Time is running out for school districts to make important decisions and put COVID-19 safety measures in place, so many are thinking about pushing back the clock.
Duval County Public Schools on Thursday became the latest local district to bring forward the idea of delaying the start of school to give the district more time to train teachers and prepare for what will surely be a challenging school year. A local doctor agrees with the idea.
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Districts in St. Johns County and Clay County are doing the same. Alachua County schools on Wednesday voted to push back the first day of school for students to Aug. 24.
Duval Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene said by her count, about one-third of school districts in the state are moving start dates back.
The Duval County school board will make its decision on a reopening plan July 23 at 5 p.m.
A few hours before that decision, News4Jax is hosting a virtual forum with leaders from the Duval County school district. The Facing The Fall Virtual Town Hall will begin at 1 p.m. next Thursday and will be hosted by anchor Jennifer Waugh and education reporter Joe McLean.
They will field questions from the public and bring them to those in charge of making decisions. You can begin to leave your questions at the link at the bottom of this newsletter.
Stay tuned for more.
Now, let’s check out the latest education developments:
Duval County School Board considers delaying start of school
Dr. Greene said delaying the start of school would require her to withdraw the current reopening plan which was released this week and present some payroll challenges for the district.
St. Johns County superintendent: Good chance school start will be pushed back at least 2 weeks
Within the next week, the St. Johns County School Board is expected to set the date to decide when board members will vote on a proposal to delay the start of the school year.
American Academy of Pediatrics: Schools need over $200B from feds to reopen safely
Reopening schools ain’t going to be cheap, according to American Academy of Pediatrics. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said this week he’ll begin to roll out details of the new COVID-19 relief package to senators as soon as next week and suggested it will include new funding for school reopenings, some unemployment benefits and money for health care providers.
Duval school district, teachers union negotiating work conditions
Documents obtained by the News4Jax I-TEAM show what teachers in Duval County will be required to do this school year and what options they have if they are infected with the novel coronavirus.
What happens if Duval County student tests positive for COVID-19?
It’s a question on the minds of a lot of parents. Here’s what the Florida Health Department had to say.
Doctor: School vaccinations even more important amid COVID-19 pandemic
Should a student become infected with COVID-19, it could potentially cause symptoms of another virus, measles for example, to be much worse. It’s why the Health Department is strongly urging parents to make sure their children’s vaccinations are up-to-date.
School leaders discussing critical role that custodians, bus drivers will play when schools reopen
As Northeast Florida school districts plan for reopening this fall, they’re looking to make sure they have enough custodians and bus drivers to make that happen.
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.