Orange County School Board to proceed with reopening plans for face-to-face learning

ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orange County School Board will proceed with plans to reopen schools for face-to-face learning on Friday, August 21. 

The board held a special meeting on Monday to discuss recommendations from the Medical Advisory Committee about in-class instruction.

The committee last met on Friday morning. Previously, ten doctors agreed that face-to-face reopenings should be limited in some way or be conducted in a staggered manner. Many said younger students should go back first.

For more than five hours on Monday, board members heard public comment and discussion on the recommendations from the medical group.

"After thoughtful discussion, the school board voted to uphold the previous plan that was approved last month. For families who selected face-to-face instruction, students will attend school in-person beginning Friday," read a news release from Orange County Public Schools. "All of the health and safety measures that have been put in place will proceed as planned with extra vigilance."

Families who selected LaunchEd@Home for their child will continue with LaunchEd@Home.

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Orange County’s top health Official, Dr. Raul Pino, has said COVID-19 transmissions should be expected with the face-to-face school plan; however, the state has a system in place to track cases.

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“We immediately call the health services and they have the ability to tell us where the child lives, what school the kids go, are any there any siblings in any other schools so we can pull those children,” he explained.

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