Florida Board of Education may extend quarantine attendance rule

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The State Board of Education on Wednesday will consider extending a temporary rule that allows students who are ordered to quarantine at home because of COVID-19 to be counted for attendance at school.

The board voted on Aug. 6 to adopt an emergency rule that said students under a quarantine directive can be deemed in attendance if they are “engaged in an educational activity which constitutes a part of the school-approved instructional program for that pupil.” The emergency rule, which was only effective for 90 days, is set to expire in the first week of November.

The state board will consider making the rule effective through the remainder of the school year, with one substantial tweak. A proposed amendment to the rule would place a 10-day cap on the amount of days a student under quarantine could be counted for attendance.

The rule would continue to say that students under stay-at-home orders can only be considered in attendance if school instructional staff is “available to assist the student with assignments and curriculum during the stay-home directive.”