SARASOTA – As Florida mandates schools must reopen in the fall, districts across the state scramble to come up with plans to reopen. Parents on the Suncoast contemplate sending their kids back to school sooner rather than later.
“How do we open schools? Are we going to open schools just as the – under the advice of the governor? We need to get back to brick & mortar, face to face instructions open our schools,” said Mitsi Corcoran.
At last week’s school board meeting, the topic of reopening schools in Sarasota County was under a microscope by parents who simply want to know what will be the new normal for their kids once they return to in class learning.
“I was a little shocked. The idea of sending to school with their friends where everyone is already kinda sick all the time doesn’t feel like a very safe choice for my family,” Fiona Long.
Long, a mother of three, and her family have been practicing social distancing — staying at home as much as possible. They follow the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to avoid contracting COVID-19, since her youngest suffers from asthma. She worries Florida is making a mistake by forcing all schools to reopen too quickly.
“I don’t know if we understand fully the long term ramifications and I just don’t want to do something I look back on with regret because I just want to protect my family,” she said.
Long says having a teaching background has helped her kids excel through virtual learning. She believes forcing every student to return to the classroom puts everyone in at risk. But not all parents agree; some don’t have the resources to become teachers at home.
“The online learning that was hard, it was really difficult,” said Megan Hollie. “To work from home, go to school from home, and now help my children to get through – it’s been challenging, it’s been a lot.”
Hollie, a Clinical Coordinator at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, says her schedule doesn’t permit her to do it all, especially now since testing positive for COVID-19. She says parents should learn patience and figure out a learning method that fits their family.
“You have to do what’s best for your family. If that means that your kids go back to school then they go back to school,” said Hollie. “And if you’re worrisome and can you can stay at home then keep your kids at home.”
The Sarasota County School Board looks to discuss what measures they will take to keep students and staff safe when schools inevitably reopen.
