Hillsborough Schools set to reopen online, add in-person learning Aug. 31 despite COVID-19 concerns

Share
Photo from USDA blog

Here is a link to many coronavirus resources

Caving to financial threats from the Florida Department of Education, Hillsborough Schools will now start the school year with only one week of virtual classes before transitioning to in-person instruction for students whose parents want them to come back that soon.

Superintendent Addison Davis announced the latest change in re-opening plans during a Thursday afternoon news conference.

The school year is now set to begin as planned with online-only classes Aug. 24. In person classes will resume Aug.31.

The move comes after a tumultuous week for the District and a highly public standoff with the Florida Department of Education. The School Board voted last week to amend its initial re-opening plan and postpone in-person learning for the first month of school. The decision was made after a panel of health experts gave the Board advice on concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran quickly responded the following day with a letter demanding the District open schools with virtual and in-person options available, a position backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Superintendent Addison Thursday maintained the board “made an informed decision substantiated after hearing from local public health authorities.”

Representatives for Hillsborough said the District’s plan followed Corcoran’s July directive that gave districts the option of not opening campuses based on health department advice. After hearing from infectious disease experts and local health officials, the District said not one medical professional could recommend immediate openings.

Hillsborough and the State struggled to reach a compromise as the FDOE threatened to pull $23 million in funding from the District. Davis drove to Tallahassee Tuesday in a last-ditch effort to convince the State to postpone in-person learning, but said the price was too steep to pay for his students.

“The Department of Education made it clear that any model outside the emergency order would result in a negative financial impact,” Davis said in a news release. “That reduction in state funds would be detrimental to students’ learning and our organization.”

The first, online-only, week of school will be called Smart Start Week and is mandatory for all students.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Richard Wolff Economic Update
Player position: