Columbia Homeroom won’t be an option for students next semester

File photo (WSLS)

COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. – Whether they feel comfortable about sending their students back to the classroom or not in January, parents need to be prepared to do so, according to a letter sent to parents Tuesday from Columbia County Schools.

In the letter, Columbia County Superintendent Alex Carswell Jr. explains that the emergency order issued in July that allowed schools to teach students remotely to prevent the spread of COVID-19 expires at the end of the semester.

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“At that time, Columbia Homeroom will no longer be an option,” Carswell wrote.

In the letter, Carswell encouraged parents whose students have been learning remotely to check their grades for the first nine weeks, which have been released through the parent portal online. He said if a student struggled academically with virtual learning, his or her parents should consider returning them to their brick and mortar school sooner rather than later.

“We believe that the longer a struggling student stays out of a traditional setting, the further they may get behind,” Carswell wrote.

He said students who have been successful in Columbia Homeroom can certainly stick with virtual learning through the end of the semester, but he urged parents to begin making plans for next semester when all students will return to brick and mortar learning.

He directed parents with questions to contact their child’s school directly.


About the Author:

A Jacksonville native and proud University of North Florida alum, Francine Frazier has been with News4Jax since 2014 after spending nine years at The Florida Times-Union.