Both the Duval County and St. Johns County School Boards met Tuesday to discuss reopening plans for their specific districts.
In Duval County, this comes on the heels of a teacher-led 'Motor March' Tuesday morning that consisted of educators protesting the mandated reopening of schools in August, despite the precautionary measures put in place.
Superintendent Diana Greene gave a preview of those measures Monday to members of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville and officially presented her re-opening plan to the school board at the Tuesday morning virtual meeting.
The plan includes learn-at-home options for all grade levels, mandatory masks and additional protocols.
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In St. John's County, the school board asked the school district Tuesday to consider delaying the school year's start date of August 10 in order to better prepare for re-opening during a pandemic.
The board says pushing the start date back would also provide parents more time to make a decision for online or in-person schooling.
The district has already spent $1.7 million preparing its schools to take precautions against COVID-19 ahead of the new school year.
The funding went to items such as personal protective equipment (PPE), thermometers, signage, desk shields, hand sanitizer and items for sanitizing and disinfecting.
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As it stands now, parents have until Friday to choose one of four options for their children next school year.
- Students whose parents choose school-based distance learning will remain attached to their current schools while receiving instruction online. Students must be committed to this plan for nine weeks. The district says prior performance and engagement will be a consideration during enrollment, and all courses may not be available.
- Students whose parents choose St. Johns Virtual School must commit to at least one semester.
- Those who choose homeschooling must withdraw from their district-assigned schools.
- Those who choose brick-and-mortar learning don't need to do anything.
For more information on the St. Johns County School District's back-to-school reopening plan, click here.
