Superintendent Alberto Carvalho delivered his opening of schools address

DORAL, FL – In the face of a new school year, scheduled to begin on August 23rd, Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho delivered his opening of schools address Friday morning. 

As part of his speech at Miami Senior High School, Carvalho confirmed what he already said earlier this week: He won’t make a decision on mask wearing based on threats to school funding or his paycheck. 

“There is no threat to me, to my paycheck, to my salary that will force me to not do the right thing,” Carvalho said.

The message delivered by him at the opening of schools address is related with the stance of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who has said his office is willing to cut funding to school districts that defy his executive order of letting parents decide if their children should wear a mask or not inside classrooms.

This order has already being defied by Broward School District whose school board voted 1-8 in favor of keeping their mask requirement for students and staff member at the start of the upcoming 2021-22 school year. 

But Miami-Dade County Public Schools is still hesitating on whether or not they will keep a mask mandate for when classes resume and it was announced this decision will be made next week. 

Although it is still uncertain if masks will be optional or not, the Superintendent said safety will be a priority for students and staff for the upcoming school year in the midst of a resurgence in COVID-19. 

“I recognize that these are times of uncertainty. It seems that right when we think that this will all be over soon, that science will have finally prevailed and will have finally seen us through this, we are seemingly right back where we started,” Carvalho said.

“I have no doubt that we will get through this. I know we will. We will ensure our schools remain safe, secure and open, that our students and employees and families are safe based on the remarkable and resilient leadership I have seen from all school administrators and teachers.”

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