Commissioner: We want schools fully open
Leaders to use federal aid to help youth who fell behind academically
Florida leaders want the state’s schools open in the fall and plan to use federal aid to help youngsters who fell behind during this spring’s shutdown to catch up.
“We want schools fully open in the fall because there is no better way to educate our kids than having that great teacher in front of that child,” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said at a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis in Melbourne.
Relying on “distance learning,” as schools did starting in midMarch, can cause “real, significant long-term harm,” Corcoran said, especially for children already struggling academically.
“We’re saying open up the schools,” he said, adding that children were “at extremely low risk” of either contracting coronavirus or spreading it to others.
DeSantis, who spoke before Corcoran, said the state’s school districts would have leeway, however, “to be able to craft a solution that makes the most sense for that area.”
In conjunction with the announcement, the Florida Department of Education on Thursday released a 143-page document outlining strategies public schools could use to reopen safely, including disinfecting routines, classroom set-ups, arrival and dismissal plans and arrangements for students and staff at high risk of serious illness if they contracted the coronavirus.
The document encouraged public schools to reopen in August, as scheduled, but said local decisions needed to be made based on health conditions in their counties. It acknowledged that the “social distancing” guidelines in place for the past few months likely could not be strictly enforced on campuses, designed for people to be together.
It said, “6 feet of distance be