The Florida Department of Education has approved the reopening plans for schools in Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties.
In Martin County, the 2020-2021 academic year will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Students will begin the school year participating in either traditional in-person classroom learning or distance learning from home, depending on the option selected by their parents or guardians, the district said.
In St. Lucie County, the school year is scheduled to start Monday, Aug. 24., and the school district is offering students three learning options:
- Traditional in-classroom instruction
- MySchool Online, a distance learning model in which students will follow a real-time bell schedule with live teachers
- Mosaic Digital Academy
The school district has taken extra precautions to keep students and staff members safe, including requiring everyone to wear a face-covering in schools, urging people to practice social distancing whenever possible, offering frequent hand washing breaks, and limiting visitors into schools.
The Okeechobee County School District is scheduled to start the academic year on Monday, Aug. 17.
School board members previously agreed to offer three educational options for students: traditional in-person classroom instruction, full-time online instructional learning, or a blended model for students who will eventually transition back to traditional school.
Students choosing to return to the classroom will have to wear face coverings at school for the first nine weeks of the school year. In addition, the district will provide enhanced safety measures on school campuses.
The Palm Beach County and Indian River County school districts are still waiting for the state to approve their reopening plans.