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Thomas: Escambia Schools Set To Reopen April 16, Employees Back To Work, Graduation Questionable
March 18, 2020
The Escambia County School District currently plans to reopen schools on April 16 and will implement a virtual learning program until that time, Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said Wednesday afternoon as he updated the district’s plans. Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered schools to close until April 15.
Remote instruction for students will begin on April 1, with most student completing virtual online coursework. Teachers will call parents or students by April 1. If the call is not received by April 3, Thomas said parents should call their child’s school.
Thomas said the district is still finalizing a plan on how to best reach students that have limited or no available internet at home, a problem he said that impacts a lot of North Escambia students because high speed internet is simply just not available in some areas. For those students, the district will likely resort to delivering paper lesson packets.
“Student success is a priority for us,” the superintendent said.
All state and district testing has been canceled, and all extracurricular activities, athletic practices and athletic events are canceled for the remainder of the school year
Thomas said graduation ceremonies have not yet been canceled, but it’s not looking likely that they will occur due to the fact the state has already ordered the cancellation of state college graduations.
“It’s a big moment and it’s important to those students,” Thomas said. “We want to celebrate that.”
For the remainder of the year, all district employees will continue to receive their regular pay.
On Monday, March 30, 2020, all district employees, with the exception of transportation employees, will return to their regular work locations. Hours of operation for the district from March 30 through April 15 will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
When employees arrive, they must go directly to their office or classroom and not congregate in groups of 10 or more in any common area. School district transportation department employees will receive communication from their immediate supervisors, with instructions on when and where to report to work.
“The district will make every effort to work with parents and employees experiencing hardship situations. In addition, if employees are experiencing symptoms of illness, have traveled out of the country, or been in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, they need to remain at home and contact their immediate supervisors.”
NorthEscambia.com image.
Comments
32 Responses to “Thomas: Escambia Schools Set To Reopen April 16, Employees Back To Work, Graduation Questionable”
In no way should schools be reopened on Apr 16th. There is far too much risk to students, faculty staff and their families. Train the teachers in distance learning, keep kids home for the remainder of the year and keep everyone safe. Lives are not worth 8 weeks. State tests have already been cancelled. Sending children and staff in harm’s way will cause unbearable stress at best and create a new hotspot of covid 19 at worst. Please, keep everyone home.
The decision to reopen is made too soon, in my opinion.
The virus cases are still rising right now, as more people are actually being tested.
School buses are crowded, some schools are crowded, and middle school, high school hallways with all those students. I pray our superintendent will rethink his decision on what is best for everyones health and not for other reasons. “This is a marathon
,not a sprint.” For our Private schools, I hope the administrators take their students, faculty, and families into careful consideration!! I have an elementary and middle schooler! Prayers for All.
Once teachers are instructed how and what to teach on-line, they should be allowed to stay home and teach from there. Teachers work assignments can be checked on by their supervisors without endangering teachers each time they leave home.
Why not check with other states and take note of what they are doing??
Herrf Jones should be required to refund money for anything ordered and not delivered to students as well as the cost of the cap & gowns if graduation ceremony canceled. I’m concerned about sending students back to school in larger groups. We still don’t know who is carrying the virus and might be able to spread it. Just let them finish requirements on line.
Why would you bring teachers back into the schools to teach “virtually”? Commuting everyday? Being with other people daily? Risk of traffic accident for staff? Then coming home every night to family members, and potentially spreading COVID19 faster, adding to the healthcare capacity issue?
Is this being done to make sure teachers are signing in to a time clock? Are you kidding me?
Just let the teachers go to already in-place virtual systems, organize their lessons from home, call parents, and initiate lessons online?
As for students without internet, hubs are great (library and community center parking lots). But don’t forget, the parking lots of schools also have WiFi available for linking into chrome books.
Graduation is a real accomplishment for some, and it doesn’t come easy for everyone. If it did for you, you should consider yourself lucky. As for school returning every single person has the option to homeschool and I truly believe that’s what I’m turning to after this. My kids keep catching colds from school as it is without any virus that shuts down the system of sorts. With talk of graduation being cancelled for the end of may I don’t see how the plan is to have the kids back in school April 16th.
