SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Friday at noon marked the deadline for Seminole County parents to select a learning option for their children for the upcoming fall semester.
Schools will reopen across the state in August, even as Florida reports a cumulative total of 402,312 COVID-19 cases, but districts are offering parents the chance to choose whether they’d like their child to participate in classes on campus or continue distance learning from home.
[READ: 7 things Seminole County elementary parents want to know about sending students back to school | 13 things Seminole County middle, high school parents want to know ahead of campus reopening]
In Seminole County, the options are: face to face, Seminole Connect, Seminole County Virtual School and a hybrid model.
Seminole Connect involves a student learning online at home but following a regular class schedule while Seminole County Virtual School allows the student to set their own schedule. For the hybrid model, students have the option to spend part of their day learning at school and the rest of the day at home.
Seminole County Public Schools provided these numbers showing which option parents chose:
- No selection made: 18,536 (27.47%)
- Seminole Connect: 17,441 (25.84%)
- Face-to-face: 15,797 (23.41%)
- Save My Seat! Virtual Classes: 8,687 (12.87%)
- Hybrid: 6,417 (9.51%)
- Transfer to Seminole County Virtual School: 609 (0.9%)
For the 27% who didn’t make a decision, the district plans to send out calls likely this weekend letting parents know that their children will automatically be enrolled for in-person learning. They will have a second chance to make a selection early next week, but slots can fill up so parents are encouraged to act fast.
The fall semester is set to begin on Aug. 17, one week back from what was originally planned.
To read more about Seminole County’s school reopening plan, click here.