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Escambia Schools Delay Start Date By Two Weeks, Mandate Face Coverings
July 21, 2020
The Escambia County School District will delay the first day of school by two weeks and mandate the use of face coverings.
The school board approved the recommendation from Superintendent Malcolm Thomas at their meeting Tuesday evening.
The first day for teachers will be Monday, August 17, and the first day for students will be Monday, August 24.
Thomas said more than twice the number of parents than expected chose the remote learning or virtual school option for their child, rather than the traditional classroom setting. The deadline for parents to make a choice was Monday.
“The number of students participating in the Remote Learning/Virtual School option means additional training for a number of our current instructors,” he said, “pushing the student start date to August 24, 2020 is necessary to provide our educators with the professional development required for quality virtual instruction. This also means students returning to Traditional School can improve social distancing within the classroom and school buses.”
Thomas will ask the board to approve the following wording about face coverings as district policy: “Face coverings will be worn in district facilities as directed by staff and instructional leaders. If a situation arises whereas a student, member of staff, or a visitor is not wearing, or is incapable of wearing a face covering, such individual may be assisted or guided by appropriate authorities within the district to undertake alternative, reasonable and accommodating actions to protect self and others.”
“Students and staff members will wear face coverings, or face shields, when they cannot adequately socially distance,” Thomas said. “While no one is expected to wear face coverings for 6 to 7 hours at a time, it is particularly important to comply on school buses, in hallways and/or shared spaces such as cafeterias and libraries. Parental support will be appreciated in order to maintain the safest learning environment possible.”
The Monday, August 24 return date for students will also mean 10-month educational support employees (ESP) within the district will return to their regular work schedules on Friday, August 21.
Comments
26 Responses to “Escambia Schools Delay Start Date By Two Weeks, Mandate Face Coverings”
I wish they would use some of the CARES money to place shields around ALL desks to help decrease the spread. I believe any extra protection, masks, included can help especially when you want to take the mask off for a breather. I heard some money is being used to purchase touchless water stations. I am aware nothing will be 100% but I know other schools in Florida are utilizing shields. I feel there is more that could be done here in Escambia county.
@M – I know people who have kept their kids at home AND have been keeping them busy with educational activities since school closed, even over the summer. People who have been galavanting their way through this virus are the reason we are still seeing I creases in cases. Sadly, it seems some parents are more like children and either can’t discern the difference between want and need, or are too immature to fully understand the consequences of disregarding health experts.
REGARDING:
“How the h**l do you come up with 14 days quarantine”
The message the Superintendent said due to so many wanting distance learning, they were going to need to train more teachers in the procedures and get set up for it, it is not quarantine. As you read above: “he said, “pushing the student start date to August 24, 2020 is necessary to provide our educators with the professional development required for quality virtual instruction.”
Those who had not decided but want something other than sending their children to school among all the others may still do so but please don’t wait another two weeks — or any longer — to say nobody told you. Get on the phone right now or go down right now.
David for healthy people
I’m thinking the school district should have stated face coverings will not have logos or slogans on them. Be specific or reap the heartache. Just my opinion.
With the mask requirement my daughter may change her choice to virtual or online rather than sitting in a mask all day. Can we still make the change?
@Amanda
I don’t even have school kids, and I was aware of the different school choices and deadlines. It’s surprising to hear of a parent of a school child being so unaware of school options during this difficult pandemic time and actually commenting on it on the very news site that has kept even childless me informed about the different school choices in Escambia County.
Are the schools going to pay for the child and parents medical bills when they catch covid at school? I would sure hope they are ready to pay, and the teacher is in the most danger of all considering how bad the virus is for older adults.
Its insane they are sending kids back to school. I guess the schools have big wallets and want to pay for everyone’s medical and testing and hospital stays
Just out of curiosity, how many of you have had children in child care, been to the beach, a public pool, a park, out to dinner, Walmart, gas stations, ATM’S, etc.?
@John Doe… Maybe ask a surgeon, anesthesiologists,etc. They will most likely say they spend more time in a mask than the average person.
@Amanda on why I wasn’t informed if choices etc. There were two different call outs to parents concerning the three choices the week before the deadline. Also the ECSD website keeps updates running on this subject. Therefore if your phone number you have given your child’s school is up to date and correct then you should have received the call. And it is a parents responsibility to check the website for information knowing that the school year is approaching.
@Amanda – we got several callouts from the schools over the past week and it was all over the news and social media. However, from what I read in the superintendent’s comments somewhere, if you want remote, go ahead and call your child’s school tomorrow and i bet they can still get her switched to remote through her school or to virtual. You’ll likely get an answering machine, they are having tons of administration meetings to sort this out at each school, but if you leave a message they should get back to you.
