What will school look like this fall in the Florida Keys? It could be 1 of 3 scenarios
When students in the Keys return to class in August, they’ll have to get used to a number of new rules aimed at limiting the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.
Classes are scheduled to resume Thursday, Aug. 13, and one thing is certain: Teachers and students will be wearing face coverings almost everywhere they go on campus.
But, the Monroe County School District unveiled three scenarios Monday that each contain their own set of rules regarding learning in a COVID-19 environment.
The scenarios depend on the level of the virus that’s present in the Keys when students go back to school, said Sibba Mira, the district’s career and technical educational coordinator.
If the county faces “minimal exposure,” all students will return to the classroom, unless parents choose to keep their children home. These students will attend virtual school like students did when they finished out the 2019-2020 academic year, Mira said.
Under this scenario, children could be grouped in “cohorts,” which would stay together for various activities throughout the day. This would be done to limit any potential virus exposure that might occur within the school, according to Mira.
This scenario would also likely mean changes in cafeteria schedules.
If, however, the Keys faces “substantial exposure,” meaning there is “large-scale community transmission” of the virus, schools will once again be closed and students will attend virtual classes while self-isolating, said Mira.
In the middle, the district is preparing for “moderate exposure,” where students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade would attend school in person every day, but class sizes would be reduced, Mira said.
Under this scenario, students in grades sixth through 12 would attend school in person on alternating days to keep class sizes down, Mira said.
“These students will attend school every other day on a staggered schedule and will have virtual school on the alternating days,” Mira said.
Students may also have to eat their lunches in their classrooms to limit their movement throughout the campus, according to Mira.
No matter what the situation looks like in the fall, there will be some definite changes, including rearranged classrooms to provide more space between students, a limit on the number of people who can visit schools and mask wearing by all students when they are away from their desks.
Like the rest of the state, COVID-19 cases in the Keys spiked in the past two weeks, but much less so than in neighboring counties like Miami-Dade and Broward. According to the latest numbers released by the Florida Department of Health on Monday, the Keys had 236 confirmed COVID-19 cases and four deaths.
