Virtual learning returns for public school students in Broward County

BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Virtual learning returns Wednesday for students and teachers in Broward County, and Superintendent Robert Runcie says his teachers are ready.

“Our teachers have been engaged in a tremendous amount of training to make sure that the e-learning experience is going to be different than what we had in the spring,” Runcie told Local 10 News earlier this week.

Prior to the first day of school, Runcie took part in a mid-day webinar where he and superintendents from Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties addressed the business community.

They talked about strategies to get kids back into the physical classroom.

“It is our goal to restart physical schooling, even if it’s in waves, with younger grade levels with fragile children as early as October 3,” Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.

In Medley, the education fund also handed out supplies to teachers.

“We have to adjust. We have to adapt,” said Tomasa Etienne, a biology and chemistry teacher at North Miami Senior High School.

Etienne, who has worked at the school for 16 years, told Local 10 News about some of the challenges virtual learning presents.

“It’s hard for some of the kids,” she said. “They need that teacher interaction or that teacher close to them to guide them.”

Still, it’s a year where new lessons will be learned by everyone.

“Everyone is working hard,” Runcie said. “It’s not going to be perfect, but we’re going to work to make sure we get this right.”


About the Authors

Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.

Roy Ramos joined the Local 10 News team in 2018. Roy is a South Florida native who grew up in Florida City. He attended Christopher Columbus High School, Homestead Senior High School and graduated from St. Thomas University.