ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County schools have an extra three weeks to get ready before they open their doors.
The decision approved by the school board Tuesday means schools in St. Johns County will open Aug. 31 instead of the original start date of Aug. 10.
Parents who spoke to News4Jax following the vote said they just wanted a decision to be made.
Adelyn Sacks, 7, and her toy giraffe Buddy are ready to head back to school.
“He’s ready to go back to school more than most people are. He even has his own notebook,” Jennifer Sacks said.
And while Buddy has kept her company all summer, Adelyn misses her friends.
“[I am going to] give them air hugs, Air hugs because you’re not allowed to give them real hugs right?” Adelyn said.
But mom Jennifer said she is more than fine if those air hugs get pushed back by three weeks.
“I think a lot of people are eager to get started but we closed down the country for numbers way lower than what they are today and I think we really need to examine that and think about who we’re putting back to risk without having everything prepared and all the contingencies thought through,” she said.
And St. Johns County has said they need those extra weeks to prepare.
The 32,000 desk shields the district just approved wouldn’t arrive until a week after school started if the district stuck to its original plan.
But some parents say three weeks wouldn’t make a difference in whether they’re sending their kids back to school.
“For us, this is our first child going into kindergarten, we’re okay with it. There’s nothing we can do about it,” Jessica Woodward said.
That’s because in St. Johns County parents had to decide what option they wanted for their child’s learning last week.
But both Woodward and Sacks can agree they’re fine with any decision that will keep their children safe.