DeSantis says schools ready to reopen next month; Florida Education Association disagrees

TAMPA, Fla. - The first day of school for many districts across Florida is scheduled for August 10, and while Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for students to get back into the classroom, the Florida Education Association says many districts are not ready for that.

"They do not have the funding they need to make sure they have all of the protective measures in place, extra cleaning, the extra bus routes, how are we going to keep people socially distanced, they don’t have the resources," said Andrew Spar, the vice president of the Florida Education Association.

Governor DeSantis said districts across the state are going to handle going back to school very differently; whether it's having full traditional, in-person instruction or schools continuing on all digital platforms. 

“My kids are three, two, and a newborn, so they’re just too young to be in school now, but if they were 7, 6, and 5, I’d have no problem, I would view it as incredibly low risk,” DeSantis said during a press conference on Friday. 

DeSantis said parents should be able to choose what they think is best for their kids, but is advocating for in-person instruction.