SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Parents of middle and high school students currently learning online through Seminole Connect have until Wednesday to let their principals know when they’d like their student to come on campus after being required to take their nine-week exams in person.
Seminole County Schools sent an email to parents to make them aware of the requirement last week and Lake Mary High School Principal Dr. Mickey Reynolds said parents immediately began reacting.
“That caused a little bit of a stir,” Reynolds said Wednesday. “We got a number of emails immediately saying, ‘I can’t, I don’t want my child to come to campus. That is why I’m Connect.’ The fear is real because it is real and I understand that.”
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That is why Reynolds, as well as many of the principals in Seminole County, are offering options to parents, allowing them to choose to take their final exams either during school hours, after school or even on Saturdays.
“We have a number of rooms that are empty,” she said. “So we can prioritize using the spaces that aren’t used all days. Every night, our other rooms get cleaned and disinfected. If they don’t want to come during the school day, I understand that is scarier, but for after school or Saturday, it will be a clean environment and I feel very safe their students will be in a safe environment.”
Reynolds explained the reasoning behind bringing all students back for the first-quarter exams.
“We are required to report student progress to the state and we have to do it in a way that the information is valid,” she said. “That’s hard to confirm test security when a student is at home.”
Reynolds said even if a parent is not comfortable with coming on campus at all, their principal will work with them.
“If there are extenuating circumstances, contact your principal. No matter what school, we will work with you,” she said.