ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County teacher’s union held a town hall with the county’s education leaders and lawmakers over the phone on Thursday about how to reopen Central Florida’s largest school district.
What You Need To Know
- No real answers given about reopening the school district
- Some want to see hybrid learning
Spectrum News 13 listened to that town hall with Orange County parent of two Brianne Griffis.
She says one of her children with autism and ADHD needs to be with a teacher in the classroom.
“Just that face to face. He did not do well on the virtual school and I had to play principal and therapist and teacher while working,” Griffis said.
So she listened intently to the telephone town hall put on by the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association to hear how education leaders planned to safely welcome more than 200,000 students back in the fall.
Griffis was joined by more than 2,000 other Orange County parents and teachers.
She wants the district to do a blended model of both distance and in-person learning, so her son will not fall farther behind and so other parents will feel safer with their kids at home.
Griffis was happy to hear some Orange County school board members like Linda Kobert express support for a hybrid plan.
But no real answers were given on reopening during the call.
“But the bottom line is that all the questions can’t be answered at this point,” said Superintendent Dr. Barbara Jenkins.
Jenkins says they still have to get direction from the board before finalizing any plan. The board will discuss a reopening plan at its July 7 workshop.
Jenkins says many of the answers about reopening should then be presented at the board's July 14 regular meeting.
“So I’m thankful they’re taking the time and she’s open to considering choices,” Griffis said.
But she says July 14 does not give anyone much time to prepare.
“It seems like a lot of scrambling for just three weeks. You’re talking three weeks to work out logistics, three weeks for the school to figure it all out,” Griffis said.
And with COVID cases soaring in Orange County, she worries whatever the plan the district comes up with may change again before school starts.
“Hearing that as a parent, my initial reaction is I need to start thinking of options for August,” she said.
Meaning she is probably going to have her own backup plans for her family.
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