JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than 120,000 students head back to school on August 15 in Duval County.
The start to school will look more like it did in 2019, but there are other changes that are more behind the scenes that parents will need to know about.
Bus Delays
The first hurdle kids will face is potentially a longer ride to school. It’s something that Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene says unfortunately is not new, however you can track if your bus is running late at this website.
Secondary students will have more options for transportation with JTA. You can take the public bus for free 24/7.
Greene says more than 200 students use that transportation. A small drop on the bucket of 120,000 but those numbers could increase if more bus drivers aren’t hired.
No Masks
New school year, new look. By that, I mean teachers will see more smiling faces.
For the 2021-22 year, many students started off the school year wearing a mask. There wasn’t a mandate, however parents had to opt their students out.
This year, that’s no more. No masks required. You can wear one if you choose.
“We are fully opened," Greene said. "We want parents to come back. If you were volunteers pre-COVID, we want you to come back and volunteer in your schools. If you weren’t volunteering before, please if you can volunteer time to support our students.”
Classes May Be Larger
The CDC no longer recommends schools do daily testing or require people to sit 6 feet apart. You may not have the room to do so anyway. With the current teacher shortage, Duval is down about 388 teachers to start. That means more kids in each class.
The teacher shortage is also a continuing issue from previous years. Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene even filled in as a substitute last year.
COVID-19 Reporting Changes
The district will no longer use their covid-19 dashboard to keep you updated on cases. The website says inactive as of August 15.
The district says you can follow cases through the health department’s dashboard.
As for outbreaks, Duval Schools website information says COVID-19 will fall under normal protocols and is only considered an outbreak when there are three or more cases in a classroom within a 2 week period.
COVID-19 nightly calls and elementary classroom letters for individual cases at schools are being discontinued.
Sanitization Efforts
Some COVID-19 protocols will remain the same to keep your kid safe. The district says they will have hand sanitizer around the schools and in classrooms.
They say restrooms will be "well-stocked" with soap and paper towels. Classrooms will have disinfectant wipes. Desks and high touch areas will regularly be cleaned.
If a student or teacher has symptoms, they can get a free COVID-19 take home test from their school, though there is limited supply.
“We are looking forward to the first few weeks being a little challenging, but that it will smooth out after the first few weeks of school," Greene said.