MIAMI (WSVN) - As South Florida continues to see a downward trend in new coronavirus cases, Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said students returning to the classroom may happen sooner than they initially thought.
Former Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning joined Carvalho to pass out tablets and gave internet access to 25 students, so when they return to school on Monday, they will be well-prepared.
Carvalho also mentioned that there are a series of steps and certain qualifiers that the district needs to meet in order to make sure that returning to the classroom is safe.
He said about 50% of families have said they want to stick to virtual learning.
“We may hit appropriate healthy conditions that may allow the return of students to schools in a safe, methodical and limited way earlier than Oct. 5 or Sept. 30,” said Carvalho. “In fact, based on the latest projections, we may hit those thresholds some time in mid to late September.”
Many teachers have been reporting experiencing issues with computer systems with virtual teaching.
“We’ve had some capacity issues, third-party, not school-system related,” Carvalho said. “We understand the frustration. Every day, we adapt and take measures to make it better.”
United Teachers of Dade has released a statement that reads in part, “We are remaining optimistic about the Aug. 31 start date, but many of our teachers are concerned that they will not be fully prepared come Monday, and rightfully so.”
School board members have also spoken out about the readiness of the school district. According to the Miami Herald, some school board members do not believe the district is ready for Monday’s return to class.
Carvalho said there have been hiccups along the way, but he is confident that by next week everything will work out as expected.
He also said that the entire first week of virtual learning will be dedicated to navigating the computer system, which should give students and teachers enough time to make sure they are ready to begin learning and teaching.
Some students expressed that they have not seen their friends since the pandemic started, and they cannot wait to return to the classroom.
The teachers’ union said having the conversation to possibly reopen schools at the moment is irresponsible.
7News has reached out to M-DCPS Chairwoman Perla Hantman to learn more about some of the concerns she is hearing from teachers, but we have yet to hear back.
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