JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – We have heard concerns from parents of school-aged children as schools prepare to reopen this fall, but what about the teachers? There are thousands of teachers in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia who will be asked to return to school next month and some have taken issue with the preliminary plans that have been laid out by school districts. With three weeks to go until final reopening plans are due, News4Jax spoke with two St. Johns County teachers and the president of the teachers union about the protections they hope are in place.
Plus more from Duval County’s school reopening plans, President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding and the fight over renaming local schools.
St. Johns County teachers voice concerns over back-to-school plans
President of the St. Johns County teachers union said she’s worried about having enough substitutes to cover classes when teachers get sick. St. Johns County teachers are thinking about mandatory masks and a potentially overwhelming workload. Superintendent Tim Forson said he is listening.
DCPS crowdfunding $1M needed to rename Jacksonville Confederate schools
The Duval County school district is turning to the community to help defray the cost of renaming six schools currently named after prominent Confederate leaders. Some graduates of Lee High School aren’t happy with the plan.
Duval schools left scrambling to adjust after state mandate
Duval County had already come up with a hybrid plan to allow some students to come back to school but only for a few days a week — to allow for deep cleaning and a reduction on the risk of too many kids on campus at the same time. But now the district has to revamp its plans.
Trump threatens to cut federal aid if schools don’t reopen
President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withhold federal funding if America’s schools don’t reopen in the fall despite the coronavirus, and he lashed out at federal health officials over reopening guidelines that he complained are impractical and expensive.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday echoed Trump’s call to reopen schools during a federal coronavirus task force briefing at the White House.
“Ultimately it’s not a matter of if schools should reopen, it’s simply a matter of how. They must fully reopen and they must be fully operational and how that happens is best left to education and community leaders,” DeVos said.
What are your back-to-school questions?
What are your burning questions as students prepare to return to school in August? Follow this link to submit a question and the News4Jax Education Team will work to get the answer.
Meet the team
The News4Jax Education Team is led by Reporter Joe McLean (jmclean@wjxt.com) who has nearly 10 years of experience as an investigative journalist covering everything from education to politics in Missouri.
Joining him is Digital Reporter Travis Gibson (tgibson@wjxt.com), a Jacksonville native and former high school sports reporter who has written about race issues and allegations of abuse on university and high school campuses across the country.
The goal is to have our reporters bring your questions and concerns to education leaders and hold them accountable. You’ll see their work online and on TV starting this week and throughout the school year.
Facing the Fall is our newsletter covering Jacksonville’s return to school. Interested? You’re already signed up. Our team of reporters will send updates to keep you informed. Not interested? Unsubscribe here.