TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Leon County School administrators and members of the Re-Open Schools Task Force are working to finalize the details for bringing students back into their physical classrooms.
The goal is for schools to be open at 100 percent capacity.
But before students return a new plan needs to be adapted to include COVID-19 changes, starting with the schedule.
Half of the student population could study on campus, with the others using distance learning.
Superintendent Rocky Hanna is seeking to equip kids with necessary tools by purchasing 32,500 Chromebooks.
"So a students at Bucklake will have the same device as a student at Bond, an eighth grader at Nims and a six grader at Montford," said Hanna. "This is, as kids would say, it's epic."
Educators also seeking to close the COVID slide, an academic gap leaving students falling below grade level due to closures late last year.
"We need to have an intensive review of the units that should have been covered after spring break," said Dr. Kathleen Rogers. "Units need to be revisited, re-introduced and re-taught intensively."
The pandemic is also changing the way safety drills are conducted.
"Some of the trails that are required in schools today, such as lockdown drills, active assailant drills, tornado drills by large congregate a lot of people," said John Hunkiar, the chief of safety and security for LCS. "So we'll be making adjustments to those drills, smaller groups and then also a lot of verbal instruction as opposed to physical movements."
Both Spring Break recaps and safety drill adjustments are expected to last through at least the first semester.
LCS is also emphasizing the need for substitute teachers and School Resource Officers to be available and trained to step in, should absenteeism occur due to the virus.
