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MySchool Online

Pasco schools seek ‘near-normal’

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As the Pasco County public school district wraps up an academic year that was anything but normal, Superintendent Kurt Browning hopes things will be different in the 2021-2022 term.

Browning discussed his hopes for the district, along with a full range of other topics, during a webinar hosted last week by the Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce, as part of its Business Development Year series.

“This year has been incredibly challenging,” Browning told those listening.

“Whoever knew … when everything got shut down (in March 2020) that we would literally be shut down for the fourth quarter and that we’d still be dealing with COVID … more than a year later,” the superintendent said.

Browning praised district teachers, administrators and staff for making rapid adaptations to conduct the rest of last school year virtually.

Then, he said, the district made more adjustments before the 2020-2021 year began to create a new option called mySchool Online. That option has allowed students to learn virtually, following a normal school schedule — being taught remotely by teachers.

When the 2021-2022 school year begins, Browning said mySchool Online will be discontinued. Students will either return to school campuses for in-person learning or learn remotely through Pasco eSchool.

MySchool Online, Browning acknowledged, “had its challenges.”

“We’ve had some students that have been very successful on it. I will tell you that we’ve had some students that have not been very successful,” he said.

Concerns about students lagging behind prompted the district to make an all-out push in an effort to persuade parents of those struggling students to return them to campus.

Some parents simply refused, Browning said.

That’s concerning, the district leader said, because “the performance this year is certainly going to set them up for future success. We just want to make sure our kids are prepared, going forward into the next grade level.”

As of last week, details were still being worked out regarding the summer instructional program and the upcoming school year.

Browning wants to reintroduce activities that were diminished or curtailed by COVID-19.

“Kids need some sense of normalcy. They need to have their clubs. They need to have athletics. They need to have their dances. They need to have the social interaction with other students,” Browning said.

“And so, we are going to try to have as normal of a school opening as we possibly can, starting in August,” Browning said.

At the same time, the district will take guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and will work closely with the Department of Health-Pasco County, he said.

Social isolation, mental health
Browning said he doesn’t consider himself a “touchy-feely” type of guy. But added: “I have been very concerned about the mental well-being of our kids this year.”

When students are learning remotely, they don’t have the safety nets that schools provide, he said.

“Teachers can’t physically lay their eyes on these kids. They can’t see that they’re dirty.

“They can’t see that they’ve got bruises on their arms.

“They can’t see that they’re thinner because maybe they’re not eating.

“At least when they were face-to-face, they could see some things. Teachers could let their administrators know. We could make phone calls. We could do a wellness check with the family. We could provide food. We could provide clothing.

“Not only that, we could provide hope.

“What we found through COVID is that some parents have just not had any hope.”

“My heart just breaks when I hear about these kids that are struggling,” Browning said.

He then told those listening to the webinar about a call he received from a fellow superintendent — who told him two students in that district had committed suicide.

A few weeks later, Browning said, he learned of a Pasco student who had committed suicide and then, a couple of weeks later, another student did.

“I don’t know all of the underlying circumstances to what brought that kid to make that decision,” Browning said. Then, he reiterated: “I have been concerned about the mental well-being of our kids.”

Browning touched on some other topics, too.

In response to a question, he said he expects COVID-19 to have a negative impact on the district’s graduation rate.

He also told listeners that the district will be opening its Starkey Ranch K-8 school in the fall. Located in the Starkey community, off State Road 54, it is the district’s first school specifically designed for kindergarten through eighth-grade students.

The school is expected to have about 1,000 elementary school students and 600 middle school students.

The campus will have a facility that has been dubbed TLC, which stands for theater, library and cultural center.

The TLC will accommodate public library for patrons and students. It also will have a 250-seat theater and three makerspaces.

Michael Francis, conductor for the Florida Orchestra, has been helping the district with its arts planning for the campus, Browning said.

On another topic, the superintendent told the crowd that unlike many districts across the state, Pasco is projected to experience growth in the coming year.

The district also has been included in a 10-county intensive reading pilot project, which will allow the district to provide some intensive literacy help.

Although Browning expects the district to fare well, overall, in terms of the state budget, he said the district needs to improve salaries overall, but teacher salaries, in particular.

