119-Page Document Outlines Possible Strategies For Start Of New School Year In Broward County
BROWARD (CBSMiami) – With the new school year just about two months away, there's new insight Wednesday night into what academic leaders in Broward County are considering for a safe reopening.
A 119-page document, first reported by the Sun Sentinel, outlines possible strategies for the start of the 2020-2021 school year in Broward County.
In it, a Broward survey showed most teachers, students and parents preferred to a return to school in some form. Either a hybrid of online and in person or a full reopening.
"There's a lot of graphs, a lot of data they say they generated from the surveys, which I'm not quite sure the surveys are done with fidelity," said Anna Fusco, president of the Broward Teachers Union.
Fusco questions the information in the presentation, which will be brought up at a school board meeting June 16th.
Social distancing and capacity guidelines are driving the options that are on the tables. They include a continuation of online learning. Students could stagger sessions or full days in which they're physically on campus in addition to classes from home. Or high school students, from 10th to 12th grade, would take on e-learning full time to provide more space for elementary, middle school and special needs students.
"Are we going to be expected to teach in a classroom and teach online together? I don't think that's a good option," Fusco said. "I feel like the students should have the opportunity to have their own teacher if they choose to do the learning online component and they should have their own teacher if they choose to walk into a school site and be taught face to face."
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Other areas to consider will be athletics, extracurricular activities and transportation.
But maybe the biggest hurdle will be child care for students working from home.
"The Broward Teachers Union has taken the strong position that we want to continue to educate our students and it's about curriculum and education and bringing forth the best possible content an education you can," Fusco said. "Not just as a mere fact of a babysitting service."
CBS4 reached out to Broward County Public Schools for comment. BCPS said nothing is finalized and the school board will discuss options next Tuesday.
