Miami City Commission votes unanimously to terminate licensing agreement with Centner Academy
During a meeting on Wednesday, Miami-Dade County School Board members unanimously sponsoring an item which formally supports re-engaging with the city of Miami on the plan to expand the public school iPrep on public land in Biscayne Park.
Huge Los Angeles Unified School district hit by cyberattack
A ransomware attack targeting the huge Los Angeles Unified School District over the Labor Day weekend prompted an unprecedented shutdown of the district’s information technology systems as authorities scrambled to trace the perpetrators and restrict potential damage.
Masks required for all adults at Miami-Dade public schools; masks highly encouraged for students
All adults will be required to wear face masks inside any Miami-Dade County Public School facility, while students are highly encouraged to wear masks as they return to classes next Monday, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Thursday.
Miami-Dade School District to modify quarantine period for high school students and faculty
The school district will officially change their mandatory quarantine period following a positive COVID-19 test from 10 days to five days. If you test negative after the fifth day, students can return to school. However, this change only applies to faculty and high school students.
Miami-Dade students return to school with masks, school bus driver shortage
We know the start of any school year can be stressful enough. But when you add in the concerns about COVID-19, and now, new concerns over a nationwide bus driver shortage, it’s caused many parents to scramble to make some last minute back-up plans as kids throughout Miami-Dade County head back to class.
Miami-Dade school board member favors Carvalho’s support of face mask mandate
The School Board of Miami-Dade County is likely to side with Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s recommendation to implement a universal face mask mandate with a medical opt-out, a school board member said on Wednesday.
Miami-Dade to require face masks on public school buses
The school boards of both Miami-Dade and Broward counties have decided to postpone making a decision about whether or not public school administrators will be requiring teachers, students, and staff to wear face masks indoors during the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.
DeSantis pushes $106M proposal to turn Florida into ‘leader in civics education’
Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that he wants the state to allocate $106 million toward turning the state into the “national leader in civics education.” He announced the plan during a news conference in Naples. The proposal creates a civics seal of excellence for teachers who want more training. “We do not politicize our teaching,” Carvalho said. “We ought to embrace fewer testing and more teaching,” Carvalho said. “Having graduating kids with the foundational knowledge to understand what makes America unique, understand the principles that people have fought for is really, really important,” DeSantis said.
Seniors, healthcare workers flock to new vaccination locations in South Florida
MIAMI – Multiple new COVID-19 vaccination sites are now open in South Florida, including one near the Overtown Youth Center. Miami-Dade College’s North Campus is also now home to a massive vaccination site. “If someone says, ‘I prefer the Johnson & Johnson,’ we will have a ticket system of 500 a day and once we run out of that, that is it for Johnson & Johnson for the day,” said Bruce Roberts with Florida Division of Emergency Management. The newly opened locations come as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is on its way to the Sunshine State. The doses will be divided among a growing number of retail pharmacy chains and pop-up vaccination sites.
Coral Gables high school football coach is safe, police say
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade police officers reported on Friday that Roger Pollard, the head football coach at Coral Gables Senior High School who had vanished on Tuesday night, was found safe. Miami-Dade detectives and Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho asked the public for help finding him. Pollard’s wife, Shay Moen, first shared her distress on Facebook on Wednesday saying no one had seen or talked to him. On Thursday, Moen said through tears that all she wanted was for Pollard to return to their home in Miami-Dade County. Police officers didn’t say where Pollard had been.
New CDC guidance: Schools are not associated with ‘substantial’ coronavirus transmission
DAVIE, Fla. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Friday saying that based on the data available, in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission of the coronavirus. The CDC determined teachers’ vaccinations are not a requirement to reopen schools. (WPLG)With partial reopenings, Miami-Dade and Broward school districts have provided diagnostic testing and contact tracing, and they are working on COVID-19 vaccine campaigns. “If our societies did what our school districts are doing, we’ve probably had no spread of coronavirus going on in our country,” Runcie said. AdWalensky said the new CDC guidance is instructive for this moment in time, but since the disease is not static school districts need to make adjustments.
