Teacher’s Union Requests School Closure

From the Florida Phoenix: By Issac Morgan - April 15, 2020

With schools nationwide closing for the rest of the academic year, Florida has yet to announce a permanent decision on keeping kids out of school because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But in a letter sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday, the Florida Education Association pushed the governor to “keep school campuses closed for the remainder of the school year.”

“Governor DeSantis, let’s lead together. Now is the time to declare the previously unthinkable: School campuses will be closed to students for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, and education will continue to happen at a distance,” FEA President Fedrick Ingram wrote.

DeSantis said in a late afternoon press conference Tuesday that he has not made a decision yet on school closings for the entire school year.

States from Georgia to New York have already shut down for the year.

The alternative is a remote learning, which Florida has been using, though there have been technological glitches and concerns about students losing key instruction time.

According to the Florida Department of Education, school districts began the 2019-20 school year as early as August 12, 2019 for the vast majority of districts. The latest start was August 19, 2019, in Miami-Dade’s school district.

The regular school year was scheduled to end for students as early as May 22 and as late as June 3.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.