Florida — August 24, 2020 — As the 2020-2021 school year kicked off, the more than 650 charter schools in Florida were prepared to serve their students in a variety of ways. Leading the pack was Somerset College Prep in St. Lucie County that kicked off the 20-21 school year on August 10 – weeks before surrounding district schools. Serving students from Kindergarten to 12th grade on two campuses, Somerset College Prep opened with 40% of the students on campus and/or a hybrid schedule, and 60% attending via Remote Live Instruction – where students at home interact with their teacher as if they were in class. This offered students, and their parents, the opportunity to see peers who were attending class in-person and the safety measures staff is taking. As of this week, more than 90% of the students are attending class on campus.
“A fundamental part of the infrastructure of the communities they serve, charter school principals and governing board members have a responsibility to address the diverse needs of the families they serve – especially in underserved areas,” said Lynn Norman Teck, executive director of the Florida Charter School Alliance, a statewide non-profit charter school support and advocacy organization. “Charter school leaders and stakeholders support the idea of offering remote and in-person learning options, according to parent demand and safety guidelines.
Across the state, charter schools have taken critical steps to protect teachers, students, and staff with preventative measures, and will continue to make operational decisions with guidance from the Florida Department of Education, CDC, and their local Health Department. Over the summer and leading up to the first days of school, charter schools held workshops, safety protocols, and prevention workshops, distributed Chromebooks and other devices, provided lunch and even IT support. At Everglades Prep, a Title 6-12 campus in rural Palm Beach, staff set up a drive-thru tech support station to distribute and set up devices for the families they serve.
Charter schools serve more than 331,000 students across Florida. They will continue to respond to the families they serve and adjust course to meet their students’ academic, social/emotional and nutritional needs.
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