Public school districts in South Florida discuss teachers COVID-19 protections, vaccines
Public school teachers who have health conditions that increase their risk of COVID-19 are still facing difficulties in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. So far this year, in Miami-Dade, 44 teachers have retired, 48 are on leave, and 56 have submitted full and part-time resignations, according to an official record. Miami-Dade and Broward’s schools gave parents a choice to send their children to schools or register them for remote learning. We did what was right by students and families.”The Broward Teacher’s Union reported a victory on Wednesday when an arbitrator ruled that school principals have to meet with union representatives to explain how they reached their decisions to deny remote work extensions. Related story: School principals to meet with union reps to explain why COVID-19 at-risk teachers can’t work remotely
Thousands of at-risk students return to classrooms in Miami-Dade County
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Thousands of public school students in Miami-Dade County returned to classroom desks on Monday. That’s why the district sent letters to at-risk students, recommending they return to the classroom for Monday’s start of the second semester. At-risk students in Broward County were asked to return last week. Just like in Miami-Dade County, virtual learning also seems to be the issue. “We see students who were previously high performing students, some of them are struggling under this method,” Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said.
Miami police say they won’t rest until killer of 6-year-old girl found
“We will not rest until we find the killer or killers,” Deputy Chief Ronald Papier said. We’re talking about a young 6-year-old child who had her entire life in front of her — taken away. Two adults were shot, and little Chassidy died after being shot in the head. “Inconceivable that this innocent little girl would lose her life in such an unconscionable way,” Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho wrote on Twitter. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Miami Dade Crimestoppers at 305-471-8477
Superintendents: Grades show some students really need to go back to classrooms
MIAMI – More public school students are failing than usual in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and superintendents believe it’s related to online education during the coronavirus pandemic. Superintendents Robert Runcie and Alberto Carvalho have both said online education is not for everyone and there are students who need to be in the same room with their teachers to succeed. “We know who’s losing ground, and there are some children who need to return to the schoolhouse,” Carvalho said during a school board meeting. “We see students who were previously high performing students, some of them are struggling under this method,” Runcie said. Both districts are asking the parents of students with failing grades to reconsider sending them to school.
Coronavirus vaccine: Carvalho asks DeSantis to prioritize teachers
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is asking Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to make sure teachers and school staff have priority access to the coronavirus vaccine after healthcare workers and first responders. In a Tuesday letter to Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, Florida’s surgeon general, Carvalho wrote that teachers’ priority access to the vaccine and to more reliable coronavirus testing is critical. Ron DeSantis visits Donald Trump at White House vaccine summitDeSantis said Tuesday during Trump’s administration summit on the coronavirus vaccine that he will first have it distributed to Florida’s long-term care facilities’ residents and to hospitals. It’s unlikely that DeSantis will introduce a vaccine mandate since he did not impose a statewide face mask mandate.
Hundreds of students are missing from South Florida schools
They aren’t just falling behind in class or missing a day here and there, they’re missing from school altogether — not showing up online or in person. “We literally have missing children,” Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. These are often referred to as ‘no shows.’”Carvalho says Miami-Dade began the school year missing about 1,700 students, and despite the district’s efforts, they are still missing about a thousand. “It’s about 780 students,” Runcie said. “If they’re not in schools, they’re not learning,” Carvalho said.
Levine Cava launches #WeCanWeWill campaign against coronavirus
Levine Cava, who has been serving as mayor for about three weeks, hosted a virtual news conference to launch Miami-Dade County’s “#WeCanWeWill” educational campaign in English, Spanish and Creole. Levine Cava said Miami-Dade County will continue to enforce the use of face masks by issuing civil citations. Ron DeSantis isn’t allowing officials to use fines to enforce the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prevention guidelines. Former Miami-Dade Mayor, now Congressman-elect, Carlos Gimenez, also had a marketing campaign to address the coronavirus pandemic. You Keep Me Safe.”Here is the list of the official partners of the #WeCanWeWill campaign:
Miami-Dade school leaders see issues with COVID-19, and with online learning
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Medical officials joined members of the Miami-Dade School Board on Monday to present data on COVID-19 positivity rates, hospitalization, mortality, morbidity and ICU bed usage. Carvalho also addressed some other issues the district is seeing with online learning. “As a result of online learning, there are many students who have simply disappeared from our rolls across the county. School board members also talked about vaccines and asked doctors whether school staff members should be prioritized in receiving vaccines once they are available — something that hasn’t yet been determined. Broward County’s school board is scheduled to meet Tuesday.
Florida to continue funding public virtual education choice
MIAMI – Florida requires schools to remain open even during the coronavirus pandemic’s future peaks in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Monday, adding the state will continue to provide funding for virtual education to give parents a choice. DeSantis discussed Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran’s new executive order, which approves funding to continue classes online during the pandemic. Then the student must return to in-person instruction unless the parent affirmatively opts out and says they still want to remain virtual,” DeSantis said. Karla Hernandez-Mats, the president of United Teachers of Dade, said the state’s decision not to impact funding for online education was great, but the executive order should have also waived the testing requirement.
