District doesn’t plan to offer remote learning in fall

Most students who attend Palm Beach County public schools are likely to return to in-person learning in August, Schools Superintendent Donald Fennoy announced Friday.

The district plans to stop offering distance learning when the current school year ends, meaning most students will have to return to campus when school starts on Aug. 10, according to an email Fennoy sent to parents.

“A full return to brick and mortar this fall is anticipated and I believe it is in the best interest of our students and staff,” he wrote in the email.

Fennoy said the district made the decision based on rising vaccination rates and “irrefutable data” that shows virtual classes hurt students’ academic progress.

“I cannot overstate the academic, social, and emotional benefits of returning to in-person instruction,” he wrote. “Students thrive while learning among friends and caring adults in their school setting.”

He also said the move would come as a welcome return to normalcy for teachers who have been giving simultaneous instruction, which he called a “heavy lift” for teachers that has also left virtual students struggling. On Friday, the state announced it would waive school testing rules for grading and graduation. Because of the pandemic, more than 30% of Florida’s public school students are studying online from home.

Students who fell behind this year will have to catch up in summer school, Fennoy wrote. Parents will be notified by their child’s school.

Those who don’t want their children to return to campus can enroll them in the district’s virtual school but would have to unenroll them from their previous school.

Schools have been open for in-person learning in Palm Beach County since late September and in Broward and Miami-Dade since mid-October, but most students stayed home, often due to parents’ concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19.

At a Broward County school board meeting in March, Superintendent Robert Runcie said schools will be open in the fall, but the only question is if the district will offer a virtual option for those who want it. Runcie said he doesn’t know if the state will allow and fully fund it.