Life is full of disappointments. Not having a commencement ceremony would be a disappointment, but it won’t kill anyone.
This whole virus thing is a huge mess!!! It is absolutely insane to me!!! And probably insane to half the other population who truly understands what is going on here!!! I believe you guys need to stop thinking about your own agenda and allow these kids to graduate!!! Every single one of them all the way down to kindergarten… You guys should be putting these kids back in school by next week and stop all this craziness. Stop spreading fear, panic, and acting like everyone’s dying!!! The flu and other things kill more people than this. The common core hurt our kids and now this other agenda you guys are trying to implement on us is hurting our kids and our generations to come!!!!
Graduation is at the END OF MAY!! Why would you even consider cancelling it before May 1- a lot of good can happen between now and then! These students deserve this day and I think fighting for them until then would be appreciated.
@ MR REALITY.
Well said. Could not of said it better my self.
Cancel graduation , grandparents won’t be able to attend
Some like my son can not do a later graduation as we are moving an he is starting College My son in 12th grade was 1/2 credit short give them the credit mail the diploma call it done
Now this company y’all made us use this herff jones is refusing refunds on cap & gowns this needs attention as parents and kids did not use nor get cap gowns
But we all paid 50.00 for such
Now how why are they allowed to keep our money
It was not a deposit the $50 is paid in full for the cap and gown rental if we do not use the cap and gown the money should be refunded especially during this time with so many people like myself laid off out of work worried stressed it’s bad enough our children cannot graduate it’s bad enough they’re normalcy has been destroyed but making the parents wallet suffer even more so a company can rip us off is disgraceful and I hope your attention is had by this I hope you contact this company and inform them that by law they must return our money thank you very concerned parent
Graduation is a personal accomplishment. Are we rearing such petty, insecure children that they need the adulation of others, ie. a graduation ceremony, for reaching a goal that is for their own benefit? When did high school graduation become a crowning achievement? A high school diploma is a MINOR accomplishment (especially in Escambia County – look at our public school state ranking) in a series of steps toward becoming self sufficient. Big picture people!
Dang some of you are clueless and so selfish…HOW CARES ABOUT YOUR KID GOING THRU A GRADUATION CEREMONY…REALLY PEOPLE….UNREAL…and for Mr. Thomas, THE SCHOOL YEAR IS OVER BROTHER. Admit it so people can NOW make adjustments instead of waiting until the night before to announce school is over.
@JJ I agree with you! But I aslo believe that after spending all the money for the kids to do their school work at home for 16 days, to turn around and go back to school for 5 weeks of school left! I just think spending all that money is a waste! And really not knowing if the kids or the teachers will be safe from this virus! I think there is still a lot of questions to be answered!
John Doe on March 19th, 2020 8:59 am larger area more ventilation. Research from past outbreaks (which there have been, this is NOT new,) show fresh air and sunshine does help.
Lee on March 19th, 2020 9:37 am My son is a Staff Sergeant Army Recruiter and he has been sent to the house to do his job from there over the internet.
Just postpone our graduation. I am a senior this year. We have all had enough taken from us this school year, sports, prom and now graduation. We have worked so hard for this. Graduation isn’t just walking across the stage, it’s seeing our families cheer us on as we get our diploma. This is important to all of us.
I agree as a concern parent myself, why not let the kids finish on line at home? He school bus carries a large amount of children and in the classrooms. This a serious matter because what about the disabled kids that can’t use their hands and the teacher/aids that has to wipe their nose? It’s not safe because you will have some parents that will send their children who are sick to school because they “can’t be bothered”.
ProudArmyParent, I know that even the Army is taking these measures. That should tell us something.
@ProudArmyParent…How does being outside keep you from catching a virus? That’s a new one to me.
Most school have football stadiums, hold graduation ceremonies outside, in the fresh air and sunshine. Next only 2 tickets per graduate. For those larger Senior classes, graduate the first half of the class of 2020. Clear the area and graduate the last half. Northern schools graduate outside every year, bigger colleges and universities stagger their graduations all the time.
