Florida's public schools should allow parents the choice of what's best for their children, with either in-person education or distance learning in the fall, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a televised address on Wednesday.
The announcement comes as school districts throughout Florida continue to struggle with how to safely return children and staff to classrooms in August.
Florida reported 139 deaths among residents from the novel coronavirus Wednesday, the highest since a record 156 on July 16. The Florida Department of Health also reported 9,785 new infections Wednesday, increasing the state's total to 379,619.
"The choice before us is whether we face the challenge ... or allow ourselves to be paralyzed by fear," DeSantis said in the prepared speech (transcript at bottom or click here).
DeSantis' announcement did not completely walk back Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran's recent emergency order mandating school districts to open schools at least five days a week.
But DeSantis added that districts that need additional weeks to prepare for reopening should "have at it" and that teachers who need to work remotely during the pandemic should be allowed to.
“Let’s just find a way to make do," he said. “While the risk to students from in-person learning is low, the cost of keeping schools closed are enormous."
The governor said the most important thing about schools reopening is that parents have a choice.
He cited educational gaps made worse by remote learning during the pandemic, and mental and physical health concerns as children and teenagers quarantine with families.
“To our students: You are the future of Florida," DeSantis said. “Let’s not let fear get the best of us and harm our children in the process."
The governor's address came on the same day as medical professionals, teachers and parents in Leon County held an online press conference urging districts to either delay the start of local schools or continue education remotely in the fall.
“Overwhelmingly at my school, we do not feel safe with our current situation," Leon County teacher Jennifer Sullivan told a USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida reporter after the conference. Sullivan asked that her school not be identified.
She said she and her husband had spent nearly $1,000 on portable air purifiers they plan to set up in their classrooms when students return. She said she was concerned about her family's safety; she has a 3-year-old and both she and her husband are teachers.
“Just going 'all open' the way we have with our state in the past is just (aiming) for disaster," Tallahassee pediatrician J.C. Singh said during the conference.
She said that though research suggests children do not appear to suffer as serious of complications as adults due to COVID-19, it does not mean all children will be safe. "We’re going to end up closing again," she said.
In his Wednesday speech, DeSantis told Floridians that many people seemed to forget the state had not closed child daycare centers during the pandemic, which he used to support the state's logic of reopening schools.
"Together we can persevere in this," DeSantis said. "Together, we can get through this difficult chapter."
CD Davidson-Hiers is an education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her at 850-631-0958, or CDavidsonH@Tallahassee.com. Twitter: @DavidsonHiers.
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'The future of Florida': Gov. DeSantis says schools should — and need to — reopen - Tallahassee Democrat
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