Manatee County school leaders set to discuss reopening in the fall

BRADENTON, Fla. - Like many of their peers across the state, Manatee County School Board members have been scrambling this week to come up with a plan to reopen next month given new executive orders from the state. 

On Monday, the state’s education commissioner, Richard Corcoran, announced an executive order requiring Florida schools to open five days a week for in-person classes. 

MORE: Read the full order here (PDF)

Manatee’s original reopening plan included a mix of in-person and online learning for middle and high school students. While elementary school students would return to regular classroom learning this fall, in an effort to promote social distancing, students in grades 7-12 were to rotate between classroom and online learning week to week. 

Given the state’s new executive order, however, Manatee's school leaders may need to come up with a new plan and they’ll need to do so quickly. The 2020-21 school year is scheduled to begin in just one month. 

PREVIOUS: Florida school campuses must open five days a week this fall, state says

Though board members may explore ways the amend the original reopening plan in order to remain in compliance with the new state order, there is a clause that may allow for the original plan to remain intact. 

The order states that the in-person class requirement is “subject to advice and orders” of the Florida Department of Health and local health department officials. Several other school districts in the state have already said their conditions aren’t safe enough to allow students to return to classes and that the stipulation will allow them to keep their classrooms closed. 

Board members will meet at 1 p.m. Thursday to discuss the plan to reopen schools ahead of a vote scheduled for July 14.