Time to lock in your learning selection: Palm Beach and Broward county schools are now requiring families to make a decision and stick with it, for the rest of the semester at least.
Families can choose virtual lessons or in-person learning in the classroom. A previous Palm Beach County policy had allowed parents to change their mind if they gave their schools one week’s notice.
But the policy apparently was complicating the reopening schools. It surfaced as the main complaint as School Board member Erica Whitfield and Chairman Frank Barbieri Jr. visited campuses over the past two weeks.
“It’s been difficult for principals and teachers,” Whitfield said. Palm Beach County schools reopened Sept. 21 after six months of closure.
Deputy Superintendent Keith Oswald said allowing people to change their minds week-to-week has hindered principals planning how many students will be in a classroom and how many teachers the schools need on a consistent basis.
Broward schools also are asking parents to choose either virtual or in-person schooling for the rest of the semester. Schools are scheduled to reopen in October; a date is expected to be set Thursday.
A note from the administration at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland explained Broward’s policy last week: “Students who opt to continue e-learning at home will remain on that model at least until January. Students will have an option to return in January, space permitting.”
The note said there will be flexibility for students who had been learning in school buildings who want to switch to learning at home. That change can be made more easily, the letter said.
In Palm Beach County, parents will have to tell their schools by Oct. 14 whether they are choosing learning from home or learning in a school building for their children. The first semester ends Jan. 29.
