LEON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) — After revealing their reopening plan for August Wednesday night, it's time for Leon County parents to commit to either face-to-face or virtual classes for their children as the start of the 2020-21 school year quickly approaches.
Parents have three choices: traditional, face-to-face classroom instruction, school based digital academy, or Leon County Virtual School.
Once parents make their decision, they'll be locked into the decision for at least a semester, with some exceptions.
If the parent decides to pull their student from in-person instruction before the semester is up, they'll be able to enroll their children online if the request is within reason. Due to concerns over safety and staffing, returning to a face-to-face option after enrolling in the digital academy is not possible.
All students, regardless of which option you choose, will be assigned a Google Chromebook for the school year.
Parents have until July 13 to make their choice. After that, schools will be reaching out to the families that have not indicated their commitment.
The district's goal is to get feedback from all families in order to begin the staffing and scheduling process.
For more information about Leon County Schools' reopening plan and the options for continuing education, click here.
Below the three-step guide from LCS that parents can follow to complete the "Online Focus Educational Commitment Form":
Step One: Login to your Focus portal, available by clicking here.
LCS recommends using Google Chrome. The survey may also be completed on the LCS FOCUS App.
- If you do not have a Focus portal account, you will need to register for a Focus Portal account.
- In order to be able to create an account and attach your child, you must be listed as a Parent or Guardian with custody rights and your name must be entered exactly as it is on file. If you get an error saying "no matching contact" contact your child's school to verify your contact info on file is accurate.
- If you forgot your password, do not create another account. It will cause significant problems. Reset your password.
Step Two: After logging in you will be presented with Pending Forms for each of your children.
All forms must be completed before the portal will allow you to advance to the next step.
Step Three: Click on the green "In progress" button to access the form.
Answer both questions, then click "Submit and Finish."
If you have additional children, repeat steps one through three.
Prior to the survey issued to parents Wednesday night, Leon County Schools parents were asked to participate in the 2020-2021 Educational Options survey so the district could gauge feelings regarding the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the upcoming school year.
The survey asked which of three educational options parents and guardians would consider for their children. The results are as follows:
| Option 1 - Return to school with safety measures in place | 5,552 | 70% |
| Option 2 - Leon County Digital Academy | 1,769 | 22% |
| Option 3 - Leon County Virtual School | 593 | 7% |
| Total Responses | 7,914 | 100% |
