First day of school 2021: New worries for some parents, as COVID cases rise but face mask rules fall orlandosentinel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from orlandosentinel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Posted By Matthew Moyer on Wed, Apr 21, 2021 at 8:30 AM click image Screen capture courtesy Walk On By Again/Instagram Todd Luffa has already performed in New Zealand Nine years ago, seemingly spontaneous performances and art installations popped up round the downtown Orlando area seemingly at random at the crack of dawn on an also random weekday. And before many of us would even be up and out of bed, most of it was already long gone. That early-morning happening, the brainchild of Orlando arts curator Pat Greene, was dubbed Walk On By, and this morning it s happening again. But herein lies the rub: By the time you get up and start your morning scroll, much of the action may already be over.
There is nothing like hugging a cuddly stuffed animal
January 1, 2021
William McNarney (center) with his sister, Rebekah, (l), Orlando Day Nursery Director Liz Franqui and some of the 144 donated stuffed animals he collected for Orlando Day Nursery.
For his bar mitzvah project, William McNarney collected stuffed animals to give to children at Orlando Day Nursery in Parramore, an early childhood center where many families are experiencing trauma and economic hardship. They could lose a family member to the virus. A parent could lose work. They could lose the few things that they have, said William, 13, an eighth-grader at Howard Middle School. This gives them something to hold onto.
Even so, thousands of students haven’t been able to consistently participate in online learning.
Even in Fulton County, which has resumed in-person classes, about 3,000 students are considered “non-engaged.”
Students between the ages of 6 and 16 are required to attend school in Georgia. But instead of penalizing students and families for not showing up, school districts are taking a more supportive approach due to the COVID-19-related hardships many families face.
‘Compassion Over Compliance’
The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has been learning remotely since the pandemic started. Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris says when the school year started, about 89% of students were participating in online learning.