CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The state mandate for schools to re-open five days a week caused chaos for leaders in the Clay County school district who had been working on a reopening plan. Now they have to make changes.
This as the Clay County Education Association, the local teacher’s union, is saying many of its members who would go back into schools are immune-compromised.
Under its draft plan released last month, the district was preparing for three scenarios based on how widespread the novel coronavirus is when the 2020-2021 school year begins on Aug. 11.
With little to no cases, under the draft plan, Clay County students would return to campus classrooms as they normally would with some new health and safety protocols in place.
If there was a moderate spread of COVID-19, like the state is seeing now with a record number of new cases, elementary students would attend schools but be broken up into groups to limit interactions between staff and students. Under the draft plan, high school and middle school students would go on a hybrid schedule with some classroom learning and some distance learning.
The hybrid plan is out the window now, because no matter how widespread the virus is next month, the district will have to offer on-campus learning for high school and middle school students five days a week, due to the mandate from the Florida Department of Education.
Parents are sounding off in the News 4 Clay County Facebook Group with many supporting the reopening of schools.
“They need to reopen schools,” one commenter said. “Mine will be going TO THE CLASSROOM.”
But a lot don’t support the move and will be keeping their children home for virtual learning.
“Probably distance learning,” said Jennifer Colvin. “They actually did pretty well. They actually had better grades with distance learning then they did when in school.”
The Clay County Education Association, which represents teachers, told News4Jax it feels the mandate is political bullying and members are worried about going back.
“Forty percent of our respondents said that they have a medical condition that makes COVID especially dangerous for them,” said Victoria Kidwell, incoming President of the Clay County Education Association. “An additional 36% are caregivers of someone who is over the age of 65 or has an immune-compromised condition.”
Carol Studdard, Chair of the Clay County School Board, said the district will tweak its plan by the end of this week for parents to review.
“This is unlike anything I have ever witnessed and the goal for all of us is to keep our kids and our staff safe,” Studdard said.
The district will be releasing its updated reopening plan as soon as Thursday, if not by the end of the week.
The school board will hold a workshop at 3:30 p.m. on July 14 to discuss the plan further.
A survey will also be sent to parents to ask if they intend to send their children to campus or if they prefer Clay Virtual Academy.