Florida schools must reopen with in-person instruction, education commissioner says

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Florida's education commissioner said Monday all public schools must reopen to students in-person when the academic year begins next month, even as cases of the coronavirus continued to surge in his state.

In the emergency order, Commissioner Richard Corcoran called schools "not just the site of academic learning" but also crucial places in students' lives that provide "nutrition, socialization, counseling and extra-curricular activities," adding that their reopening was critical to "a return to Florida hitting its full economic stride."

Corcoran's order, which applies to the fall semester, requires schools to open "at least five days per week for all students" subject to guidance from public health officials. It comes as coronavirus cases in Florida top 206,000 and the daily number of new cases has reached record highs.

The mandate shocked some Florida educators, including Amy Spies, a fourth-grade teacher in Daytona Beach whose small classroom cannot accommodate the recommended six feet of space between each of her 22 students.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/florida-schools-must-reopen-with-in-person-instruction-education-commissioner-says/ar-BB16rWE6?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=DELLDHP

Then they can go home and share with mommy, daddy, grandma and grandpa.

[Phoenix61]

1. Can you say teacher's strike? nt

[mcar]

2. This is terrible

SO is a public school teacher. Our district has been working so hard to offer parents and staff an online option, along with brick and mortar, to reduce the number of bodies in the schools. They've been working on this since April. Now the idiot Education commissioner comes along with this edict.

Our small district does not have enough schools/classrooms/buses to keep kids separate. We've had a severe teacher shortage for several years, and a severe bus driver shortage. Most buses have kids sitting 3 to a seat - recommendation now is 1 to a seat with every other row empty. Figure that out.

What are they going to do when a kid/teacher/staffer gets covid? Does the entire school shut down?

I cannot even begin to describe how outraged I am about this.

[struggle4progress]

3. Zero beds available at more than 40 Florida hospital ICUs

... as of Tuesday morning, 43 hospital intensive care units (ICU) in 21 Florida counties have hit capacity and show zero beds available, while another 32 hospitals show ICU bed availability of 10% or less, according to the Agency for Health Care Administration ...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/07/07/more-than-40-hospital-icus-in-florida-have-hit-maximum-capacity-with-zero-beds-available/#24c07c5c3e70

[Chainfire]

4. I predict a lot of home schooling this year in Florida

No way in Hell would I send my kids to school during a pandemic. If I were an older teacher, no way would I go to work during a pandemic.

[GeorgeGist]

5. Do they get extra credit ...

for killing teachers?

[Alex4Martinez]

6. This is a big opening for Devos and her charter and private school ambitions.

An attempted death blow to public education.

[lpbk2713]

7. I'm sure many parents will refuse to let their kids leave home.

And those that do go will be confined to home after a few weeks anyway.