Hey parents I hope you are having a great summer.  Last week our counties began rolling out their school reopening plans.  Today lets talk about the choices that our neighboring counties are proposing and what you can do to decide what is best for your child. Let’s start with our home county-Orange County Public Schools (OCPS).  Please note that these are the options available at the time of writing.  Things are ever changing. Also if your child attends a private or charter school-you will need to contact them directly for their options.

OCPS has come up with 3 options for parents (that are quite good in my opinion):

1. Face to Face School-In this option you will send your child back to their zoned school.  Here are some pros and cons to consider

Pros: Your child is going back to school-you will no longer be on the hook for homeschooling them.  If you work you will not have to ‘find’ a place for them to go or someone to watch them. Your children will also get to interact and socialize with their friends.  A lot of our kids have missed the socialization piece of school since being quarantined.

Cons: The school they are returning to will not look like the school that they left (when discussing with your kids-be sure to bring this up). They will be required to wear masks most/all of the day.  Lunches may be silent lunches or all the children will have to face the same way and/or social distancing will be enforced.  Your child will be exposed to many other people.  So if your child is in contact with those at home who are at risk (grandparents, a parent with cancer, diabetes or high blood pressure etc) the risk is greater of it being transferred.  Also if your child’s teacher gets the virus-I am not sure how that will be handled by the school-do the students get quarantined? Will there be a substitute?

• OCPS Launch-In this option- your child will follow the regular school day at home while streaming school along with his regular class at school on the computer at home. Seminole county’s version is called Seminole Connect. Volusia’s county’s proposed version is called Volusia Live. This is a great option if you are looking for a more structured version of schooling at home.  Or if you are concerned about the health risk associated with face-to-face schooling.  Let’s talk about the pros and cons:

Pros: Your child will continue to be at home without the risk of being exposed. The more structured version of online learning will give you as a parent more support in keeping the child on task and (in theory) keep them learning at the same rate/level as their peers. You are able to switch to the face-to-face model if you are not happy with this model sometime during the school year (you can switch after the 9 weeks or at the mid semester mark-check with your county to be sure).

Cons: This is a totally new model being implemented this year-so expect technical difficulties.  If your child is younger-there will still need to be an adult present to keep them on task and trouble shoot those technical difficulties.  Another con is that some kids simply do not do well with this model of instruction and truly need to be physically in a classroom.

• The last option Is Florida Virtual School (FLVS).  In this option the child registers as a student of FLVS.  This model has been around since 1997-so they have worked out all of the ‘bugs.’  Usually the child needs to complete the lessons online and then will check-in with a teacher by phone/online every so often (every other week/ every month). If you choose this option-you must stick with this option until the end of the year-you cannot choose any other options listed above. 

Pros: This model is tried and true as far as technology goes.  In my practice/career-very few parents have complained to me about the technology aspect of this model. The child also completes the lessons at their own pace.  If your child is a self starter and is able to get work done independently-then this is an excellent option. Checking in with a county teacher keeps them accountable. Again no exposure of the virus for your child.

Cons: It can be difficult to keep your child motivated with this model if they get easily off task. There is a lack of socialization involved-for some kids this will be a pro but for many it is a con.  You cannot change this option until the end of the school year- so you must stick with it-if you choose it.

Orange County and Volusia County are only offering these options.  But Seminole County is offering a 4^th option:

• Hybrid-This will be a combination of face-to-face school and the virtual streaming option.  Your child will get to go to school for a few days per week and also stream for a couple days per week.

Pros:  This is a great option for those kiddos that need the socialization piece that face-to-face school offers.  If parents are working-your child will be at school for 1-3 days of the week.

Cons: Of all the options, this seems to have the least amount of details.  It is a wonderful idea in theory but the execution of it may be more difficult.  Your child is still exposed to others. So if exposure if you are concerned about it-then this is still a factor. There is still the question of a quarantine if your child’s classmate or teacher contracts the virus.

Now that the options have been listed and explained, here are some guiding questions for you and your family (in no particular order):

1. What option is best for my child’s education?
2. What option is best for the health of myself and my loved ones?
3. If I am choosing a schooling at home option is there a friend or family member that can help me?
4. What is my plan if my child (or his teacher/peer) contracts the virus?
5. Which option makes me feel more at peace?

I have been on social media and seen a bit of parent shaming going on.  I highly encourage you to do what is best for YOUR child and YOUR family.  Someone else’s opinion should have no bearing on your decision of what is best for you.