Coronavirus Impact: K-12 Schools Across State Ordered Closed For Remainder Of Academic Year
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – School is closed for the remainder of the academic year, but the learning will continue.
Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement Saturday afternoon that K-12 students will finish the year with remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
"I think the last thing you want to do is force everyone in school, then have half the kids not show up because their parents don't want to do it, have teachers not want to do it," he said. "It was an easier decision for me to make knowing that we've done so well with the distance learning."
Student in Miami-Dade and Broward have been participating in distance learning since schools closed in South Florida back on March 13.
Broward County Superintendent Robert Runice applauded the governor's decision, but worries about the consequences.
"Those who are significantly impacted by poverty, housing insecurity, homelessness, we've got to make sure that we redouble our efforts to make sure that we're connecting and serving those students with everything that we have available," he said.
The ripple effect will also be felt by graduating high school seniors.
Both Runice and Miami-Dade County Superintendent Alberto Carvahlo said they've been working with schools and even getting input from students on how to handle those ceremonies.
When speaking to Runcie, he told CBS that they'll be planning for summer school contingencies as well.
CBS4's Mike Cugno asked him about what could happen if this stoppage creeps into the next academic year. He said the economic impact for the school district would be devastating.
"We are estimating that we could feel a 20-25% financial cut to our education funds and and that brings some significant pains to our school systems," he said.
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