State supports public school online learning to remain through Spring 2021
It was an update that Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho welcomed. “That’s why today we are celebrating.”Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho visits classrooms on Monday, Oct. 5. Miami-Dade County Public Schools requires students to wear face masks to school. What are we doing and how are we protecting our community?”On Wednesday, Hernández-Mats released a statement saying teachers and educational staff are in favor of online learning to remain through Spring 2021. She also said the state’s support of online learning isn’t enough to deal with the gravity of the public health crisis.
After fainting in public, Miami-Dade School Board member says he is ready to go back to work
Miami-Dade County School Board member Steve Gallon III fainted on Tuesday after delivering a speech during a swearing-in ceremony. Hours later, he said he was ready to get back to work. “We need him now more than ever because a lot of important decisions are being made at our school board that impact our entire community." Gallon, who was born and raised in Miami’s Liberty City, is the elected District 1 school board member for the Miami-Dade County Schools and the vice-chair. By the time he made it to Jackson Memorial Hospital, Gallon was conscious again.
Coronavirus in Florida: Local leaders frustrated with lack of ability to fight surge in cases, seeking guidance from Gov. DeSantis
Local leaders in South Florida are trying to stop the spread now, but it looks like they could be on their own. “We’re looking at the positivity rate, we’re looking at the hospitalization rate,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor-elect Daniella Levine Cava. Statewide, more than 10,000 new cases were reported Sunday, the highest number since late July. Ron DeSantis pushed Florida into Phase 3, opening businesses statewide, largely preventing local governments from enforcing restrictions. “The decisions need to be made at the local level, well-informed by medical experts, and that is our intent,” said Carvalho.
Some believe more than 40 schools should have closed as South Floridians faced flooding
MIRAMAR, Fla. – Tropical Storm Eta’s flooding forced officials to close 40 public schools in South Florida, but some believe more schools should have been closed to give parents, students, and teachers a chance to recover from the storm. Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and Broward County Superintendent Robert Runcie are dealing with issues of water penetration, power loss, and flooding. There were 17 schools closed in Miami-Dade and 23 schools in Broward. MIAMI-DADE SCHOOLSStudents in 17 flooded Miami-Dade schools return to online learning17 schools closed: 5 in Hialeah, 5 in Miami Gardens and 3 in Miami Lakes. BROWARD COUNTYFlooding rampant in Lauderhill following impact of Tropical Storm Eta23 schools closed: 4 in Davie, 4 in Miramar, 3 in Weston, 3 in Pembroke Pines, 2 in Pompano Beach, 2 in Hollywood, and 2 in Lauderhill.
Public schools prepare to use thousands of rapid antigen tests to detect coronavirus in risky areas
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Public schools' superintendents in South Florida are preparing to put to use thousands of rapid antigen tests for coronavirus screenings in high-risk congregate settings. A little more than 37,000 students are back in Broward classrooms, but the district has only received about 5,700 rapid tests. There are molecular tests, such as the RT-PCR tests, that detect the virus’s genetic material. There are also antigen tests, such as the Abbott rapid tests, that detect proteins on the surface of the coronavirus. Priority testing should not be considered rapid testing sites.
Coronavirus in schools: Florida releases latest COVID-19 cases among students, staff
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With students returning to physical classrooms, coronavirus cases have been revealed at schools in Broward County and Miami-Dade County over recent days. The Florida Department of Health has been releasing COVID-19 data for schools across the state for three weeks now, with the latest 18-page report including confirmed cases through Oct. 10. These reports have been criticized as incomplete, and they only include cases confirmed by the state. Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said earlier this week that parents are notified of cases at their children’s schools before cases are certified by the state. You can read or download the full report below to look for confirmed cases at your local school:
Several positive COVID-19 cases confirmed in Broward County as second wave of students begin in-person learning
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – As Broward County continues to move forward with beginning in-person learning for district students, Local 10 has confirmed several positive COVID-19 cases in both public and charter schools. “They must wear a face covering including the weight room and physical education classes,” said Broward School Board General Counsel Barbara J. Myrick. The school district made the decision to temporarily shut down the campus after two students tested positive for COVID-19. MAST is one of several Miami-Dade County public schools to have new COVID-19 cases after reopening in early October. The superintendent said as of Monday afternoon, 10 students and one employee in the school district tested positive for the virus since physical schooling resumed.
