LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Schools are preparing to welcome students back in the fall either in person or online.
For students in Lake County, they’ll have a choice of how they learn.
Lake County Schools is offering different options for families ahead of the school year. These options include:
- Traditional in-school learning,
- Full-time online learning through Lake County Virtual School
- Modified-day learning, a combination of the two.
The school district launched a new website to explain the differences.
“Parents are asked to visit the site and by Monday, July 13, indicate on a form which option they prefer. The selection of an option does not lock a parent into a decision, but it gives the district information for planning,” school officials said.
A link to the form is available online.
According to school officials, the traditional option is a full return to school buildings with teachers delivering instruction in person during the school day.
“Students will have opportunities to collaborate, communicate and problem solve with each other. This option includes enhanced safety protocols, such as social distancing, increased sanitization, and limited group gatherings,” officials said.
According to a news release, the school district is still developing a final list of safety protocols, determining what is feasible.
If parents choose online learning, the experience will give students access to a rigorous, fully accredited K-12 online curriculum with interactive teacher-led lessons for select content, according to officials.
“The modified-day option is a combination of the other two. It offers instruction for English Language Arts and math in a traditional school setting, with other courses (social studies, science and electives) offered through Lake County Virtual School. Students will be assigned either a morning or afternoon session for the traditional instruction. The district will not provide mid-day transportation for students who choose this option,” officials said.
In preparation for the upcoming school year, Lake County Schools purchased additional Chromebook computers so that every K-12 student can be issued a device.
“Students will not be asked to share a device with siblings like they did last spring when schools closed across the state because of the COVID-19 coronavirus, leaving students and teachers to quickly pivot to remote ‘distance learning’ for the remainder of the school year. This investment will allow all students access to online curriculum and instruction, regardless of whether they choose the traditional, virtual or modified-day option,” officials said.
The Osceola County school board approved a similar plan for students in their county earlier this week.
School officials said parents have three options to choose from to enroll their child in:
- Face-to-face instruction at school with health and safety precautions in place
- Digital learning with their assigned school with a traditional school day schedule
- Virtual learning for students to allow learning during non-traditional school hours
School officials said they came up with the most recent plant by working with medical professionals from the Nemours Children’s Hospital and the Osceola County Health Department.
READ MORE: Osceola schools reopen plan allows parents to pick from 3 options