DeSantins mandates schools stay open

Schools will remain open amid the pandemic due to the new executive order proposed by Governor Ron Desantis

BY NATALIA PALLAS, BUSINESS MANAGER

After a two-month standstill on how to proceed with education, Governor Ron Desantis issued an executive order on Nov. 30, 2020 regarding Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (MDCPS) future school plans. This order detailed that schools are to remain open for the spring semester and provided guidelines to assist students falling behind through virtual instruction. Ever since its release, it has sparked conflicting opinions due to its circulation amid the pandemic.

While physical learning will continue, this executive order will not force students to return to school. An objective of this proposal is to return students who are failing courses to in-person teaching environments. According to WPTV, Desantis said in a broadcast that parents will still have the opportunity to keep their children in virtual classrooms by contacting their respective schools. This order was meant to be more directly focused on students failing their online courses because of the perceived ineffectiveness of virtual learning.

The Miami Herald reported how failing grades and absences have risen to higher levels compared to previous years. Conversely, it was also reported that more students have earned an ‘A’ rating this school year as opposed to last year. These conflicting statistics demonstrate the disparities of this year’s teaching methods which has begun to worry parents and administrations alike.

Many still have criticized this order, however, due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases. As of Jan. 10, 2021, Miami-Dade County (MDC) registered 10,603 cases of COVID-19, according to Local 10 TV. With a significant number of cases in the Miami area, questions arise on whether schools staying open will do more harm than good for the general public.

DID YOU KNOW? This executive order includes options for struggling students falling behind in their online courses.

Source: The Miami Herald

“Though this executive order has good intentions because virtual learning has been difficult for many students and teachers, I think it is still very premature,” sophomore Lucia Chico said. “The governor must still respect [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention} recommendations for reopening schools so that students and staff members can go to schools when it is safe, not just because schools must remain open.”

DeSantis’ response to those who view his order as overly aggressive is that classroom teaching remains safe and that the premature closing of schools was one of the biggest mistakes that was made during the pandemic. Desantis claims that in-person schooling does not exacerbate the spread of COVID-19 and only hurts both students and parents alike.

Either way, this executive order asks schools to develop a plan about how they will proceed in the coming months that will eventually be reviewed by the state. This means each school is subject to their own process and does not have to abide by a universal mandate. MDC is said to have the highest percentage of students participating in online learning. According to the Miami Herald, in MDC, 55% of students are enrolled to learn virtually while in the entire state of Florida only 35% of students are online.

This emergency order also addresses funding. Funds from the previous Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that were untouched will be used to aid in school reopening. Another contributing factor to how much money a school receives is by the number of students enrolled.

“Twenty four counties will receive more funding because they saw growth in their student population,” the Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said in a news broadcast at Boggy Street Elementary School. “Districts who are not seeing the same growth were placed into a pool where the school’s losses “were spread out” totaled around $17 million.”

Specifically, MDC’s enrollment is around 8,000 students short, which would mean they can face a major loss in funding.

Overall, the governor’s executive order has been met with divided opinions.