Schools close due to COVID-19
Students left school in Sarasota and Manatee for spring break on the afternoon of March 12 not knowing they wouldn’t return to the classroom until August. As the first wave of COVID-19 cases hit Florida, school districts statewide shut down on March 13.
Although the original closures were supposed to be temporary, schools remained shuttered for the duration of the 2019-20 school year. While it may have stemmed the spread of the virus to some extent, the ripple effects of school closures were massive.
Leaders in both school districts frantically pieced together remote learning programs, set up food distribution sites for students accustomed to eating breakfast and lunch at school and tried to figure out how to get internet to families in need so students could take classes remotely.
The Sarasota County School District has submitted its plan for adapting to COVID-19 during the second semester to the Florida Department of Education.
Minimal changes are in store, and students will continue to have the option to take classes remotely, according to a letter that Superintendent Brennan Asplen wrote to staff before winter break began last week.
“In short, the second semester in our traditional public schools will be very similar to the first half of the school year,” Asplen said.
Plans for second semester were due on Dec. 15. A spokesperson for the DOE could not confirm whether Sarasota’s had been approved yet.
Some Tampa Bay school districts to track COVID-19 cases during holiday break
Bay area school districts tracking COVID-19 cases during break
and last updated 2020-12-22 07:48:42-05
TAMPA â Multiple TampaBay Area school districts will keep track of positive COVID-19 cases during the winter break.
Hillsborough County:
Hillsborough County school leaders say the decisions families make during this holiday season will impact schools in the area.
District officials say each principal will be sending out information to families on how they can report a case over the break. For example, by sending a message to a designated email or calling a certain number.
Sarasota County Schools slammed by Department of Eduation wtsp.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wtsp.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.