State pushes Miami-Dade Schools to return to classes by October 5

DORAL, FL – Last week, it was determined Miami-Dade Schools would return to classes between October 14 and 21. Now Florida Education Commissioner, Richard Corcoran, says in-person learning must be made available by Oct. 5.

On Friday, Corcoran sent a three-page letter to Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and Board Chair Perla Tabares-Hantman urging schools to reopen or, otherwise, send a new proposal school-by-school to explain the reasons behind the delay by October 2.

The proposal should include information such as student capacity at the particular school, the number of students who requested in-person learning, and the number of students they can realistically accommodate with safety measures in place, as reported by CBS4 Miami. 

“Superintendents and their teams must roll up their sleeves and go school-by-school, grade-by-grade, and classroom-by-classroom to thoughtfully determine how parents that desire in-person for their children can be accommodated,” Corcoran says.

According to Miami-Dade Schools Chief Communications Officer Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, the letter from the commissioner is being carefully reviewed.

“The District was prepared to launch Stage II of our reopening plan, under the adjusted timeline proffered and unanimously approved by the School Board last week. However, M-DCPS will not be announcing return dates until all implications and concerns outlined in the recently received communication have been assessed and direction from the Board has been received,” Gonzalez-Diego said.

Local 10 News reported a special school board meeting has been called for Tuesday that according to a memo sent by Carvalho to the board, would be held “in person” in the School Board Administration Building auditorium. 

The memo explains the meeting is intended to discuss the “three possible courses of action” outlined in Corcoran’s letter to provide direction to the administration. 

The Special Board Meeting is being called for Tuesday, September 29, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. It will be publicly noticed.