Flagler Schools work toward having campuses open for in-person learning on Aug. 10

Palm Coast Observer
Schools

by: Cathy Mittelstadt

Flagler Schools Superintendent

Flagler Schools has an extraordinary group of teachers, support employees, and administrators. They all have gone above and beyond, first from our move to virtual instruction to getting ready for our upcoming school year.

I would like to thank our students and families for their patience as we work to establish a viable plan to return to school for the 2020-2021 school year. The input you have provided to us has been invaluable as we plan.

School districts were tasked by Governor Ron DeSantis and Commissioner Richard Corcoran to establish a Return to School plan in consultation with local health and emergency management leaders. This means a plan for Flagler Schools does not necessarily mirror plans in surrounding districts.

The safety and well-being of our students and our employees have always been our primary concern. We have been working diligently to consider all safety measures, teaching models, and scenarios that may face our students and staff this upcoming year. The expertise of our local health officials, as well as the Florida Department of Health, Florida Department of Education, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue to influence our decision-making process.

This measured approach has served us well as we have slowly opened up opportunities on our campuses. Our summer extracurricular activities have allowed us to utilize new screening and social distancing procedures.

Flagler Schools is working towards having our campuses open for in-person learning on Aug. 10, as scheduled. We are also bolstering our iFlagler virtual education program for families who wish to access a high-quality virtual program, as opposed to returning to a physical campus. We strongly encourage our families to utilize this popular franchise of the Florida Virtual School program, staffed by local educators, which has been recognized by FLVS as one of the best virtual programs in Florida. This option is open for students in grades K-12. You can find additional information on iFlagler at www.iflagler.org.

For planning purposes, our schools will be contacting our families next week to determine which option our families would prefer, traditional or iFlagler virtual. Once a decision is made, a student will need to commit to that option for the semester. It is beneficial for students to remain on a consistent path.

We will establish a “Return to School” section on our District website for all updated official information. Additionally, our District social media channels will be used to inform our parents of these updates.