The Miami-Dade County School Board has unanimously passed the district's school reopening plan and parents now have to decide in which way they feel the most comfortable moving forward with schooling for their children.
Some of the plans include alternating days of physical instruction as well as plexiglass dividers for the teachers. MDCPS superintendent Alberto Carvalho stated:
“Part of the plan relies on increased social distancing, but we cannot guarantee six feet of distance. In fact the department of education, in their guidance to all districts in Florida, recognizes and asserts that six feet of social distancing in a classroom between desks is probably impossible to be accomplished, that is why the wearing of masks will be a requirement. We’re gonna do our very best in terms of social distancing in the classrooms, our very best in terms of utilizing non-traditional educational space like media centers, like gymnasiums for the purpose of amplifying educational space, but the likelihood that all schools will be able to accomplish six feet of separation between desks is very, very small.”
Some teachers reacted, as reported by NBC Miami:
“I need to stay safe, my students need to stay safe, and I need to be able to instruct them in an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning,” Kearns said. “I certainly want to be with my students and teach them face-to-face, the concerns are the risk factors.” – Andrew Kears, Jose Marti MAST Academy
“I’m apprehensive because of the social distancing. Schools are not made for social distancing, and they never have been, so now that we have this new challenge, I think of all the ways that can create complications. There’s not anything I want more than to go back to school.” – Molly Winters-Diallo, Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High
Which option will you be selecting for the following school year?