As MAST Academy reverts to virtual learning, more South Florida schools confirm COVID-19 cases
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – One public school in Miami-Dade County temporarily went back to virtual learning just a week after schools began reopening. MAST Academy closed its campus Monday after two students tested positive for COVID-19. The wellbeing of our students and employees is our top priority at Miami-Dade County Public Schools.”MAST, however, isn’t alone with coronavirus cases. Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ dashboard shows new cases at Flagami Elementary, Royal Green Elementary, North Dade Center for Modern Languages Elementary and two at Coral Park Elementary. When asked why MAST Academy was shut down after the COVID-19 cases, while other schools with positive cases have remained open, Zea noted that high schoolers are moving around more than others at school.
Head of Miami-Dade schools confirms multiple COVID-19 cases in first week of in-person learning
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Multiple coronavirus cases have been confirmed since public school students in Miami-Dade County began returning to physical classrooms this week, including an employee who has tested positive. Within the first week of in-person learning, there have already been several confirmed cases of COVID-19. Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said: “We now have four cases across Miami-Dade,” he said. Carvalho confirmed that an employee at Poinciana Park Elementary School in northwest Miami-Dade tested positive for the virus. United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernández-Mats said that the first week have “been a real whirlwind.”She urged parents to help teachers.
Teacher among those who have tested positive for coronavirus since Miami-Dade schools reopened
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Multiple coronavirus cases have been confirmed since public school students in Miami-Dade County began returning to physical classrooms this week, including the first teacher who has tested positive. Sources told Local 10 News that Wyche Elementary School in Miami Gardens is one of the schools dealing with COVID-19 cases. Cases have also been reported at Holmes Elementary School in Miami and at Poinciana Park Elementary School in northwest Miami-Dade. According to the Miami-Dade County Public Schools COVID-19 dashboard, one employee and three students have self-reported that they have tested positive for the virus. Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district initiated the contact tracing investigation immediately upon learning about the positive case.
Teen who confessed to hacking Miami-Dade schools appears in court
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The teenager accused of hacking into Miami-Dade Public Schools and causing issues with their online learning had another hearing Thursday. State prosecutors have agreed to let Christian Oliveros, 16, meet with a psychologist or therapist to see if he can be diverted to a program or therapy. The first two days of online learning for the new school year at Miami-Dade schools were interrupted when no one could access the K-12 platform. While Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho said Oliveros was responsible for at least eight of the attacks, authorities believe he was not acting alone. The district eventually dropped that particular online learning platform
About 22,000 students return to classrooms in Miami-Dade County
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – About 22,000 students returned to the classroom Monday in Miami-Dade County as the public school district began the first phase of its staggered start to in-person learning. “I’m here to happily report that I’ve seen nothing but happy faces, both teachers and students,” Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. The superintendent visited nearly a dozen schools Monday as students in pre-k, kindergarten and first grade who opted out of virtual class made their big return to a brick-and-mortar classroom. All students must also wear a face covering, which staff will check for before they walk in. The Miami-Dade teachers union felt that the day went smoothly, for the most part.
Back-to-school comes Monday for in-person learning in Miami-Dade County
HIALEAH, Fla. – Miami-Dade brick-and-mortar schools are opening their doors Monday to some students. The students who will return to in-person learning Monday in Miami-Dade County public schools will be those in Pre-K, kindergarten and first grade, along with students with special needs. “We’ve been in schooling since Aug. 31, but tomorrow, Oct. 5, will be the first day of physical schooling,” Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Sunday outside of Hialeah Elementary School. But school board member Marta Perez tells Local 10 that the schools are ready to go, despite a sooner-than-expected return. It was Tuesday when the Miami-Dade School Board had to quickly pivot, voting to reopen physical classrooms on Oct. 5 instead of Oct. 14 - a plan that had already been voted on and approved.
Public schools in Miami-Dade County preparing to reopen for in-person learning
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Students who attend Miami-Dade Public Schools are set to officially return to in-person learning in the coming days. The decision comes after Florida’s Education Secretary told the school board it had to reopen or risk loss of vital funding. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho took a tour of several schools and facilities over the weekend as they prepare to reopen their doors to students, teachers and other faculty members. School board member Martha Perez is confident that schools across the county are ready. It was less than a week ago when the Miami-Dade School Board had to quickly pivot, voting to reopen physical classrooms on Oct. 5th instead of the plan they originally voted on and approved for Oct. 14.
