During a virtual school board meeting on Tuesday morning, Broward Regional Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie has announced to start a date for when he would like to reopen schools to students and teachers. Runcie said November 5 is a more feasible date to reopen school campuses for in-person learning. The superintendent also took advantage during the virtual school board meeting to thank teachers for their hard work and dedication during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We decide to recommend to the school board that we open our schools starting Friday, November 5, ” he said.

Runcie credits recent downward trends in coronavirus figures and other factors as the reason for making a go on to reinstate in-person learning.

Runcie said he wants to limit the number of students on campus to less than 50 to ensure the center has adequate personal protective equipment and can space out students.

Broward Teachers Union Director Anna Fusco said teachers haven’t been given a clear idea of what schools and sessions will be like broward single sign on , how they will be cleaned, what the protocols will be, or what personal protective equipment will be provided to teachers.

Runcie said that students on campus will have to wear masks, will still submit homework in an electronic file, and said that there will be no science labs in sessions.

COVID-19 cases are still rising by the day, concerning parents, teachers and students alike. School Board member Patti Good expressed concerns during the summer while many coronavirus cases were rising fast. Many teachers are also concered about returning to class if students have underlying conditions, Good said. She asked if those teachers could receive extra pay for taking on this challenge, an idea Runcie said he was open to.

Back in June, while rules were being looked into to be eased, Broward Teachers Union Director Anna Fusco said a survey found about 30% of teachers said they would be ready get back to actual sessions. She asked the center to give you access to those teachers before mandating ones to return if they have health problems.

An alternative to this, teachers say, will be to go on leave. Many teachers thought to continue work from home teaching students who were also staying home. Or, if that was not possible, at least be allowed to take what would most likely be an unsettled leave of absence, without much information about how safe schools will be. Initially, we were holding told they need to respond by Friday, September 15.

Many parents have complained that online learning, while improved since last spring, is still inferior to face-to-face instruction. They also say it creates a problem for working parents who must stay home to watch over their children. Unfortunately for these parents, though, online learning will still be a reality for the foreseeable future.

While parents will have the decision to keep their kids at home or send them to school, the subjects will be the same. Teachers will teach simultaneously to students at home and those with their laptops in the in-class.

The final decision to reopen schools back up is up to the school Board, which will discuss the matter September twenty-two.