ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — St. Lucie Public Schools will return to traditional in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year, which is slated to begin on Aug. 10, officials say.
Superintendent Wayne Gent said the MySchool Online distance learning option will not be available next school year.
"Currently, we have over 70% of our students back in our brick-and-mortar classrooms and we are looking forward to welcoming all of our students back to the building next year," Gent said. "We will continue to follow all current and future recommendations from the CDC and the Florida Department of Health to support a healthy teaching and learning environment for students and staff."
Families that would still like a virtual option for the upcoming school year can enroll their child in the Mosaic Digital Academy K-12, which includes distance learning options that will continue to be available next school year, the school district said.
"I definitely think they need to keep the option open," said Kayla Skiff, a parent.
Skiff said she is worried that when the My School virtual option is eliminated, students who need to quarantine could fall behind.
"They're not going to be able to do that or have that option and I really don't know how that's going to benefit the kids," said Skiff.
Twenty-eight percent of St. Lucie students are currently enrolled in My School.
Education Association of St. Lucie President David Freeland said teachers prefer the brick and mortar setting as long as it's safe.
"Social distancing in schools is difficult at best and as you add more students to the school, it becomes more and more difficult," said Freeland. "We do our best work in classrooms with students. We want to be there. We just want to be sure that we're safe and that our students are safe."
St. Lucie School District officials said students who have to quarantine due to covid will still be able to complete their assignments from home, despite the elimination of My School.
Students will be able to access all of their work through the district's Canvas website where they can also watch embedded video lessons.
To learn more about the Mosaic Digital Academy, call 772-429-5504 and apply by June 15.
Last week, the School District of Palm Beach County announced their plans to return to in-person learning for all students for the 2021-22 school year.