Coronavirus update: Here’s what schools, colleges, universities are doing in response
Canceled events, travel bans and positive cases of the novel coronavirus are on the rise. School districts, colleges and universities are providing updates on their preparations constantly.
This story will be updated with the latest information from Miami-Dade and Broward public and private schools, Miami Dade College, Florida International University, the University of Miami and colleges and universities around Florida.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools
At a press conference Tuesday, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he was aware of two or three students in the same family who attend three district schools, whose family member recently traveled to a “hot spot” country. He did not say whether those students were staying at home.
Carvalho also did not say whether the Miami Beach Senior High employee who was asked to stay home due to possible novel coronavirus exposure was tested.
Yet, Carvalho reiterated, “It is a regular school day at MDCPS.”
He said the district has enhanced cleaning protocols, with schools and school buses being cleaned two to three times a day. He said the district’s school operations center will become partially activated Wednesday to deal with coronavirus updates.
There is a moratorium on out-of-state air travel for students and staff. In-county and in-state field trips are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The Miami-Dade school district has also asked families to reconsider spring break plans. The district has suspended all awards, recognitions and activities associated with perfect attendance for the rest of the school year. Students with perfect attendance through March 5 will be held harmless for medical absences.
Should school district employees have to self-quarantine, Carvalho said the district will pay salaries. Contracted employees, however, will not be paid.
But if employees travel to a “hot spot” country or go on a cruise and someone tests positive for the novel coronavirus, that employee could risk not getting paid.
“There was a voluntary decision on the part of the employee,” he said. “The district is not poised to cover that liability.”
The Miami-Dade school district is surveying parents to find out if their children need a mobile device at home should schools need to shut down. Carvalho said Feb. 26 that the district has an excess of 200,000 devices, including laptops and tablets purchased with funds from the general obligation bond passed by voters in 2012, that could be distributed to students to continue learning from home.
Chief Academic Officer Marie Izquierdo said out of the 26,000 families that responded to the survey so far, 2,600 have indicated that they are in need of a device. The survey will be done by Friday. Izquierdo said the district is able to provide 11,000 cell phones that can serve as hotspots donated by Sprint, which gave the district another 200 phones last week.
Florida’s education commissioner, Richard Corcoran, said at a press conference Monday that Florida Virtual School is prepared to train an additional 10,000 teachers in the next 15 to 20 days to conduct online classes, according to the News Service of Florida. The virtual school soon could be able to handle a total of 400,000 full-time students, a significant uptick from the current 40,000 student capacity, Corcoran said.
Izquierdo said the district is not relying on Florida Virtual School for training or classes. Carvalho said some teachers will be trained on how to teach remotely through online professional development opportunities.
Carvalho said the district is seeking federal relief funds for its coronavirus prep — and if financial conditions worsen statewide. So far the district has stocked up on items, spending $100,000 on paper towels and disinfectant spray. Carvalho said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez has offered county staff to clean school facilities.
In the unlikely event that schools should shut down, Carvalho said the school district is prepared to distribute meals, preferably in a pick-up and go method. The school district is also asking the government to relax its standards so the district could feed entire families.
“We know if we shut down schools, they will go without eating,” Carvalho said. “We want maximum flexibility for the entire family.”
Board member Mari Tere Rojas, present at Tuesday’s press conference, said she believes “every single proactive step that can be taken has been taken by this School Board.”
“It is an unknown that in all my years in the school system has never been addressed before,” Rojas said.
All Public Florida Universities
All public universities in Florida have been directed to transition all in-person classes to online platforms effective immediately, a precautionary step to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. Students are also encouraged to go home, stay home and not return to campus for two weeks.
The Florida Board of Governors, which presides over the 12 public universities in the State University System of Florida, made the sweeping announcement Wednesday hours after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College announced Thursday that it is shutting down its medical campus, located at 950 NW 20th Street, after it was announced that a Brazilian official who recently visited the campus tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
A college spokesman confirmed that Fabio Wajngarten, who serves as the press secretary for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was part of the team that met with members of the Brazilian community there Monday evening.
Spokesman Juan Mendieta said the gathering was an outside event where the college’s facility was rented out. He said the college is in touch with the vendor.
All events have been canceled college-wide at Miami Dade College. Classes at other campuses continue.
MDC, with one of the largest undergraduate enrollments in the country, made it clear in a statement Wednesday that state colleges are not included in the State University System of Florida’s directive to transition all classes to online platforms. The college is currently surveying students on their internet connectivity outside of campus.
“The survey is simply part of our preparations and due diligence should we receive a directive as a state college to switch to an alternative instructional method, including online,” said spokesman Juan Mendieta, who added that the college is surveying faculty too.
The college announced Tuesday that all domestic and international travel for students and employees has been suspended.
Florida International University
FIU will only teach online classes beginning Thursday. The remote instruction will occur through April 4.
“In an abundance of caution, and following the lead of Governor Ron DeSantis, at FIU we are responding by beginning remote learning this Thursday,” the university said in an email announcement Wednesday evening.
FIU has suspended all international travel by students for Spring and Summer 2020. That includes, but isn’t limited to, faculty-led and third-party study-abroad programs, exchange programs, conferences and field work.
FIU’s provost and executive vice president, Kenneth Furton, also said all upcoming international university travel by faculty and staff is suspended for the next 30 days, until April 9.
University of Miami
In an about-face, the University of Miami, a private university not in the State University System, announced early Thursday that it will extend its current spring break until March 23. After that, classes will be strictly online until at least April 4.
Effective March 15 through March 31, all campus events or meetings with 50 of more attendees, including external events, are canceled. UM changed its protocol to allow home athletic competitions to continue without fans.
Nova Southeastern University
NSU is currently operating on its normal schedule at all campuses across Florida and Puerto Rico. All university sponsored travel to Level 3 countries with a large coronavirus outbreak has been suspended indefinitely.
Barry University
The Miami Shores university announced Thursday that it is transitioning to online classes beginning March 19. In-person classes will remain ongoing until Monday, as the university is suspending classes from Monday to Wednesday to give students and faculty time to prepare.
All university-sponsored events on and off campus are canceled beginning Monday until further notice. Residence halls will stay open and services to support the student body will continue.
St. Thomas University
The Miami Gardens university will transition to online classes beginning Tuesday for the next two weeks. Classes will be canceled Friday and Monday to allow faculty to prepare for teaching their classes remotely.
The campus remains open. Residence halls remain open as will on-campus food options. Faculty and staff, including graduate assistants and residents assistants, are expected to report as scheduled.
University of Florida
UF on Monday recommended that professors move their in-person classes to online platforms. It’s not a requirement, but “there is a strong probability that it will become a requirement before the end of the spring semester, and so instructors are encouraged to transition now,” according to the announcement.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 1:40 PM.