Keeping track of back-to-school plans in Central Florida
WFTV.com | By Katlyn Brieskorn | July 12, 2020
ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a big week for back-to-school planning in Central Florida. Several counties will unveil their plans for returning students to school in August.
Most district plans include face-to-face learning, online learning or a combination of both.
Here is a list of counties that will reveal back-to-school plans this week:
Seminole County
Leaders will finalize the district’s back-to-school plan Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the district sent out a survey to teachers to provide feedback on a 38-page final draft of school district’s reopening plan.
The plan includes everything from social distancing guidelines to cleaning protocols and contingency plans.
For parents not sure about sending their children back to the classroom, there will also a virtual school option.
Orange County
During a meeting, school board members and district staff discussed three options.
The three options available to families are:
- Face-to-face, in-classroom learning.
- Full-time virtual school with Orange County Virtual School.
- LaunchED digital learning program, which will be an option for families who want to stay connected to the school but don’t feel comfortable sending them back into the classroom just yet.
The county will finalize its plan Tuesday.
Channel 9′s Greg Warmoth sat down for a one-on-one interview will Orange County superintendent Barbara Jenkins on Central Florida Spotlight.
She said she knows parents and students have concerns about returning to the classroom and that teachers are also worried about their health.
“We have to give reassurances to keep everyone safe. The pandemic doesn’t just reside in our schools but we don’t want schools to become hotspots because we are careless,” Jenkins said.
Watch the full interview below:Central Florida Spotlight: Orange County superintendent lays out back to school plan
Click here to read more about the reopening plan.
Osceola County
Osceola County families will have the option to choose how their children learn when classes resume this fall.
Osceola County Schools has released its plans to welcome students and staff back this fall, marking the first Central Florida school district to do so.
Families will have three options. The first option is to send children back to their assigned school for face-to-face learning, as they always have.
The second option is to do digital online classes with their assigned school.
The third option would be Osceola Virtual School for students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Leaders will review its already approved plan with parents and teachers Tuesday.
To learn more about the plan, click here.
Brevard County
Brevard Public Schools drafted plan to return students to the classroom whether it be in-person, through virtual school, e-learning or some combination of instruction.
The district has also outlined a host of procedures designed to protect students and staff members, some of which will be implemented through federal coronavirus relief funding.
The county will finalize its plan Tuesday.
To read more about the plan, click here.
Volusia County
Social distancing will be a big part of Volusia County School District’s reopening plan in August.
The county is considering providing washable masks and hand sanitizer, adding social distancing markers and not allowing students to share food when schools reopen in the fall.
Some school board members are pushing virtual learning as an alternative.
Leaders will review back-to-school plans Wednesday.
Lake County
The county will unveil its final reopening plan later this month. Leaders announced three different learning options as the county prepares for students to return to school in the fall.
The district is offering the following options:
- Traditional in-school learning
- Full-time online learning through Lake County Virtual School
- Modified day learning: a combination of the two choices above.
Parents are asked to visit the Lake County Schools website by July 20 to fill out a form on which option they prefer.
To learn more, click here.
Marion County
Marion County Public Schools is offering two options for returning to school full time in August: traditional face-to-face in a classroom or virtual school with MCPSonline.
Families are asked to choose between the two by Wednesday.
