St. Johns County superintendent: Good chance school start will be pushed back at least 2 weeks

St. Johns County superintendent also spoke about masks during an interview with The Morning Show

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – 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.

Superintendent of Schools Tim Forson said Thursday on The Morning Show that he thinks it’s a high probability that the start of school in St. Johns County will be delayed by as much as two weeks.

Another question many parents are asking is when and where students who choose to return to campus will be expected to wear masks.

“Just know that in the morning coming to school, whether you’re on a bus or walking to campus or riding in a car with your parents, all children are all going to wear masks until they get to the first classroom of the day,” Forson said.

Forson said at that point their temperatures will be checked as will all staff at the school and that masks will be worn throughout the day, including inside some classrooms.

“If there are classrooms where there are a large number of students or where teachers need students to be in small groups in tight areas, they are going to be asked to wear masks,” Forson said. “When they’re moving, when they’re in the hallways, when they’re in the lunchrooms -- obviously they will take off the mask to eat lunch -- but there are times when they are in a larger congregation, at dismissal at the end of the day, we’re going to ask all students to have masks either until they’ve gotten home or off the bus or gotten into a parent’s vehicle.”

Forson said many parents with older students want to know if their child opts to enroll in the virtual academy if they will lose certain courses. He said until everyone selects their option, the district has no way of knowing how many particular courses will be available because they don't know how many students will be participating virtually or in person.

The deadline to decide which of the four options you want for your student is Friday in St. Johns County.


About the Author:

Jennifer, who anchors The Morning Shows and is part of the I-TEAM, loves working in her hometown of Jacksonville.