach Post, roughly one-third of students in the district actually showed up to school and more than 900 teachers (representing one in twelve) were absent.
