M-DCPS welcomes back select students for in-person learning Monday

DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - Select students in Miami-Dade County headed back to their school campuses on Monday.

“We expect to have about 22,000 students returning to the schoolhouse option,” Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.

Students in pre-K, kindergarten, first grade and those with special needs are able to head to campus in the first part of what officials are calling a staggered welcome back for those families who choose to do so.

7SkyForce HD hovered over one school early in the morning where students could be seen getting off of the school bus.

The reopening of school campuses comes just over a week after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he was moving the entire state into Phase 3 of reopening during the coronavirus pandemic.

While not everyone is happy to be back in school, parents are thankful for a sliver of normalcy.

“I think that this is going to be really good for her, and we just have to have faith that she can stay safe and that those in her classroom can also help to do the same,” said parent Kadie Black. “We’re excited for her to have the experience or whatever the new normal experience at school is.”

Her daughter, Aliza, who is starting kindergarten, is one of the roughly 22,000 students who will return to in-person learning this week.

7News cameras rolled as she prepared for school by packing her backpack with the usual school supplies, like notebooks, as well as COVID-19 supplies to keep her safe.

“I have to get used to wearing a mask all day,” said Aliza.

As of Monday afternoon, Carvalho said operations have been running smoothly.

“We have not detected any issues,” he said.

The superintendent toured several schools including Andrea Castillo Preparatory Academy in Doral.

“Every single teacher that we thought would be in school showed up,” he said.

The superintendent said the safety of students, teachers and staff is a top priority.

“We’ve been able to secure a medically trained person for every single school in Miami-Dade. That’s a combination of nurses, EMTs [and] LPNs,” Carvalho said.

Other school leaders said that the first day back to in-person learning has not been without challenges.

“We have seen some hiccups along the way,” said Karla Hernandez Mats, president of United Teachers of Dade. “For example, we know that at Cutler Bay Middle School, there was a problem with the air conditioning, and we know at Southside Elementary, all the kids were just kind of clumped together, there was no social distancing.”

“Most families do not consist of a single child, and therefore if one classroom has a case, there is likely going to be effects on multiple classrooms, so we have to be very, very vigilant. It’s important that there be adequate ventilation and careful monitoring of what’s going on, or yes, we could have another serious rise of cases,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, infectious diseases expert.

For students like Aliza and her family, being very vigilant starts with remembering the very basics.

“Keep their mask on and wash their hands,” Aliza said.

The district said they hired 700 contact tracers who will help isolate any cases that are expected to emerge.

Second-grade students through sixth-grade students, as well as ninth and tenth graders, who opted for in-person learning, will head back to school on Wednesday.

The rest of the students who opted for in-person learning will head back on Friday.

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