School district’s plan to reopen leaving some Seminole County parents in limbo

School board meeting Tuesday to determine county's plan

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – As the global pandemic continues to threaten communities, school districts in Central Florida are in the midst of reopening their brick-and-mortars.

For one mother in Seminole County, the decision of whether to send her two younger children back into the classroom has been a struggle.

“There’s just so much going on about, is it safe? Is it not safe?” Cindy Sosa said. “I would like to have some type of plan maybe for them to go to school in-person or limited, like maybe once or twice a week. The quality of their learning and having a classroom, having that structure and having that teacher right in front of them, I do think it doesn’t compare to learning remote.”

Sosa’s daughter and son will be going into fifth and third grades at Layer Elementary in Winter Springs. The mother of four recalled the difficulties she faced while working at home and keeping up with her children’s schoolwork, and although she hopes they can go back to school, her main concern is what that will look like.

“It’s stressful but at the same time, you know, when you have to prioritize the health of children and they’re not necessarily as disciplined as adults are and even adults are not as disciplined about wearing their masks or staying 6 feet away,” she said. “So, how do you implement that at an elementary school level? It’s scary.”

When asked about making face coverings mandatory, Sosa said she is all for it but is aware of the greater challenge it could be.

“I would not be opposed to face masks being mandatory. It’s gonna be challenging. I know some teachers are gonna have to enforce or kids might cry, ‘I don’t wanna wear it, it’s uncomfortable,‘” she said. “You know, all these things can come about because I see it with my children when we go to the supermarket. ‘Wear your mask’ and they’re like, ‘We can’t breathe.‘”

Sosa hopes if the district decides to return to traditional face-to-face learning, it will be based on the number of COVID-19 cases reported next month and the government’s response if the surge continues.

“We can come up with so many different plans but we have to be realistic about the children and what we’re dealing with,” she said. “Obviously we can only forecast because we don’t know exactly how it’s gonna be by the time August gets here.”

The Seminole County School Board meets Tuesday to determine the county’s final plan to send students back to school either in-person or virtually in August.

The presentation used during the school board’s work session can be viewed by clicking here.


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