ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida school children will not return to class until at least April 15 because of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, joining Gov. Ron DeSantis during a news conference Tuesday, said the state has directed K-12 schools to extend the timeline of students not going to campus until mid-April due to coronavirus concerns.
The April 15 date means as students' spring break comes to an end, virtual learning will continue until then, at least. Many parents and their students are now wondering what the next steps are in their own district.
Here’s a breakdown of what each district is doing moving forward. 10News will continue to update with article with the most up to date information from each district.
Hillsborough County School District:
- They have had Virtual School for many of their students for years, but have never had to switch to eLearning district wide.
- Working on their plan for eLearning moving forward.
- They will provide teachers, staff, parents, and students with guidance on what assignments will be required and what the expectations are.
- They are partnering with Spectrum Broadband and Wi-Fi to give their families and staff access to free access to the internet for 60 days.
Pinellas County School District:
- They have had Virtual School for many of their students for years, but have never had to switch to eLearning district wide.
- Students are off on March 23. The eLearning transition will happen March 24 and 25. Anyone who does not have a device (laptop, iPad, tablet) can pick one up at their school.
- The district expects to give out 15-20 thousand devices. They have the capability of handing out 60-thousand devices if needed.
- They are partnering with Spectrum Broadband and Wi-Fi to give their families and staff access to free access to the internet for 60 days.
- Class by class assignments will start on Monday March 30th
- The superintendent does not believe the year will be extended right now.
- Graduations are scheduled as planned and students should be back in the classroom April 16.
Pasco County School District:
- The district has a distance learning plan that will enable students and teachers to continue teaching and learning.
- A new plan with complete details for parents, students and staff should be released early next week.
- Students will start eLearning instruction on March 31.
- They conducted a survey last week to find out which students will need a device and/or internet at home. They are still working on our plan to ensure learning in households without access to computers and/or internet.
Polk County School District:
- Polk County Public Schools is currently surveying parents to develop an Instructional and Operational Continuity Plan.
- This plan will include both online and paper-based learning methods to ensure student learning continues. They will distribute this plan to staff and post it on their website as soon as it is finalized.
- They are currently asking parents to understand how much technology they may or may not have at home for online learning.
- Parents can fill out this survey online. We are also conducting an automated telephone survey.
Manatee County School District:
- They have the ability to do instruction remotely and are working on a plan they will release to students and parents this week. The plan will be implemented next week.
- They are working on identifying which students need devices and/or internet. They do have laptops and hotspots students can use.
Sarasota County School District:
- Sarasota County Schools will be adhering to all of the guidance that was put out by FLDOE yesterday.
- The district is still working through those plans and will share an update with families and staff when they have more information available.
Citrus County School District:
- The district has been developing its Remote Learning Continuity Plan to ensure students have access to high-quality learning opportunities at home. The plan is intended to reduce the disruption of students by providing alternative, online assignments to extend learning for a long period of time.
- They are making sure instructional materials, like laptops and mobile devices, are available to their students at their homes right now.
- Access to the internet is their greatest challenge, but they are coming up with a plan to help families. Some mobile hotspots will be sent out to more rural areas
- They are also tapping into their bus drivers and food service employees who are able to be utilized in creative ways.
Hernando County School District:
10News will update this section when we hear back from the district.
Highlands County School District:
10News will update this section when we hear back from the district.
Hardee County School District:
- Students will return to school on Thursday, April 16th.
- FSA testing, school grades, and school district grades are eliminated for the 2019-20 school year
- There will be no extracurricular activities that would consist of more than 10 people
- The March 26 school board meeting will be the last face-to-face meeting until further notice. All meetings starting in April will be held virtually
- Students will be served meals daily beginning on Monday, March 23 from each school's parent drop-off or bus loop. This will continue until April 15
- Virtual instruction for our students will begin on Monday, March 30
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