Seminole County teachers to weigh in on district’s proposed reopening plan

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County teachers are being asked to provide feedback on a 38-page final draft of school district’s reopening plan.

The plan includes everything from social distancing guidelines to cleaning protocols and contingency plans.

The School Board will finalize its plan on July 14.

For parents not sure about sending their children back to the classroom, there will also a virtual school option.

Earlier this week, teachers were sent an email that asked whether they would like to volunteer to be temporarily assigned to teach virtual school.

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However, Seminole Education Association President Dan Smith said there should be a third option.

“If they were to commit to this and then a week later, two weeks later that distance learning was on the table, their concern is, Did I just get myself out of that option?” Smith said.

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Smith said distance learning is just a contingency plan now. The association was hoping to have a plan in place already, but there have been delays.

And with COVID-19 cases on the rise, Smith said he’s worried about teachers’ safety if they have to return to the classroom.

“I’m not going to point the finger at the district in this case, but nobody knows what is going to happen,” he said. It’s almost like a daily change right now.

District spokesman Michael Lawrence said district officials are planning for every kind of scenario because of the short time window they have to get it all done.

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“Things change for us as a district daily as well, and so we are having to come up with a lot of contingency plans, even on the fly, just to make sure we are prepared with options for our families and our staff alike,” Lawrence said.

District officials said distance learning is still an option, and another survey is set to go out to parents to help determine what reopening will look like.

Video: Seminole County teachers to weigh in on proposed reopening plan The School Board will finalize its plan on July 14.

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