Miami-Dade public schools prepare for students' Oct. 5-9 return to classrooms
Miami-Dade County public schools are preparing on Wednesday for students to start their return to classrooms in phases from Oct. 5-9. If parents change their minds and they want their children to return to the classroom, they will need to complete the school’s change of declaration form. High school students' schedules will revert to a 7:20 a.m. start time beginning on Oct. 7 at both the schoolhouses and on My School Online. Students grades 7-8 and 11-12 will return on Oct. 9. The district’s reopening schools' page is hereSource: Here is a link to the latest 65-page M-DCPS Reopen Smart, Return Safe guideRELATED STORIES
Miami-Dade School Board votes to delay in-person instruction to at least Oct. 14
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Miami-Dade School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to delay the start of in-person instruction to at least Oct. 14. On Tuesday, School Board Member Dr. Steve Gallon made a motion to delay the start of a staggered return until Oct. 5. School Board members then decided to push that date even further back. It was emotional,” School Board Member Lubby Navarro said. One school board member also showed concern over not having enough staff to do all of this.
Donation to Miami-Dade superintendent Carvalho’s foundation under investigation
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A formal investigation is underway into a donation made to the foundation run by Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. The county inspector general notified the school board of the probe into the $1.57 million donation by K12 Inc., which amounts to about a tenth of the $15 million contract. Carvalho insists the donation to the nonprofit Foundation for New Education Initiatives, Inc., which he chairs, was legal. “I always say sometimes it is not what it is, it’s what it looks like," school board vice-chair Steve Gallon said. Gallon said the return to school amid the coronavirus pandemic is also the top priority of the school board, with the investigation of the K12 donation being handled by the inspector general.
Some businesses will remain closed as South Florida prepares to move into Phase 2 of reopening
MIAMI – A downward trend in coronavirus cases has South Florida preparing for Phase 2 of reopening. Some businesses will remain closed though, as the region is still keeping some precautions in place. One of the biggest impacts will be paving the way for schools to start in-person teaching in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. “Next week, we’re going into a special board meeting where these matters will be discussed,” Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said. Meanwhile, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he would release more details about what exactly can reopen on Monday, but there was one thing he wanted to make clear.
This Week in South Florida Full Episode: September 13, 2020
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Rep. Donna Shalala, Monroe County Mayor Heather Carruthers and attorneys Raquel Rodriguez and Chris Smith join This Week in South Florida. The full episode can be seen at the top of this page.
This Week in South Florida: Alberto Carvalho
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Significant changes were made by the Miami-Dade Schools following a disastrous start to its virtual learning plan. At a marathon meeting last week, the school board took back control of spending for big educational needs. It also ordered Superintendent Alberto Carvalho to fix a long list of problems. The superintendent joined Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg on This Week in South Florida to discuss. Their conversation can be seen at the top of this page.
Miami-Dade movie theaters to open soon at 50% capacity, mayor says
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – After Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday that Miami-Dade County will move into Phase 2 of the statewide reopening plan starting Monday, local officials started to finalize their plans for next week. While Florida is allowing bars to reopen on Monday, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said bars and nightclubs are not allowed to reopen just yet in Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade County is allowed to enforce rules that are more strict but not more lenient than the state’s rules. After several security issues and inefficiencies reported made distance learning difficult, the Miami-Dade school district cut ties with My School Online service on Thursday.
DeSantis holds press conference with Miami-Dade mayor, schools superintendent
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference Friday afternoon with Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. The press conference is scheduled to begin at noon at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science.
Miami-Dade school district cuts ties with online platform
MIAMI Florida's largest school district is severing ties with an online platform many blame for failures as the county tries to get kids back to school. Following a 13-hour meeting, the Miami-Dade County School Board unanimously voted early Thursday to stop using My School Online. Some 400 teachers and parents submitted comments, most of them negative, about the online platform. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in the United States, comprised of 392 schools, 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees. The district chose the My School Online platform through K12 because it wanted a one-stop shop for all students and teachers.
Miami-Dade School Board votes to sever ties with current online learning platform
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. The Miami-Dade County School Board voted unanimously early Thursday morning to stop using its current online learning platform, My School Online, following two weeks of issues during the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Dr. Steve Gallon confirmed to Local 10 News. Gallon is the vice chair and elected District 1 School Board member for Miami-Dade County Schools. School officials said there is no financial consequence to the change because the contract with My School Online was never fully executed. At the first full board meeting since Miami-Dades virtual learning meltdown and subsequent finger pointing, there are lots of decisions to be made. We are very pleased that the school board made the decision to end the use of the K12 platform for our teachers and students, the statement read.