We tell our children to use their brains and they can accomplish much!
Start thinking outside the box!
@ Mandi Davis “The seniors have worked so hard for 12 years to be able to have the honor of walking across that stage.”
#1 I think the purpose of going to school is not to walk across the stage, but to get knowledge and thinking skills. Walking across that stage is just a ceremony, an adornment, nobody goes to school in order to be able to walk across the stage
#2 Working so hard? In my days only the lazy ones would drop out, graduating was not considered as an “achievement” or a sign of “working hard”, it was an expected norm. Did it change now? I don’t see school kids “working hard”6 unless any effort however small is now considered as “hard work”.
Some people need reading comprehension lessons. The “don’t congregate in groups” for the teachers is for when they go back on March 30. It is not meant for when or if the students return after April 15. Read people. Then re-read until you actually understand it. I really fear for some of these kids if the parents can’t even comprehend this. Sigh. Thank you Escambia school district for trying to figure this out and not immediately canceling graduations. Please just postpone them until this starts downward trending so these kids can walk across the stage.
No more than 10 in a group. There is 20 – 30 in a class room. Is the lunchroom.going to serve 10 at a time or the 50-100 at a time.
I believe he is getting prepared for no school for the rest of the year. Setting up virtual classes. I believe these kids won’t see the inside of a school for the remainder of the year.
To Molino,
I was thinking the same thing. My sister teaches at a special needs school in Okaloosa county. I don’t see how those students can deal with a virtual classroom. It is tough enough in a face to face environment. And to be perfectly honest, you can not have teachers trying to teach these students face to face in the current environment. Those students are not likely to follow the rules needed to protect them and their teachers. It is a really terrible situation for both the students and the teachers that love them.
Me 23,
I was thinking the same thing. What about every morning
and afternoon when there packing the kids on a school bus
seating them 2 or 3 to each seat?
Just wondering how is a teacher who teaches special needs children going to be able to do virtual teaching with the kids. Most if not all special needs children need more of a hands on face to face type of teaching. Have now idea how this will work for the god sent teacher who teaches the special needs children. Also all the teacher who have children that are school age what are they going to do? One of the reason teachers are teachers is because of the work schedule you know off when the kids are off ie: spring break, Christmas break, and summer Break! I know children’s education is very important.
The April 16 date should not be set in stone as predicting how this will go statewide over next month is nigh impossible. If universities are going online through the end of April/early May when their spring semester ends, how does it make sense for K12 to return before then?
The seniors have worked so hard for 12 years to be able to have the honor of walking across that stage. It would be so unfair to them to be the only graduating class that didn’t get to. If anything else just postpone it. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind waiting till June or July to walk across the stage as long as they get to. This would also give the ones struggling grade wise to graduate to catch up via online classes or other means. Please don’t do this to the seniors who have already lost the best part of their senior memories like senior prom, senior trips and senior awards due to this virus. At least give them their honor of walking across the stage.
Andrew, pretty sure they just mean graduation ceremonies are questionable right now, not whether or not students will graduate. They will likely base graduation on current scores (plus any virtual learning). They will still graduate. There just won’t be large ceremonies to celebrate (potentially).
If teachers shouldnt gather in groups larger then 10 why bring the kids back? Kids are not going to practice hand washing and social distance while at school. Why put the kids at risk, why not just finish the year online like so many other counties are doing? You basically authorizing spreading this by letting kids go back to school.
Look don’t give me this graduation questionable. We missed a month and some change after hurricanes and seniors still graduated on time. We owe it to seniors to help as much as possible. No we shouldn’t just give it to them but honestly we need to exhaust everything possible for these seniors and not sound like we are going ahead and writing it off. If they are taking electives…I’m sorry that will now be a core class or if you have job corps I believe that company should help pitch in and let the kid stay for school so they can make those core classes happen. If you are a student who was already hurting. It isn’t going to be handed to you. We might have to do a night school or online school so you can finish everything before graduation. It’s time to roll up sleeves and prove our worth to them and them that they deserve it