Florida classrooms closed for remainder of school year

Governor announces schools across the state won’t return

WEST LAKE, Fla. – Students throughout Florida will not be going back to school and will continue distance learning until the end of the school year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Saturday during his COVID-19 press conference.

“Our K-12 schools will continue with distance learning for the duration of the school year,” DeSantis said. “I think the last thing you want to do is force everyone in school and have half the kids not show up because their parents didn’t want them to go,” he said.

He addressed how distance learning has been working around the state.

“It’s obviously not the ideal situation, but given where we are in the school year, we felt that that was the best decision to go forward,” DeSantis said.

Both Broward and Miami-Dade Schools superintendents said they were prepared for the news.

Broward Schools superintendent Robert Runcie said he applauded the governor’s decision. He told Local 10 Saturday night that there are still students not participating in distance learning.

“As we extend this period, we have to re-double our efforts to make sure that we’re reaching out to those students to make sure they’re connected,” he said.

West Park resident Sheila Levell is a grandmother and now a teacher. She said she was expecting the governor’s announcement. She has been responsible for making sure her youngest grandchildren are learning.

“I can communicate with his teacher, with the job assignments he’s supposed to be doing,” Levell said. “We’re just going to stay on the computer until June.”

(WATCH GOVERNOR’S ANNOUNCEMENT)

For Lisa Arneaud of Miramar, trying to teach an active, social second-grader at home has been a challenge. But she takes comfort in knowing others are in a similar situation.

“What helps in all this is knowing everyone is going through this. It’s not just my household,” she said.

One big concern was graduation. Runcie told Local 10 an announcement would be made next week about graduation. He said officials want to make sure it is special for the class of 2020.


About the Author:

Janine Stanwood joined Local 10 News in February 2004 as an assignment editor. She is now a general assignment reporter. Before moving to South Florida from her Washington home, Janine was the senior legislative correspondent for a United States senator on Capitol Hill.