Education chiefs in Duval and St Johns Counties are getting buildings and plans ready to welcome tens of thousands of students to class, but with coronavirus cases soaring, parents and teachers are saying it’s way too soon.
Jacksonville, FloridaWith the start of the school year looming across northeast Florida, parents, teachers and students are ringing the alarm. Education chiefs plan to welcome tens of thousands of students to class. But with coronavirus cases soaring in the state, parents and teachers say it’s way too soon.
“There may be other cities or countries who are going back to school, but their case numbers of Covid-19 are so low,” said Rolline Sullivan, a mother of four students in Duval County, home to Jacksonville. “The biggest thing I think that is missing is the science of it.”
Teacher Lauren Hammock worries about getting sick and infecting others.
Sullivan recently joined a caravan of “motor marchers” — parents and teachers who drove to the Duval County Public Schools headquarters to demand in-person teaching be delayed until the county reports at least 14 days of no new Covid-19 cases. Currently, hundreds of new cases are being reported each day, according to Florida’s Department of Health.
“I don’t want to plan a funeral for anyone in my family, or let alone from my school. The people at my school are my family,” said Lauren Hammock, a teacher in Duval County schools for 23 years.
Teachers and parents protested to stop in-person schooling until Covid-19 is under control.
Students and their families have been given a choice: They can study entirely online or attend classes starting August 10, but Duval County elementary schools will be open five days a week.
