Too many threats, too few guidelines for state’s schools
Who has the final say on Florida schools reopening?
What are the standards for Florida schools reopening?
What happens when — not if — students and teachers at Florida schools test positive for COVID-19?
No one seems to know.
Let’s take the first question first. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an order that school districts must offer on-campus instruction five days a week. But then Corcoran insisted that his order wasn’t really an order. Gov. DeSantis, who picked Corcoran for the job, followed up by urging “flexibility.” On Friday, however, Corcoran rejected Hillsborough County’s reopening plan. The district first had called for reopening campuses — Corcoran approved that one — but then asked to hold online-only classes for the first four weeks. DeSantis piled on Monday, telling Hillsborough to reopen. Corcoran also didn’t approve Palm Beach County’s plan. The school board meets Wednesday to discuss alternatives.
So an unelected education commissioner who reports to an unelected, seven-member board of gubernatorial appointees overruled the local officials in whom the Florida Constitution vests the power to run schools and threatens to withhold money. Is that legal?
The Florida Education Association lawsuit against Corcoran’s order could clarify things, but a ruling might not come for months. Meanwhile, those decisions loom. Why wouldn’t all school districts want to welcome back students, knowing that in-person education works so much better than virtual classes? Because the Trump administration and the DeSantis administration have done so little to contain the virus and offered so little guidance. Writing in The Tampa Bay Times, a Hillsborough County teacher noted that there had been at least 220 cases of COVID-19 transmission between students and faculty — over the summer, when schools were closed. District officials hadn’t shared that information and had claimed that strict screening on campuses could make schools resemble airport security.
Yet that’s what full reopening requires. The experiences of schools in Georgia and Indiana show how badly things can go when tough standards aren’t in place.
In addition, supporters of full reopening have asserted that children don’t suffer as much from the virus and don’t spread it. Those assertions seem to be faulty. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the COVID-19 case rate among children in the United States increased by 40 percent over the last two weeks in July. Florida, California and Arizona contributed a collective 25 percent of those cases.
New studies show that the virus can affect children differently, based on age. It can stop the hearts of older children and inflame the blood vessels of younger children. Toddlers with mild symptoms can spread the disease widely.
And, of course, children of color — like their parents — have the worst outcomes. In Florida, Black and Hispanic students make up a majority of the public school population.
Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties remain in Phase 1 of reopening under guidelines of the governor’s task force. What about Phase 2, when districts could allow students back on campus?
The governor’s task force said Phase 2 should happen after a “successful completion” of Phase 1. That means “trajectory of the syndromic and epidemiology criteria while maintaining adequate health care capacity.” There should be “no evidence of a rebound or resurgence of COVID-19 cases…”
Who would determine whether there is “evidence?” Ideally, it would be local health directors. As The Palm Beach Post reported, however, DeSantis prohibited them from offering advice about reopening schools. On Tuesday, Palm Beach County Health Director Alina Alonso told the county commission that further reopening would be “disastrous” until the metrics improve. Though new cases are down, Florida reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday. Hospitalizations last week set a record.
Many school districts have no plans for how to deal with COVID-19 cases. Should all students in a class self-quarantine if a teacher tests positive? Corcoran and DeSantis won’t even order that all students over a certain age wear masks.
Trump wants schools open to make the country appear close to normal, even though we lead the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths. DeSantis and Corcoran want to help Trump. Florida’s students, parents and teachers need their help more.