“It really is tough work out there, and with some of the other districts out there having additional sources of revenue that we don’t have, it makes it difficult to compete with those other districts,” Browning said.

Published May 05, 2021

Vaccination efforts continue to expand

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Vaccine supplies, vaccine eligibility and vaccination sites have increased in recent weeks — as efforts continue to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and restore a sense of normalcy.

The availability of vaccine supplies and vaccination sites continues to change, so it’s a good idea to check with local health departments and congressional offices to secure updated information.

Adamaris Cruz-Seijo and Dana Van Deusen were among those taking part in a student vaccine clinic at Saint Leo University. (Courtesy of Chad Gonzalez/Saint Leo University)

In Pasco County, for instance, the health department previously had vaccine appointments available on Friday afternoons for the following week. As of April 9, however, it began allowing  appointments for a two-week period.

“Working with local physicians’ offices and pharmacies, Pasco County now has over 130 locations that are offering COVID-19 vaccines” Health Officer Mike Napier, said in a news release.

Hillsborough County health officials are concerned about an increasing number of COVID-19 cases during recent weeks, despite the expansion of vaccination options, according to a Hillsborough County news release.

The release noted that Dr. Douglas Holt, who oversees the state’s health department in Hillsborough County, told the Hillsborough County Commission that Hillsborough’s newly confirmed cases currently average 400 a day, with the positivity rate at about 8.6%.

At this time, Holt told commissioners, there’s no indication that variants of the virus are causing the increase. But, he noted this could change rapidly as the variants are generally more contagious.

Holt’s report prompted Hillsborough commissioners to remind residents not to relax their guard and to be sure to continue following COVID-19 preventive measures.

Hillsborough commissioners are scheduled to discuss the county’s state of local emergency and other COVID-19 issues at their next regular meeting on April 21.

Mask mandates are evolving.

Pasco County dropped its mask mandate, effective April 6, although officials are continuing to encourage the use of masks at indoor public spaces, where social distancing isn’t possible.

Hillsborough County’s mask ordinance remains in effect, at least through April 15.

Hillsborough County Schools’ mask mandate remains in effect, according to the district website.

Pasco County Schools is retaining its mask mandate, at least through April 26. That’s when Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order is scheduled to expire. If that order isn’t extended, the school district will shift to optional masks for the rest of the school year.

Hannah Burrows, a sophomore at Saint Leo University, was happy to get her COVID-19 vaccine.

While there has been discussion in some circles regarding if COVID-19 vaccination passports should be required by air carriers, at sporting venues and in other places, Gov. DeSantis has banned the use of COVID-19 vaccination passports in Florida.

In authorizing the ban, DeSantis reasoned that such passports “restrict individual freedoms and will harm patient privacy.”

He also noted, “requiring so-called COVID-19 vaccine passports for taking part in everyday life — such as attending a sporting event, patronizing a restaurant, or going to a movie theater would create two classes of citizen based on vaccination.”

In other news, the governor has proposed a $1,000 bonus for Florida’s public school pre-kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and public school principals.

In making the proposal, DeSantis said “we know how important it was for our students to return to school, and our teachers and principals answered the call.”

In other COVID-19 school-related news, Pasco County Schools has announced its plan to drop its mySchool Online option, when the new school year begins in the fall.

MySchool Online always was intended as a temporary measure to provide parents a remote learning option during the pandemic, Superintendent Kurt Browning said. The district will continue to operate its nationally recognized Pasco eSchool, which has operated since 2009.

Status of mask mandates

  • Pasco County has rescinded its countywide mask mandate as of April 5, however it recommends the continued use of face coverings in indoor public places where social distancing cannot be maintained.
  • The mask mandate remains in effect in Pasco County Schools until at least April 26, which is when Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order is scheduled to expire. If the governor doesn’t extend the Executive Order, Pasco County Schools will switch to an optional mask policy when the Executive Order expires.
  • Hillsborough County’s mask mandate remains in effect at least through April 15.
  • The mask mandate remains in effect in Hillsborough County Schools.

