About 22K Miami-Dade students expected to resume in-person learning

HIALEAH, FLA. (WSVN) - Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials are expected to welcome back around 22,000 students to campuses beginning on Monday, but not everyone is on board with this decision.

M-DCPS Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Sunday addressed the highly anticipated return to classrooms, just over a week after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he was moving the entire state to Phase 3 of reopening during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Tomorrow, October 5th, will be the first day of physical school,” said Carvalho. “We expect to have about 22,000 students returning to the Schoolhouse option.”

Schools throughout the county will be opening their doors Monday morning to pre-K, kindergarten, first grade and those with special needs, the first part of what officials are calling a staggered welcome back for those families who choose to do so.

Sunday night, parents expressed mixed reactions about the schools’ return to indoor learning.

“My daughter? No, I’m not sending her back,” said parent Victoria Saife.

“Now we want her to have that social, emotional, in-person experience,” said Kadie Black, whose daughter is starting kindergarten.

Carvalho, who spent the day touring schools, said the district is ready.

“I have personally inspected dozens of schools over the past week,” he said. “All schools have gone through deep sanitization efforts to ensure that they are clean, they are healthy to accept, receive and welcome our students and our employees.”

Members of the Miami-Dade School Board reached their decision to reopen after receiving a letter from Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran calling for an Oct. 5 reopening date.

Some parents who spoke with 7News said they disagree with Monday’s reopenings, saying it’s too soon.

“I definitely don’t trust them with this reopening,” said Saife. “It’s much more challenging. It requires much more coordination, logistics, and I don’t think they have it.”

Karla Hernandez-Mats, president of the United Teachers of Dade, agrees.

“I don’t feel confident, but nevertheless, the school board made this decision,” she said. “Here we are, one day before our schools open, and everybody is trying to adjust and make sure that social distancing is in place, that hand sanitizing stations are there, and that parents know to tell their kids to wear their masks to that they can protect themselves.”

Other parents, meanwhile, believe their children will be just fine.

“We’ve made sure that she knows that the masks go over her nose and her mouth,” said Black. “She’s been wearing the mask a lot more so that she can get ready to wear it all day.”

Despite any concerns, school leaders assured parents that their children’s safety comes first.

“We expect tomorrow to be a regular school day in a very modified set of conditions,” said Carvalho. “Our top priorities are the safety, security and well-being and the health of our students, our employees and our community.”

Students in grades 2-6 and 9-10 can begin heading back to campuses on Wednesday. The rest can go back starting Friday.

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