MIAMI – The school board in Miami-Dade County is meeting Wednesday and is expected to make a decision on its face mask policy ahead of the start of classes next week.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said he will seek to implement a mask mandate to protect students and faculty from COVID-19, much like the one Broward County put in place, which put Broward in the crosshairs of the state’s education department.
[WATCH THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING LIVE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. Click here to see the agenda.]
“The right thing includes in my opinion a mandatory mask policy,” Carvalho said, noting that there would be some accommodations in the policy he recommends. “This is not a political statement. This is a protective tool.”
Carvalho was critical of a meeting Tuesday where superintendents from Broward and Alachua counties were scolded by the state board of education for imposing a mask mandate policy that defies the orders of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Both of those counties face sanctions from the state.
Carvalho said the reality of the COVID-19 surge in South Florida calls for a more protective policy from education leaders.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/08-18-2021/t_f0bc103215b347489e17fa066f1bb532_name_image.jpg)
“I spoke to a teacher who happens to be the daughter of another teacher begging me to do the right thing as her mom is about to be intubated at Jackson South,” he said. “Yesterday I spoke to a mother of a child who died.”
“If the consequence at any point of my career is a threat to my own position it is OK,” he added.
The state’s Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said he wants to punish Broward County Public Schools for not following the governor’s order. Last week, Corcoran threatened to withhold salaries of superintendents and school board members.
“I am deeply hurt, not threatened or afraid, mainly as a result of witnessing and listening to a meeting that took place yesterday where two of my colleagues were in my opinion were ostracised, criticized and threatened for doing nothing more, nothing less than what they believe is right,” Carvalho said of the Tuesday meeting where the state board took aim at Broward and Alachua.
But Corcoran said Wednesday morning that this is about the rule of law, not a debate about masks themselves.
“What we’re doing is trying to get those kids the best possible education, and we know how to do that,” he said. “If you empower the parents, if you have that choice.”
Corcoran wouldn’t expound on possible sanctions for Broward County Public Schools, saying that would come out possibly later Wednesday or Thursday.
The COVID-19 safety rules proposed for the Miami-Dade School Board vote do provide a mask opt-out for parents, and so, for now, fit with state law.
“The current item fully comports, but we had a dramatic shift in information, based on the data regarding positivity rates, feedback from our medical experts,” Miami-Dade School Board Vice-Chair Steve Gallon said Tuesday.
The actual item acknowledges Miami-Dade County’s record number of COVID-19 cases, as well as guidance from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics, recommending face coverings, and also the rights of parents to opt out.
To view the proposed item, click here.
Public school starts Monday in Miami-Dade County. Broward began classes Wednesday with its mask policy in place.
Reporter Glenna Milberg contributed information included in this article.
"board" - Google News
August 18, 2021 at 10:36PM
https://ift.tt/3CYBuHi
Miami-Dade school board meets on masks and more - WPLG Local 10
"board" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KWL1EQ
https://ift.tt/2YrjQdq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Miami-Dade school board meets on masks and more - WPLG Local 10"
Post a Comment