COVID vaccinations

  • Hillsborough County: Appointments are mandatory in Hillsborough County. Persons without appointments will not receive a vaccine and will be turned away. Florida residency is required. To make an appointment, go to the CDR Health Pro portal at PatientPortalFl.com. Hillsborough County sites dispense only the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which can be given to individuals 16 years of age and older.
  • Pasco County: DOH-Pasco uses the Moderna vaccine, so Florida residents age 18 and older are eligible to sign up with CDR Maguire for appointments at the DOH-Pasco drive-thru vaccination sites at the Gulf View Square Mall and Saint Leo University. Eligible residents can go to PatientPortalFl.com, or call 844-770-8548 to create an account with CDR Maguire.
  • FEMA vaccination site, Tampa Greyhound Track, 755 E. Waters Ave., in Tampa, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily. Walk-ups accepted. As of April 6, the site is dispensing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine only for new vaccinations. The second dose Pfizer appointments, for those who got their first dose at the FEMA site, still will be provided at their appointment time. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not approved for 16- and 17-year-olds.
  • Private providers: A number of private pharmacies also are administering vaccines. Check with individual websites to find out specifics.

COVID statistics
United States: 30,965,577 cases; 558,843 deaths
Florida: 2,084,173 positive residents; 34,021 resident deaths
Pasco: 37,594 positive residents; 703 deaths
Hillsborough: 125,515 positive residents; 1,637 deaths
Pasco County Schools: Total county for 2020-2021 school year: 2,152 cases student cases, 838 staff cases
Hillsborough County Schools: 4,766 students; 2,171 employees

Sources: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Florida Department of Health, Pasco County Schools and Hillsborough County Schools. Latest available information as of the morning of April 12.

Published April 14, 2021

Pasco schools to drop mySchool Online option this fall

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Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning has announced that the school district is dropping its mySchool Online option in the fall.

Browning explained the district’s decision in a video and the district issued a news release, as well, to explain the coming change.

“Based on recent positive trends, we expect that there will no longer be the need for (the) mySchool Online option next school year,” Browning said, in the video. “We expect the vast majority of students to be back in the classroom for in-person learning and for our employees to return to the classroom or office.”

The superintendent also shared the district’s rationale for its decision.

“First of all, the Florida Department of Education only authorized Florida school systems to offer mySchool Online-type options for the 2020-2021 school year,” he said.

“Current indications are that such programs will not be authorized by the state for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition, the number of positive COVID-19 cases, involving our students or staff, have decreased dramatically, since the high mark of January,” Browning said.

He added: “We continue to monitor the numbers closely, both in our schools and in the community, at large.

“Finally, we have been very aggressive in making the vaccine readily available to our staff,” he said.

Because of the district’s partnership with the county health department, it has been able to vaccinate thousands of its employees, the superintendent said.

Browning also noted that the number of students choosing the mySchool Online option has been steadily declining.

Initially, 60% of the district’s students chose the in-person, bricks-and-mortar option this school year. That figure has increased to 76%. Twenty-one percent of the district’s students are enrolled in the mySchool Online option; the other 3% attend Pasco eSchool, according to district statistics.

Browning also noted: “Despite our best efforts, our data show that many students who opted for mySchool Online are not succeeding academically and would benefit from a return to in-person learning.

“There’s also a growing body of evidence regarding the mental health benefits of attending school in person, with classmates.”

Browning also addressed the issue of masks.

“We’ve all been looking forward to the time when we can all get back to something close to normal. That raises a question about masks.

“I know we are all looking forward to doing away with the masks. Right now, I can’t say for sure whether masks will be required or optional, or some other status.

“We will provide clear guidance on masks, when we have a better idea of what is possible.

“At this time, we expect we’ll be able to get back to normal in the fall,” Browning said.

Published April 07, 2021

Pasco School Board asks for reprieve from state accountability impacts

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The Pasco County School Board has passed a resolution asking for a reprieve from the state’s accountability standards this year, to avoid potential punitive consequences.

The board is seeking to avoid any negative outcomes on teachers, students or schools that could occur based on results of the Florida Standards Assessments, known as FSA for short.

Specifically, the board approved a resolution that requests the governor and commissioner of education “to provide safe harbor to students, teachers, schools, and districts, by pausing negative consequences of the accountability system based on statewide assessments for the 2020-2021 school year.”

The resolution was adopted on March 2, on a 4-0 vote, with Allen Altman, board chairman, absent.

