JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval County Public Schools (DCPS) was on the verge of releasing a complete reopening plan on a new website for parents on Monday, but those plans were stalled after the release of an executive order from Florida’s Department of Education Commissioner, Richard Corcoran.
- Corcoran’s executive order calls for all brick and mortar schools to have their doors open at least five days per week.
- The order also stated schools must provide a full array of services so children who attend schools for in-person learning will be able to access them.
- DCPS spokesperson Tracy Pierce tells Action News Jax the superintendent will be speaking about the state’s directive at the meeting tonight.
- “Right now, we are determining how the Commissioner’s order impacts our back-to-school plan, and there is some guidance coming in the near future from the Department of Education. We need that guidance to understand the details of compliance with the order,” Pierce said.
- Pierce tells us there’s no set timetable for when DCPS will have its enrollment plans finalized, but the district is working to do so as soon as possible.
- “Since the order just came out yesterday and districts are still receiving DOE guidance, it is too early to say what our timetable will be, but we are going to move as quickly as possible,” Pierce said.
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School districts across Florida are now reworking their reopening plans in order to give all students the option to go to their schools five days a week.
Duval County Public School leaders heard from dozens of parents Tuesday night as they make sure their plan is compliant.
Tuesday night, Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene told the Duval County School Board they will be prepared with school starting in 33 days despite having to adjust the back to school plan.
The school board is trying to figure out the next step after the Florida Department of Education issued an executive order on Monday that says all schools must open at least five days a week for all students, and states schools must offer a full array of services.
The district’s old plan was to reopen schools with a mix of online and in-person options based on student’s grade levels
Only elementary schools would have been open five days a week.
Superintendent Greene says the issue is, “the schools have to reopen five days a week.”
She presented the executive order to the school board Tuesday night… and what it means.
The district says it will now have to submit its plan to the Department of Education by July 31 to make sure the district is fully compliant.
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