SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Staggered start dates saw a new group of students in Miami-Dade County reporting to school on Wednesday.
Administrators have put a number of safety measures in place as they continue to welcome students back into classrooms.
Some of the district’s youngest students returned to the classroom on Monday. Those who were in pre-K, kindergarten, first grade as well as special needs students were among the first to return to campus.
On Wednesday, the remaining elementary school students, some middle school students as well as some high school students made their return.
This group consisted of second through sixth graders as well as ninth and 10th graders.
“Online wasn’t working for me,” said student Angy Moncada. “I couldn’t concentrate. I couldn’t keep going with it.”
“I’m kind of, like, missing going to school in person,” said one student. “I’m excited right now. I don’t know how to feel.”
In a letter to parents of students attending Downtown Doral Charter School, the principal said their child may have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. According to the school’s website, they reopened in late September.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools said they are doing everything they can to keep students safe.
“A lot of them took off their mask sometimes, and the teachers told them to put them back on,” Sophia, a student, said.
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district has employed deep sanitation efforts and will have a medically trained professional at every school.
He said there is plenty of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for everyone on campus. He also continued to tour schools to ensure safety measures were being adhered to.
“With today’s second wave, we welcomed an excess of 70,000 students today,” he said. “Obviously, there’s always a couple of glitches. We got reports from a couple of the schools that were having some difficulty with portal access when all the kids came in. Aside from that, I have not seen or detected any significant systemic issues.”
Karla Hernandez-Mats, the president of United Teachers of Dade, said teachers in the school district are trying their best to make sure students are safe.
“We still need supplies like disinfecting wipes, disinfecting sprays, rubbing alcohol. Those are the kinds of things that we need, especially for those classes that move,” Hernandez-Mats said. “We’ve seen a few pictures of students conglomerating together. Perhaps there’s not enough markers in schools. We want to make sure they adhere to all these safety measures so that they’re safe, and everybody in the community is safe.”
7News spoke with several students who had mixed reactions on returning to the classroom.
“I’m feeling kind of nervous right now, because I’m worried about getting sick, and, like, some of my friends aren’t going to school and stuff, but it’s fine,” said one student. “I’m going to get used to it.”
“I feel horrible,” said one student. “I want to go back home.”
The remaining students in grades 7, 8, 11 and 12 who opted for in-person learning will return to the classroom on Friday.
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