The board’s action followed a discussion of the issue on Feb. 16, prompted by concerns raised by board member Alison Crumbley.

Crumbley said it wouldn’t be fair to use the FSA results for anything other than a diagnostic tool to identify strengths and weaknesses, because of COVID impacts.

Other board members agreed noting teachers shouldn’t be held responsible for testing results, especially for MySchool Online students who had failed to participate.

At the same Feb. 16 meeting, Crumbley questioned how school grades could be “considered accurate, during these COVID-related times.”

In other action at the March 2 meeting, the board:

• Renamed the James Irvin Education Center and Harry Schwettman Education Center. The new names will be the East Pasco Education Academy, James Irvin Campus and the West Pasco Education Academy, Harry Schwettman Campus.

These schools will begin offering voluntary placements options with diploma pathways for students. The Harry Schwettman complex will be relocated to the former Hudson Elementary School site. Additionally, the programs at Achieve Center of Pasco will be relocated to these schools.

• Superintendent Kurt Browning reported that the Department of Health-Pasco County had agreed to 2,500 doses of vaccine, expected as early as the weekend of March 6 and March 7, to vaccinate school district employees, who are at least 50 years old.

Those vaccines are in addition to the 500 second doses for district personnel, scheduled the same weekend.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong said she has been vaccinated, and encouraged others to get vaccinated when they can. “It brings you wonderful peace of mind, to go ahead and get the vaccine,” she said.

• Don Peace, president of United School Employees of Pasco, announced that both school-related personnel and instruction staff overwhelmingly approved this year’s contracts. The SRP contract passed with 98% approval; instructional passed with 95% approval, he said.

Peace thanked the superintendent and the board for their part in the negotiations.

“I think that the results show that this was a fair and equitable contract,” Peace said.

Published March 10, 2021

State testing should not be punitive, board members say

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Florida education officials have given school districts additional time to administer the Florida Standards Assessments, known as FSA for short.

But, the Pasco County School Board wants to avoid penalizing its teachers, students or schools based on results from the assessments.

Board member Alison Crumbley raised the issue during the board’s meeting on Feb. 16.

“In my opinion, the FSA testing is possibly going to be more valuable than ever this year because we need to find out our strengths and our weaknesses, and everything during the COVID year, and find where we need extra work or what have you.

“But, for school grade assessment and high stakes assessment, personally, I think they should be put on hold,” Crumbley said.

“Teachers I don’t feel should be held responsible when their MSOL (MySchool Online) students aren’t participating well, and they’re struggling, for example, and our school grades, I don’t see how they can be considered accurate, during these COVID-related times,” Crumbley said.

She asked the board to put those requests in the district’s legislative platform, and for the board to pass a resolution on the issue.

Other board members agreed.

School board member Megan Harding said, “I just know from hearing from our teachers. Mrs. Crumbley, especially the MySchool Online teachers, they still have kiddos that are not showing up. And they’re being tested and that’s part of their evaluation.”

Crumbley responded: “It’s really not fair to them, in my opinion.”

School board member Colleen Beaudoin concurred: “I agree with you, too. I support us trying to do something.”

School board member Cynthia Armstrong told her colleagues: “Just so you know, that is on the FSBA (Florida School Boards Association) platform — that although testing is important, that we really curb the punitive damages that the test results could have on students, and on teachers and school grades and so on.”

She agreed with her peers that they could add the issue to the Pasco School Board’s legislative platform.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said the Florida Association of District School Superintendents is finalizing its platform. “I believe there is something about removing the impacts of testing for this year.”

Pasco School Board members are expected to vote on a resolution on this issue during the March 2 morning meeting. Following that meeting, the board plans to hold a workshop on its legislative platform.

On another issue, board member Beaudoin raised the issue of seeking out revenue sources to find a way to improve salaries at all levels in the district.

“Our students deserve to have the best teachers and administrators. It’s becoming more difficult for us to compete with our neighboring districts.

“And, I’m committed to finding a way to increase pay for teachers and administrators.

“I think we have to explore other revenue sources to be competitive with our salaries at all levels. So, I hope my colleagues and staff will be open to having that discussion,” Beaudoin said.

Kevin Shibley, the district’s executive director for administration, informed board members about rising costs relating to COVID-19-related health care claims.

