ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Parents have submitted their choices for the school year in St. Johns County. The deadline was Friday. First Coast News obtained Monday's tally from the school system.
Seventy percent of students will go back to a brick-and-mortar school when the 2020-2021 school year starts. Parents told First Coast News they had different reasons for making the hard decisions they did.
Liz Boyett is a mother and a teacher at a high school in St. Johns County. Her daughter attends the same school. Boyett has made the tough decision to send her child to the school building this coming school year.
"Because I can’t stay home as a teacher, she is going to go to school with me," Boyett said. "She’s very bright but she’s not the most self-motivated child. Really, I felt I had no choice but to send her back to brick-and-mortar even though I’m not 100 percent comfortable with that."
Boyett is concerned for her daughter’s health and safety and for her husband's too.
"My husband has a pre-existing condition that makes him susceptible to having complications from COVID-19," she said. "So, I’m not only concerned with her bringing home the virus to him but also about me bringing home the virus as a teacher."
In addition to the majority of students returning to school buildings, Monday’s tally also shows:
- Twenty-three percent of students will attend the school-based, on-line learning, similar to what was done in the spring
- One percent of students will do virtual school
- Six percent of students will be homeschooled
Jen Davis has two sons in the St. Johns County school district. One is in middle school, and the other is in high school. She and her husband are choosing to keep them both at home to do the school-based distanced learning, similar to what they did in the spring.
"We felt the transition would be smoother when it’s time to transition back in," Davis said.
She also believes the brick and mortar schools may have to close.
"I’m not confident how long it will stay open with the level of virus we have in the community," Davis said.
Davis said online learning for the first nine weeks will be more consistent for her sons. Also, online schooling is feasible for their family.
"I work from home. My husband works from home," she said.
Davis hopes that by keeping her sons at home, there will be fewer students to transmit the virus to teachers like Boyett.
Boyett is already coming up with a back-to-school plan that's different this year.
"I’m getting us all new masks so we can switch out every day and wash them every day," Boyett explained. "I’m reiterating to my daughter she needs to wash her hands frequently and keep her mask on no matter what her friends are doing."