When will teachers get vaccine?

Have a question about South Florida schools and COVID-19? Sun Sentinel reporter Lois Solomon will find the answer. Submit your question at SunSentinel.com/AskLois or email lsolomon@sunsentinel.com.

“Aren’t teachers ’essential workers’ in that we must report to work? Now that the vaccine is available, did we lose that dubious title so that we aren’t pushed to the front of the line to get it? Who is fighting for us? I personally feel that all the fight has left us and we just have to suck it up and take it.” — Palm Beach County teacher via Facebook

According to the federal government, teachers are essential workers. Over the summer, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency placed teachers in the same category as doctors, firefighters, police officers and grocery store workers, declaring them all “critical infrastructure workers.” Still, the memorandum made it clear the department was not issuing a mandate, just advice.

But in December, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said residents of long-term care facilities would be the top priority in our state, along with health care workers and people older than 65 and those with underlying health conditions.

Florida’s teacher union and school superintendents have been urging DeSantis to follow the federal guidance. Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie has been in touch with the governor, and Palm Beach County Superintendent Donald Fennoy sent DeSantis a letter urging teacher vaccinations on Jan. 13.

Still, it’s not looking good for teachers, at least in this current chaotic round of shots. There is tremendous demand from people who are 65 and older, who have faced an assortment of bureaucratic and technical snafus, including hours-long lines, crashed websites and jammed phone lines, as they try to get their injections. The state is unlikely to add a new category of eligibility any time soon.

“Why does the school year start so early? Palm Beach County wants to start on Aug. 10 next year. That’s like the middle of the summer!”

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Suzanne, Boca Raton

Florida’s August school start dates tend to jolt parents who grew up in Northern states that started each school year after Labor Day. Aug. 10 is the earliest start date allowed by state law, and Palm Beach County has been starting on that date or close to it for many years, although the pandemic forced it a few weeks later in 2020.

In Palm Beach County, the school board likes the first semester to end before winter break.

So in a 180-day school year, they need to get in about 90 days of school before Christmas. There are typically a lot of holidays in the fall, including two Jewish holidays and a week off for Thanksgiving. These district-wide days off force increasingly early start dates, to the frustration of some families that send their kids to Northeastern sleep-away camps or plan family vacations in August.

A new Palm Beach County calendar for next year came out this week, and Aug. 10 is once again the date proposed for school to start next year. The school board will discuss the calendar on Jan. 20.

“I thought kids had to stay six feet apart at school. Now I’m hearing the Broward school district is abandoning that policy. What happened?”

Some Broward schools have been warning their families that the six-feet recommendation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer be tenable come next semester, when additional students are expected to return to campus. Only 26% currently enter school buildings each day, allowing for lots of space to stay distanced.

“Due to more students returning to campus, many classrooms will have relaxed physical distancing protocols,” reported a newsletter from Eagle Ridge Elementary in Coral Springs.

It’s not clear yet how many kids will be returning; a survey showed it will be around 39%. Everyone will have to wear masks. Superintendent Robert Runcie said some American school districts keep their kids only three feet apart, “and they’re not seeing any real difference in transmission.”

The new semester starts Wednesday, Jan. 13.

“Is it true I will have to send my child back to school for the FSA (Florida Standards Assessment)? I have kept him

home for a reason (it’s called coronavirus) and have no desire for him to re-enter that building until we are all vaccinated.”

— Broward parent via Facebook

Your son may soon be returning to his school for the first time in a long time. According to the Broward school district: “Current guidance from the Florida Department of Education indicates that state examinations, including FSA and End-of-Course exams, will require students to be at school for the examination administration.”

It’s bad news for many, but standardized testing is not taking a break for the pandemic. The Florida Statewide Assessments, which measure student progress in core subjects, will proceed in April and May as scheduled.

There aren’t many options for families who want to avoid re-entering a school building. Students with disabilities can take alternative tests, or check with the Opt Out Florida Network, which opposes standardized exams, for their suggestions.