“We’ve been asking Blue Cross Blue Shield to track claims being run through our health plan that are specifically related to COVID.

“They started with five-figure numbers, in the $20,000 to $30,000 range. For the month of December, alone, we had over $1.2 million of COVID-related claims, among our employee population.

“So, we’re going to continue to monitor that, but that could mean that we are going to be in for a rough renewal for health care this coming year,” Shibley said.

Betsy Kuhn, the district’s assistant superintendent for support services, shared a couple of pieces of good news with the board.

She told them about $43,000 had been raised through a cooperative effort, with public and private entities, to help feed the hungry.

That money has been used to purchase $40 Publix gift cards that will be given to families that have been identified by district social workers as needing help.

The cards will be distributed before spring break, Kuhn said.

On another matter, Kuhn thanked Idlewild Baptist Church for donating $17,000 to pay off meal debt for Pasco students.

“This donation will eliminate meal debt for 4,371 students,” Kuhn said. “The pastor said that the church community wanted to let families in the area know that they have support, even in these uncertain times, and to be a source of hope during the pandemic.”

Published February 24, 2021

How Pasco Schools is navigating through COVID-19

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Heading up one of Florida’s largest school districts is certainly a tall task on its own merit — let alone when a world-altering pandemic shocks the system from March onward.

So, it’s understandable if Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning tries to bring some levity to the whole situation.

His humor showed through at a speaking engagement before the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce Oct. 20 breakfast meeting.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning was guest speaker at the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting last month at Scotland Yards Golf Club. (File)

“I always look for positive things. I think, ‘You know, I could be the supervisor of elections…’,” quipped Browning, before a crowd of dozens at the Scotland Yards Golf Club in Dade City.

Booming laughter, of course, ensued.

Browning held the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections position for 26 years, from 1980 to 2006.

He later joked and shared an anecdote how he once heard current Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley discuss his various responsibilities and lengthy work schedule.

Browning retorted to Corley: “I don’t ever want to you hear you talk about how hard you work, until you run a school district. You don’t know what hard work is, until you run a school system.”

More seriously, though, Browning told the crowd that the past six months or so have unquestionably been a stressful period for administrators, teachers, parents and students alike. “We have had a rough go,” he said.

The superintendent shared his personal experience of contracting the coronavirus in June.
The moment he received word of his positive COVID-19 test, Browning said, “it was all downhill from there.
“Probably the sickest I’ve ever been, sickest I’ve ever been in my life,” said Browning, noting he still feels some lingering fatigue even today.

“It was bad. It was bad, bad, bad. …I was too sick to even worry about what was going on in the office,” the superintendent said.

He discussed the hurdles that the district overcame to get teachers and students either back in the classroom or learning virtually.

The district gave families three learning options for the 2020-2021 school year:

  • Traditional brick-and-mortar campuses
  • Pasco eSchool virtual education program
  • mySchool Online, a hybrid virtual learning model where students follow a standard school schedule and bell times

One of the most challenging aspects of the first quarter has been the continuous indecisiveness by parents on which learning model to use for their child, he said.

Parents initially choosing a virtual model would flip back to traditional, and vice versa, mainly based on the latest news reports of whether COVID-19 cases were spiking or slowing.

“As we got closer to school, I mean people were just ping-ponging back and forth,” Browning said.

He said he had to plead with parents: “Don’t do that. Just pick a model and stick with it, because it’s not good for your student to keep going back and forth, because they’re going to lose instruction.”

Parent indecisiveness has “settled down a little bit,” but some parents are still “ping-ponging.”

The superintendent also noted that parents who intend to send kids back to brick-and-mortar campuses next semester need to inform his office soon, as preparations are already underway. A hard date for those second semester decisions will be set relatively soon.

“Keep in mind, it’s not as simple as moving kids into a classroom,” said Browning, the changes affect teachers and scheduling, too.

Other school district challenges amid COVID-19
Browning also touched on other challenges brought about by the start the pandemic, such as creating drive-thru sites to provide free meals for needy families.

The district served over 1 million meals, from March through the beginning of the school year in August.

Pasco Schools distributed over 1 million meals to needy families from March through the beginning of the school year in August, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of families who needed help increased drastically, Browning said, particularly among the district’s 36 Title 1 schools — campuses with large concentrations of low-income students.

