Broward schools will review plan

After complaints, district backtracks on reopening date

The Broward School Board backtracked on a plan to wait until October to even consider reopening campuses, deciding Tuesday to review the issue as early as this month.

The district will start the new year with remote learning only Aug. 19 due to the continued spread of COVID-19 in South Florida. But the School Board decided it will revisit whether to start inperson classes every two weeks, instead of waiting until Oct. 1, as a draft plan suggested.

School Board members said they heard from a lot of parents were alarmed after the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported the Oct. 1 target to reconsider opening.

“I monitor social media and that date did scare a lot of people,” board member Robin Bartleman said. “It’s created a huge amount of controversy and concern in the community.”

Board member Donna Korn said she too had heard from parents who were uneasy about waiting until October.

Superintendent Robert Runcie said his intent was never to keep schools closed if conditions improve.

“We want our kids in schools as soon as possible. I think that’s the message we need to get across,”

Runcie said. “We’re certainly going to continue to monitor conditions. As soon as it’s absolutely favorable, we will reconsider.”

Runcie dismissed a concern by Bartleman that a delay in opening could persuade parents to enroll their children in charter or private schools.

Most charter schools plan to start online for the first weeks, while many private schools plan to open for in-person learning.

“I don’t buy the fact we’re going to have some mass exodus,” Runcie

said. “Yes, some are going to do it. We’re going to get school started as early as we can.”

The School Board set a target of having the daily positive rate of COVID-19 infections get down to 3% to 5% for a two-week period before schools reopen. After staying below 10% for the past week, the positivity rate in Broward climbed to 10.2% in a state report released Tuesday.

Some parents doubted Runcie and the School Board are actually close to opening schools, despite their pledge to consider it soon.

“Sadly, I feel this is just talk with no real intention. The School Board has not been transparent at all,” parent Jennifer Levi wrote on Facebook. “Those surveys seem to have been BS as our voices were most definitely not heard and implemented into action.”

A parent survey sent out this summer found about a third of parents wanted to return to class, a third preferred remote learning and a third wanted a combination of the two.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran have been urging school districts to reopen as soon as possible, saying most children

“Sadly, I feel this is just talk with no real intention. The School Board has not been transparent at all.

Jennifer Levi, parent

are spared the devastating effects of the coronavirus and remote learning is a poor substitute for face-toface instruction.

The state approved a reopening plan for Broward last week that started the year off with virtual learning, but that plan didn’t mention the district would wait until October to consider reopening.

The School Board approved a more detailed reopening plan at Tuesday’s meeting.