TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — Teachers in Leon County are getting their first look at projected class sizes for the fall, and it’s making some uneasy.
As part of the District safety plan for the fall semester, teachers were promised smaller class sizes. But for some, they’re not small enough.
Gayla Sanders, a Chile’s high school yoga teacher, took her first look at her roster Monday.
She says Physical Education classes usually have larger numbers under normal circumstances, but when she saw how many students were enrolled in her class, she started to hyperventilate.
“So it looks as if I’m going to have about 32 kids per class being my largest class, but 27 would be in my classroom and the rest would be distance-learning and I forsee that being a major problem with the space that I have to accommodate those 27 students,” said Sanders.
Sanders says she could take her students outside for class, although that wouldn’t be ideal, and that she would rather the district opt for digital-only classes until positivity rates are more reasonable.
In response, Leon County School district issued a written statement:
"School staff has been through each and every classroom, spacing out desks to their maximum ability. While many desks will be six feet apart, some may be less…. There are some schools in the district with class sizes as low as 10 to 12 students. We will continue to work with our teachers and staff to maximizing space in our classrooms.”
The school board meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. to review general business and budgetary items. Concerns from teachers like Sanders may be included in public comment.