Many of those students rely on school-provided breakfast and lunch, as oftentimes it’s their only meals of the day, “so it’s important we get the food to them,” Browning said.

The superintendent added the 1 million-plus meal figure is “much higher than we’ve ever served meals before, and I think a lot of that was due to folks having lost jobs, not being able to provide food for their kids.”

And, as students moved to remote learning, technology became a big challenge.

The district issued about 20,000 laptops and iPads to students for virtual learning purposes.

The school district primarily uses Apple equipment, but district leadership decided to distribute Dell laptops — in order to distribute more laptops. The district could buy three Dell laptops for the cost of one Apple laptop, Browning explained.

“We learned very quickly, if we’re going to get where we need to be with devices for our kids, we’re kind of switching over to Dell devices,” Browning said. “They’re not as sturdy as an Apple, but if a kid drops a Dell and breaks it, throw it in the garbage and buy another one. With an Apple, you have to fix it, and the investment’s too great to do that with.”

Getting remote internet access to students was another necessity and challenge — particularly at the end of last school year.

“You know how many kids in 2020 do not have internet service? A lot,” Browning said.

To solve the problem, the district equipped school buses with hotspots and set them up in school parking lots in remote areas with no internet service, such as Crystal Springs, Lacoochee and Shady Hills.

The concept allowed families to park their cars into school lots for several hours and have children complete necessary schoolwork from there.

“We bought hotspots by the hundreds,” Browning said.

New technical high school underway
Browning went on to discuss the district’s forthcoming technical high school — Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation, being built at 9100 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel.

The Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation is being built at 9100 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel. The 184,000-square-foot technical school is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year. The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas, such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.

The 184,000-square-foot technical school is expected to serve 1,000 students and is scheduled to open for the 2022-2023 school year.

The school will prepare students for high-salary, high-skill careers in high-demand areas, such as digital multimedia, engineering and robotics, biomedical sciences, building construction, and cyber security, according to district officials.

A groundbreaking ceremony was celebrated in early September.

Browning believes it’ll be a win for the school district, underscoring the importance of technical and vocational training programs, as well as dual-enrollment opportunities.

“We want our kids to have options, we want our kids to be successful,” said Browning. “We want them to be exposed to diesel mechanics. You know what a good diesel mechanic is paid? You know what a great welder gets paid? Sometimes six figures.”

The school, Browning said, is being constructed “with a lot of non-fixed walls” to allow for ever-changing learning programs that may require more or less space in the future.

“It’s going to be a very functional facility for our kids, and I believe East Pasco deserves that and needs that for our kids,” Browning said.

Kirkland Ranch will primarily pull students from Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools, but also will be available to “any other kid” from the county that wants to take advantage, Browning said.

Published November 11, 2020

Union seeks ‘online-only’ school option

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Pasco County Schools is continuing its plans to offer face-to-face instruction as one of its options when school resumes on Aug. 24 — but, the union representing teachers and other school district employees is continuing its efforts to block that.

In a posting on the United School Employees of Pasco’s website, union officials inform their members that they are continuing efforts to seek an injunction that would prevent a return to brick-and-mortar classrooms when school begins.

The union is waiting until this week for formal actions to avoid interfering with efforts by the Florida Education Association, which is pursuing legal action on behalf of educators across the state, the posting says.

This latest USEP announcement follows a rally by teachers and parents at school district headquarters on Aug. 4, seeking to persuade the Pasco County School Board to adopt an online-only opening of schools, until the number of positive COVID-19 cases declines.

Don Peace, president of USEP, appeared at the school board’s meeting that day, again urging the board to only open schools online.

“We are not saying we don’t want a return to brick-and-mortar. We are saying we don’t want to return to brick-and-mortar now,” Peace said.

“Pediatricians and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are saying that we should not be heading back to schools at this time.

“When the positivity rate shows a downward trend and is below 5%, which is the level that ironically triggered the stay-at-home order back in April, then and only then would it be prudent to have a conversation on returning in a face-to-face format,” Peace said.

Peace said the district should rely on the data, in determining if students, teachers and staff return to schools.

“We have the means to use technology, in order to save lives,” Peace said.

Speakers offering public comment also told board members that they don’t think it’s safe to return.

