Miami Schools Reopen Amid COVID-19 Concerns
Miami-Dade Public Schools announced that school will be conducted virtually beginning on Monday, August 31, due to COVID-19 concerns.
Classes were expected to resume on August 24, however Miami-Dade Public Schools used the extra week as a preparatory week during which parents and students could familiarize themselves with the new system.
As some may remember it, the first day of school is an exciting day for students and teachers alike.
Students are overcome with anticipation when finally getting the opportunity to reconnect with friends after two long months of summer vacation. Then there are the teachers who dedicate joyous time into decorating their classrooms for the big day.
Unfortunately, the first-day-excitement that is commonly felt by students and teachers has diminished significantly, due to this “new normal”.
“This is going to affect me a lot”, said Veran Relilorid, a junior at Carol City High School.
Relilorid has been involved in the band since his freshman year, but now COVID-19 has resulted in the suspension of all extracurricular activities on campus.
“Band was my escape from everyday reality because it allowed me to express myself through the use of the trumpet and now all that is being taken away from me,” said Relilorid in August.
There is some hope for students in Relilorid’s position — on Tuesday, November 10, most schools in the Miami-Dade district reopened.
In August, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said that schools were expected to open up sooner than originally anticipated.
COVID-19 positivity rates in Florida had decreased significantly since the virus first made landfall in the sunshine state. But as of August 30, 2020, Miami-Dade County has 156,000 cases, the highest number in Florida.
In August, Claudie Legros was cautious about the idea of reopening, saying that it may be a bit hasty. “I honestly think it’s stupid and way too soon to reopen back up schools,” the mother of four said.
Legros has an 8-year-old and 6-year-old who started the school year on August 31.
“Some of these kids aren’t disciplined enough to know that they must keep their masks on at all times and to frequently wash their hands,” said Legros.
Legros has elementary-aged children, and she knows it does not take much to divert their attention away from school.
Although schools are now mostly in person, classes were online for over two months, and this came with challenges,
There was an instance where Legros’ two children were present during a Zoom call, and the teacher had a difficult time keeping the students under control.
Legros believes that this may be something that prevents her children from getting the optimal education they need to be successful in later years.
As an extra precautionary measure, she has them read and watch educational programming on sites, such as YouTube and ABC Mouse.
Dr. Chaney-Dominguez, a sixth-grade English teacher at North Miami Middle School expressed her uncertainty with e-learning as well.
Chaney-Dominguez teaches Intensive Reading and Creating Writing, and one of her biggest concerns is the fact that a majority of the students she deals with are nonreaders, have low test scores, or have learning disabilities.
North Miami Middle School has a high immigrant population, which creates another obstacle for Chaney-Dominguez because of the language barriers she has with some of her students.
“My number one priority is to make my lectures as interactive as possible,” said Chaney-Dominguez. “Utilizing tools such as breakout rooms will give me the opportunity to help individualize instruction.”
There were also many students, parents, and teachers who had difficulty with this new adjustment when classes initially went virtual, due to the lack of materials.
To curtail this problem, Miami-Dade Public Schools has partnered with numerous companies to ensure that students, parents, and teachers have a successful school year.
There are now free Xfinity hotspots dispersed throughout the county.
AT&T and Comcast are now offering internet services for low-income households for about $10/month. If they are a new customer, AT&T is offering the first two months of service free.
The district also provides laptops and tablets to students who are in need.
As of mid-November, most schools in the Miami-Dade district have reopened. But with cases in Florida and nationwide once again rising, it may only be a matter of time before classes are virtual again.