Was cyberattack on Miami-Dade schools so easy a teenager could do it?
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. A distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) cyberattack is what allegedly took down online learning for Miami-Dade Public Schools early this week. Web expert Craig Agranoff says executing that type of attack may not be as complicated as youd imagine. A simple Google search of how to do one of these will reveal how to do them, Agranoff said. It was an IP address that led police to South Miami High School junior David Oliveros, who was arrested Thursday. It takes no joy because he is one of us, district superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Thursday of Oliveros.
Superintendent: Miami schools platform also targeted by foreign interference
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. A news conference just wrapped up with Miami-Dade Countys Superintendent of Schools providing new details about the cyber attacks that plagued the school districts online learning platform since Monday. Superintendent of Schools Alberto Carvalho said a 16-year-old junior at South Miami Senior High School was responsible for at least 8 of the attacks, but he said other players involved may be from foreign nations. There are other attacks from foreign nations such as Russia, Ukraine, China, Iraq, and possibly others.Miami-Dade Schools Police traced an IP address responsible for the attacks to David Oliveros. The police department investigated the cyber attacks, along with the FBI, the Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Its something we have never dealt with, not only internally, but our local law enforcement partners havent either, Commander Edwin Lopez, Miami-Dade School Police, said.
U.S. Secret Service joining investigation of Miami-Dade schools’ cyber attack
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami Dade School Board met Wednesday to discuss the cyber attacks and other slowdowns that have been plaguing the district since it began its online learning platform Monday. The Federal Bureau of Investigation told Local 10 they are assisting Miami-Dade Schools Police. “It’s something we have never dealt with, not only internally, but our local law enforcement partners haven’t either,” Commander Edwin Lopez, Miami-Dade School Police, said. School board member and Vice Chair Steve Gallon said the online experience was an utter failure. There were also questions about the K-12 online platform itself and the $15.3 million contract.
Miami-Dade Public Schools continues to be targeted by cyber attacks, district officials say
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. Miami-Dade County Public Schools reported more issues Wednesday on the third day of online learning. M-DCPS continues to be targeted by cyber attacks, the school district posted to Twitter. Comcast became aware of an issue impacting the Miami Dade School District network, causing many families to be unable to access the learning site as the school day began. We are continuing to monitor the situation and are working with the school district and law enforcement to ensure this doesnt happen again. Gallon said M-DCPS is the fourth largest school district in the nation with a $5.5 billion budget and nearly 275,000 students, so its fair to anticipate schools would be a target to cyber attacks.
Superintendent says cyberattack is partially to blame for two days of technical problems
Comcast became aware of an issue impacting the Miami Dade School District network, causing many families to be unable to access the learning site as the school day began. We sincerely apologize to the families, teachers and students who were kept offline.Later in the day, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that a cyberattack was partially to blame for the issues from the past 48 hours. Carvalhos comments can be seen below:Alberto Carvalho presser 9/1/20 WATCH LIVE: Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho holds press conference to address issues on first two days of school. pic.twitter.com/VxfNDa3iKi Miami-Dade Schools (@MDCPS) September 2, 2020Members of the Miami-Dade County School Board were also upset. This is still unacceptable and not fair to our students, teachers, administrators, parents and community, said school board member Mari Tere Rojas.
Coronavirus pandemic: Superintendents consider reopening schools sooner in Broward, Miami-Dade
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. Public school superintendents in Miami-Dade and Broward counties said on Tuesday that they are both considering reopening school buildings sooner than previously thought. The timing of the decisions, they said, will reflect a reduction trend in coronavirus testing positivity rates in each district. According to data from the Florida Department of Health, both South Florida counties have reported fewer people are getting negative results after getting tested. Miami-Dade is on its 7th day of reporting a testing positivity rate below 10%. We are very confident we are going to be able to move that deadline up sometime to the middle of September at the latest, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the Miami-Herald during a forum.
Miami-Dade public schools hold Week of Welcome webinars for parents
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is focusing this week on welcoming students and their parents or guardians to the technicalities of distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic. The new Miami Week of Welcome site is offering webinars starting on Monday with online safety, parent account registration, problem-solving skills and social-emotional learning. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho will conduct a webinar at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Carvalho released a reopening webinar that included discussions with public health experts in July. For more information about the Week of Welcome events, call 305-995-3000 or visit the districts designated site.