Patrick Connolly, of Zephyrhills, said that there will be significant problems with staffing, if staff members apply their self-screeners with fidelity. And, he said, “if we don’t apply these screeners with fidelity, we will have the virus running rampant in our community.”

Jeremy Blythe, a Pasco teacher for five years, said he wishes he was excited to begin a new school year. Instead, he said, ““I’m afraid, I am angry and I’m sad.

“Being a teacher has prepared me to do many things, but what I cannot prepare for is the idea that I will have to bury a colleague or a student. I don’t want my family to have to bury me, either, if we head back to campus before it is safe,” Blythe said.

Superintendent Kurt Browning reiterated the district’s stance of reopening, with three options for parents: bricks-and-mortar, mySchool Online and Pasco eSchool.

“We are between that proverbial rock and a hard place, where we find ourselves with that emergency order,” Browning said.

“There’s been a lot of discussion, comments made out there about funding.

“The fact remains that when you read the emergency order, it is very clear that funding is tied to the fact that school districts need to open with bricks-and-mortar.

“You have to truly connect the dots, but if you want funding, and you want to be held harmless from funding reductions, then the expectation is that districts will open bricks-and-mortar.

“If we do not get funding from the state, our teachers do not get paid. Our bus drivers do  not get paid. Staff, in general, does not get paid.

“It’s going to be tough to keep lights on,” Browning said.

Browning said district staff is doing everything it can to ensure safety.

However, he added: “We’re not going to prevent it, but we are in the business of trying to minimize the impacts, or the spread of COVID,” the superintendent said.

He noted: “Even after all of the news reports, the data that’s out there — we still have 66% of our families that are wanting to return to bricks-and-mortar.

“By virtue of that, we need to be able to staff and provide that for them,” Browning said.

School Board Chairwoman Colleen Beaudoin said one of her chief concerns involves the inability to provide social distancing in secondary classrooms.

“We cannot ensure social distancing in every secondary classroom,” she said, noting district employees are aware of that, but she’s not sure that parents know that.

Beaudoin did call attention to Pine View Middle School’s efforts to maximize  the space between its students, by clearing the room of extra furniture, extra tables, extra filing cabinets — to increase the distance between desks.

Beaudoin also said that if at some point, the district was to go remote, she wants the public to know that the district staff has been exploring multiple options.

“None are guaranteed, but we have been looking into ways to support families with child care and tutoring, to be able to continue to feed our students and families, and keep our employees working,” the school board chairwoman said.

While Pasco plans to return to school campuses, the Hillsborough County School Board has voted to begin the school year with online-only instruction — a position being rejected by Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.

To be on the safe side, parents are encouraged to check for the most recent updates on the school district websites and social media platforms, to be sure they have the latest information. The Pasco school district’s website is Pasco.k12.fl.us.

The Hillsborough school district’s website SDHC.k12.fl.us.

Published August 12, 2020

Concerns raised about reopening

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The United School Employees of Pasco is raising concerns about the prospect of offering  brick-and-mortar instruction when school begins, given current COVID-19 conditions.

A post on the union’s Facebook page says that USEP “will seek injunction to prevent schools from opening for safety & health reasons. We do this to allow common sense to prevail and provide a virtual opening to this unprecedented school year.”

Don Peace, the union’s president had urged the Pasco County School Board and school district leaders at the board’s July 28 meeting for an online-only opening of school when classes begin on Aug. 24.

Pasco County Schools is scheduled to begin its new school year on Aug. 24, with both in-school and online options. The leader of the United School Employees of Pasco has announced the union will seek an injunction to block a brick-and-mortar school opening, until COVID-19 positivity declines. He said his members think that online learning is the only safe option, with the current COVID-19 positivity rates. (B.C. Manion)

“In light of the fact that Pasco’s COVID-19 positivity rate is above 10% and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is recommending a 14-day downward trend, along with a positivity rate of 5% or less, USEP finds it troubling that we would contemplate a brick-and-mortar opening,” Peace said, during the board’s telephonic meeting.

“We’re contacting legislators and other state officials to see what could be done to allow for an all-virtual reopening,” Peace said.

“Our positivity trend is going up, not down. We closed schools at Spring Break, when things were not as bad as they are now.

