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Osceola County School District
The Osceola County School District is in the process of formulating a plan to re-open schools as safely as possible.
A School District Backto-School Task Force, which was recently formed, collected online surveys from parents to better help steer the path of the plan.
The Task Force, which is made up of school and community stakeholders including medical professionals specializing in infectious diseases, parents, teachers, and school and district administrators, will make recommendations to School District Superintendent Debra Pace.
“The Back to School Task Force has sought feedback and input from a wide variety of stakeholdersparents, principals, teachers, and medical professionals in order to provide background and research in preparing a Back to School Plan,” said Pace.
Part of that plan was a school survey that families of School District students were asked to fill out online. There were given four options of how school should be conducted. The options and the total vote numbers were:
• Return to face-to-face instruction on school campus with safety precautions and social distancing – 12,357 votes.
• Continue with digital learning – 8,075 votes.
• Enroll in Osceola Virtual School – 1,594 votes.
• Blended option – 5,407. About 20 percent of the students’ families completed the survey, Pace said.
Solid plans for multiple scenarios will be developed based on science, data and guidance in alignment with the Florida Department of Education, Centers of Disease Control recommendations, as well as local and state public health departments.
Will students and teachers have to wear face coverings?
“The plan has not been finalized yet but will be shared with the public following Board consideration and approval on June 30,” Pace said.
The School District closed its school earlier this year due to COVID-19 and switched to digital learning, meaning families had to access lesson plans online.
But Pace said so far, the School District plans to welcome back its 69,000 students.
“At this time, district schools are expected to open as currently scheduled on Aug. 10, 2020,” she said.
For those families who desire to enroll full-time in Osceola Virtual School, serving grades K–12, information is available at www.osceolaschools.net or they may contact Principal Pete Hodges at peter.hodges@osceolaschools.net