This sounds about the time we need to set up one of those special voucher advocated schools to put all the kids together from parents who refuse to recognize the benefits of face masks . . . . they can be taught by teachers and principals who don’t want to wear face masks as well. I’ll gladly pay extra tax dollars to see that circus happen.
@Amanda… where have you been? Does the district have your email? The survey went to those whose correct email the district had. Not only that it’s been in the news for some time with the deadline date. You could have called the district yourself if you hadn’t received your survey. Take some responsibility as a parent. Signed a retired educator.
As I viewed the School Board Meeting this afternoon, I was appalled that someone addressing the School Board about what is best for our students was wearing a PSL t-shirt. This stands for Party of Socialism and Liberation. This is a Marxist/Communist party formed in the United States in 2004. While everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, care should be taken when considering from whom to take advice.
As we are proving that we don’t need schools teachers or bus drivers, let me use the tax I pay to pay an online Tudor to teach my kids!!
Welp that makes up my mind! Bye bye ECSD!! WE’RE HOMESCHOOLING.
@Larry: I am in agreement that we need to get started back to school, but the delay is totally understandable. Many of us will need to teach remotely. We need time to learn how to do this effectively so that all students receive an appropriate education. That was the reason for the delay, not the virus. TRAINING for teachers.
I would like to know why I as a parent of a child in the 7th grade wasn’t notified & given opportunity to decide on remote virtual learning. There was a deadline also so now we have no choice but for her to attend public school.
@Larry. The number of parents choosing to have their children work from home was double what was expected. It takes time to get teachers and equipment set up for that.
Bad call. The delay and face cloths will not accomplish anything. Parents already have very generous options from the school district. It’s time for this debate to end and get things back to normal.
It is wrong anyway you look at this. Teachers are making living wills for God sake. That tells me they are expected to get sick which means our innocent baby’s will get sick . Why now?? Our children’s health is more important they cant learn if they are in a hospital or worse. This is so wrong. And if we don’t send them we get into legal trouble. This is wrong its sad and its careless. Some of us have different situations where our school aged kids will be distracted from younger siblings . I don’t have a babysitter i dont have the funds to pay for daycare or a babysitter every one else works. What are we supposed to do ? I see all sides of this situation people have to work and its scary for every single person who has children.
Its funny that a person (people) set time frames instead of results from the covid
How the hell do you come up with 14 days quarantine…., 2 weeks and we will be safer or not for humans to be sent to a “testing ground” to see if it really is safe..what are your anticipation based on what quack science again and again …as politicians , conflicting medical advice..according who you choose to go by.
What indicators are you looking at to do anything at all?
Shooting from the hip…that is the national indicator ..
???? YOU HAVE NONE…CROSS YOUR FINGERS..JOE BLOW SAID…ETC.. What a massive pile of malarkey about all of these time frames…how do you measure Covid with time…care to plot that against a matter of time….
You cant……
But 2 weeks sounds so good….does it not????
Its a nice round time frame…BASED ON WHAT……NOTHING
“While no one is expected to wear face coverings for 6 to 7 hours at a time…” said no doctor ever.
That’s not a mandate; that’s a suggestion. Children need direct instructions with follow through and consequences from the adults. The schools do the children a disservice by lacking the conviction to enforce the rules. Malcolm Thomas wants his cake and to eat it too. He’s in a tough situation but he needs to stop with the political compromise and actually own a decision for once.
Yes, how do you propose to help the special needs students, like my non verbal autistic son, Aubrey, who is 10 and going into 5th grade? You moved the autism unit to a completely different school. So, that means a new school with new teachers and a completely different environment and doesn’t know where to go or doesn’t have a familiar face and probably can guarantee he won’t keep a mask on like you want and may not be able to social distance or understand what is even going on? If remote learning, then what about his IEP, which needs to be revised, and what does school look like for him??? My daughter going into 6th grade will be doing hers remotely on the chrome book, correct? When are class schedules sent out and when is the protocol of how to navigate this and teach my children and what is required of us all? When will specific answers and direction be given? Covid-19 and trying to help my son understand that the earth is sick is hard enough much less all the changes. And if the autism unit has moved to Cordova Park, have you considered extending that past 5th grade? It will take all year for some sort of routine to be comfortable for Aubrey and then off to another school. Can’t you extend the program at the same school so my child can be so much more successful in his academics and everything else that comes along with autism and school and life!
What exactly is a “face covering” going to do? Why wear it at all if it isn’t preventing spread or contraction?