WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The School District of Palm Beach County announced Friday evening that brick-and-mortar schools will reopen Sept. 21 to in-person instruction.
This decision comes after Gov. Ron DeSantis approved this week the county moving to Phase 2 effective Tuesday.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Back to School
The school district said students in pre-K through grade 12 self-contained ESE programs and ESE special schools, who choose in-person instruction, can return to school campuses on Sept. 16. The district said those families will receive a phone call from their school with follow-up details.
Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner said earlier Friday that he made a personal request to DeSantis to push back the reopening of brick-and-mortar schools to Sept. 21.
Parents can choose to have their children remain in distance learning, if they prefer to do so.
The school district is urging parents to let them know as soon as possible if their child will be returning to in-classroom instruction once brick-and-mortar schools reopen, or if they will continue distance learning at home. The district is asking parents to make a decision by Sept. 9.
To make your choice, click here.
A school district spokeswoman said once schools reopen, if your child is in distance learning but then eventually wants to return to in-classroom instruction, it will take one week to process that request.
If, however, you want to go from in-classroom instruction back to distance learning, that transition can happen overnight.
The district said students who are eligible to ride a bus will be assigned a bus stop along with their pickup and drop-off times.
Students returning to campus will be asked to adhere to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.