ORLANDO, Fla. – Distance learning will continue for Florida schools through the end of the year, that's the decision Gov. Ron DeSantis announced over the weekend. 

“I was really relieved to hear the governor’s announcement, a bit sad, too,” said Matthew Hazel, an English teacher at Freedom High School in Orlando. “I got into teaching because I love teaching and I love working with the kids, helping kids learn. But just from a public health standpoint and especially from a teacher health standpoint, this was the right decision.”​

Teachers across the state who have been teaching remotely for weeks, are now settling into new teaching routines. Civics teacher Lindsey Russell has been working hard to keep her students engaged, utilizing digital escape rooms as lesson reviews. 

“It’s something that was familiar but also engaging and fun, so I was happy to bring that over this week for them to do,” Russell said. 

Still, it's hard for teachers knowing they won't see students again this school year. 

“I definitely miss going in, I miss seeing my students every day in person, I miss seeing my co-workers. But you know, I am glad that we’re able to stay safe and they’re able to stay home and stay safe as they need to. So I think in the end, it was for the best,” Russell said. 

“Especially for people like me who teach seniors, it’s rough not to be with them there as they round out their high school experiences and go on and graduate,” Hazel said.  

Finishing the year virtually does provide students with consistency in schoolwork and lessons, Hazel said. Now, he and other teachers will focus on keeping students engaged and getting them to where they should be with lessons by the end of the year.​

Parents have been holding their breath waiting to hear this news. But now that it’s official, parents like mother of two Orange County students Jodi Jessop can finally exhale.

“It’s really good to know there is relief in sight, that we’re not going to have to go back to put our teachers and our classmates, and our administration at risk,” she said.

Jessop says distance learning is no cake walk, but she told Spectrum News 13 that stress is worth it, knowing her kids won’t risk contracting coronavirus at school.

Scott Howat with Orange County Public Schools says they were already preparing for this possibility. Although Howat says over 140,000 students in the district already have digital devices, thousands still don’t have them or access to the internet. He said the school district is distributing 60,000 paper packets per week to those students along with other digital devices.