Florida public school campuses closed until April 15, state cancels all testing for K-12 schools.<\/p>\n
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida officials announced Tuesday they will eliminate testing requirements this spring for public-school students and extend the time in which kids will learn from home, as the state continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
Gov. Ron DeSantis said testing requirements for school-readiness, voluntary pre-kindergarten and public-school programs will be canceled for the 2019-2020 school year.<\/p>\n
\u201cRequirements for graduation and promotion and final course grades will be evaluated as though those assessments did not exist,\u201d the governor told reporters at a news conference.<\/p>\n
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran also said public schools will extend online learning until April 15. The state will re-evaluate after mid-April if kids should be allowed to go back to campuses, he added.<\/p>\n
Most students are in extended spring breaks because of the coronavirus. Four school districts — Duval, Union, Collier and Sumter — have started to implement online learning as they wrap up extended spring breaks this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is essential that students do not fall behind and are still receiving instruction, even when they are not in the classroom,\u201d Corcoran said in a statement after the news conference.<\/p>\n
To ensure all students have access to online learning, DeSantis said school districts will be allowed to dip into “various” pots of unused state funds to help low-income students pay for computers and home-based internet services.<\/p>\n
School districts will also be allowed to pay for \u201cvirtual\u201d mental-health services for students impacted by the coronavirus, with the help of unspent funds lawmakers allocated for school safety and in-school mental health services, DeSantis said.<\/p>\n
Florida Education Association President Fedrick Ingram told The News Service of Florida in a phone interview that he applauds the governor\u2019s efforts to keep students from coming to school and to waive testing requirements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Florida public school campuses closed until April 15, state cancels all testing for K-12 schools. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida officials announced Tuesday they will eliminate testing requirements this spring for public-school students and extend the time in which kids will learn from home, as the state continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Ron … Continue reading Florida Schools Closed Until April 15, 2020<\/span>