“For the Department of Education to order schools to open, in the current situation, is nothing short of reckless,” Peace said.

“Sixty-seven districts in this state have elected school boards whose primary duty is to ensure public education is carried on in a safe and productive manner. Returning to brick-and-mortar right now, certainly is not safe. And, the interruptions caused when (COVID-19) test rates spike, causing virtual instruction, will most certainly not be productive for our students,” Peace said.

He told board members that the union is exploring all of its options.

“All we are asking for is some common sense and time for this to happen,” Peace said.

He wasn’t the only one raising questions about the district’s reopening plan during the board meeting.

Patrick Connolly, of Zephyrhills, said “teachers still don’t know if they’re going to be awarded MSOL (MySchool Online)-only positions, and therefore feel safe, or if we’re going to be required to be back in, and be unsafe.

“Because of that, a lot of people don’t know if they’re going to come back next year,” he said.

Connolly also posed this question to the board and district staff: “What will happen in the next couple of weeks, when teachers are going to find out that their request for MySchool Online-only appointments are not being honored and people are being forced back into the classroom against their wishes, and decide at that point to take leave, resign or retire, leaving the school system with an insurmountable gap in teacher allocations that cannot be filled with even the remotest bit of experience at this time of year.”

What about sick teachers?
Connolly also noted that symptoms described on the self-screening document that teachers are supposed to use are symptoms that they commonly experience.

“If I follow the guidelines, what is the school going to do in terms of subs, when half of the staff is out after the first week for 10 days? Are we ready for that?” he asked.

Another caller asked the school district to collect data through an anonymous survey to find out how many staff members are considering retirement, leaves of absence or resigning — and then to make those survey results public.

The caller said the district needs to do a better job in its communications.

Many parents are assuming that there will be smaller class sizes, if there are fewer students on campus, she said. But, the district has said that class sizes won’t be reduced, she said.

Also, many parents are under the impression that social distancing will be done to the extent recommended by the CDC, which is not possible without reducing class sizes, the caller added.

School board member Megan Harding said she knows that district staff is working hard, but said communications must improve.

She said she’s still receiving multiple emails daily with questions she had previously raised to district staff.

“Our schools are being inundated with questions that they don’t have answers to yet. And, I know that we don’t have the answers to everything yet, but I want to ask that we get those questions answered, and push out that information to our families and staff as soon as possible because school is starting around the corner, so I think it’s really important that we get that information out,” Harding said.

Vanessa Hilton, the districts’ chief academic officer, provided some details about what the school day will look like for students in the coming year.

MySchool Online teachers will do live lessons, have collaborative discussions, provide small group sessions and allow independent practice for students, she said.

“Of course, we won’t have students behind a computer for six hours a day, but engaging in those various structures, as well as breaks. Recess. Their electives. And, all of the things you might expect,” Hilton said.

“The curriculum for MySchool Online and traditional school will be the same.

“Many of those structures that I mentioned for MySchool Online will also be part of the traditional model. You’ll see live lessons, collaborative discussions, small group sessions and independent practice,” she said.

“There also will be new things in our traditional model. Some things you’ll notice, like creating cohorts that stay together in elementary,” she added.

Some things students may not notice, such as the fact that the district won’t be sharing recess equipment between cohorts in elementary. They’re also unlikely to notice the tasks handled by adults, such as the monitoring and disinfecting of equipment and supplies, the district leader said.

At the secondary level, there will be some obvious changes, such as managed traffic patterns, no large congregations of students and reduced sizes of groups, she continued.

There also will disinfecting of desks, materials, computers — between student uses, she added.

“Some of those things won’t be noticed by students because students won’t be responsible for them, but some of them, of course, will be noticeable,” Hilton said.

School Board Chairwoman Colleen Beaudoin said, “Each person on this board cares about our employees, their families, our students and our community.

“I know that our teachers, staff and families are concerned about the risks of contracting COVID. We’re doing everything we can, within the parameters we’re given, to mitigate the risk.

“I spoke with Mark Fox, head of maintenance, about different types of disinfectant wipes, products, filters, barriers, water fountains, bathrooms and so on.

“He and his staff have investigated all possible ways to make our schools as safe as they can be,” Beaudoin said.

Published August 05, 2020