SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Seminole County school leaders held two Q&A sessions for middle and high school parents ahead of their Friday deadline to choose which option for reopening they would like for their student this upcoming school year.
The choices are face-to-face, Seminole Connect, Seminole County Virtual Schools or a hybrid half-day option.
Parents will need to decide which course of action they plan to take by Friday or their child will be automatically placed in a physical classroom.
Tuesday was the first of three live Q&A sessions designated for parents of elementary schools. The school district also posted a list of FAQs online Monday night.
These were some of the more commonly asked questions answered Wednesday in the middle school session:
Are middle school students required to wear masks?
“Yes, middle school students are required to wear face masks when they are not able to be six feet apart, so maybe when they are in the hallway, transition to classes, in large common areas, riding on SCPS bus transportation or waiting in line in the dining room,” answered Sarah Mansur, principal at Jackson Heights Middle School. “Face coverings may be removed though for high-intensity sports.”
If a student elects hybrid, how do they get those classes scheduled?
"If you are asking for that hybrid you have to work with the school representative to coordinate that, it is not a pick and choose menu because the master schedule doesn't work that way," said Demetria Faison, executive director of middle school education. "For families that have chosen the hybrid model, that includes face-to-face, you are going to get a call from a school representative to talk you through your request."
How does Seminole County Virtual School differ from Seminole Connect?
For Seminole Connect: “In this model students will follow their school’s bell schedule using technology to learn from their zoned choice school teachers presenting live lessons to students,” Faison said.
For Seminole Virtual School: “In this model, families design their day-to-day schedule. SCVS teachers will be available to assist these families between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. Families, if you want flexibility and want full control of the time your students are engaged in lessons, SCVS will be the best option for you,” Faison continued.
“If you chose Seminole Connect, at the end of the nine weeks, it’s the family’s decision if you want to return to your zoned school for face-to-face,” added communications officer Michael Lawrence. “The difference with Seminole Virtual School, if you choose that selection you do have to go through the whole first semester.”
How many students will be in each classroom?
"The face-to-face classes as always will be dependent on the number of students opting to show up, so that will be driven by family's decisions," Faison said. "Typically academic classes are scheduled at 25 or less students. Our elective options are sometimes larger, much larger like band and PE. Our principals and master schedulers are looking at those courses and seeing where we can reduce those numbers. Again, we want those classes as small as possible," Faison said.
If a family chooses face-to-face but cases continue to trend upward, do they have the option to switch to Seminole Connect or Seminole County Virtual School?
“The Seminole Connect requires a nine-week commitment, Seminole Virtual schools requires a semester commitment,” Faison said. “Families will be able to submit a request to their school and we will try to accommodate those changes.”
Will students on campus be socially distanced at lunch?
“Nine of the 12 middle schools have planned to go to four lunches,” Faison added. “We are also utilizing our outdoor dining spaces. Some teachers are willing to use their classrooms, some using their gyms or black box rooms or leadership halls, other large courtyard spaces to spread kids out as much as possible.”
What kind of cleaning protocols are going to be in place?
“We have an awesome custodial staff that will be implementing additional time in the evening to clean with hospital-grade misters,” said Stephanie Jackson, health services for Seminole Schools. “To do better disinfection of high touch-point areas and high-traffic areas to ensure those places that you touch all the time, your desks, your light bulbs, your door knobs are disinfected.”
The Seminole County School District then held a Q & A for high school parents. Many of the same questions included the same or similar answers as above. Here are some additional answers from high school leaders and principals:
Are the same electives offered face-to-face available for Seminole Connect and Seminole County Virtual Schools?
"Yes, the same electives we offer through face-to-face are offered through Seminole Connect," said Dr. Mickey Reynolds, principal of Lake Mary High School. " Seminole County Virtual School has their own list of electives. There are quite a bit, but they aren't necessarily the same."
Will the same high school teacher be teaching both face-to-face and Seminole Connect simultaneously?
"It is our belief we want the teacher to have a class in isolation that will allow that teacher to focus on students taking Seminole Connect," said Mike Rice, principal of Lyman High School. "There are a lot of factors that determine that, being the number of students that register."
How will AP, IB and magnet programs work for at-home options?
"Through Seminole Connect, the students will take the class during the period offered for their classes and they will interact with the teacher just like they would for other classes," said Mike Gaudreau, executive director of high schools. "Seminole Virtual Schools does not offer all of the classes that Seminole Connect offers."
What are the at-home options for extra curricular activities such as band and chorus?
“For students doing Seminole Connect or Seminole County Virtual Schools, they are still members of the school, so they will be able to participate in those activities,” Gaudreau added. “We are not going to exclude students who are part of Seminole Connect or part of Seminole Virtual save my seat option.”
How will high schools handle hallway flow and keeping groups small during class changes?
"We have a different situation at Lyman," Rice said. "We are looking at one-way hallways and we will be looking at increasing the amount of time in between classes."
“I don’t have the opportunity to create one-way hallways,” Renoylds said. “I plan on hitting home with when you are traveling the hallways always stay to the right not matter which direction you are going and that will help with the flow.”
If my student is a senior but takes Seminole Connect or Seminole County Virtual School, will they still receive a diploma and get to participate in graduation?
“Yes, it’s a great thing to provide you with a diploma from the school that you have been attending even though we have a situation going with COVID-19,” Rice said.
To read more about Seminole County’s school reopening plan, click here.