St. Johns County school leaders put together final plan for school in the fall

St. Johns County, Fla. — St. Johns County school leaders are putting together their final plan for what school could look like in the fall.

They’re hoping to start school on August 10.

On Tuesday school leaders discussed their plan with three different models of learning for the fall.

The plan shows how the district will respond based on the spread of the COVID-19 virus in August.

Tim Forson the St. Johns County school superintendent told Action News Jax school leaders are hoping their plan can ease any fears parents may have about children returning in the fall.

“We really need to narrow down now if parents aren’t comfortable if they want to go to a virtual format, we need to make sure we have the resources to do that. If they are comfortable, what are their biggest concerns?” Forson said.

I also asked the school district about wearing a face mask.

Forson told me if cases are low or there’s no spread then face mask will be recommended, but if COVID-19 cases begin to spike then they may require face mask for students to wear, especially on school buses.

When it comes to the cafeterias, the district wants to move tables further apart to help increase social distancing.

Forson said if cases begin to go up, schools may require temperatures checks for students before they enter a school building.

“The cost (of thermometers) varies and whether it’s a non-contact thermometer or some other method of this process, it’s going to cost us money and we’re going to have to invest in it,” he said.

Normally the district sanitizes school during cold and flu season but now they’re considering cleaning solutions that last even longer, up to 90 days to help kill any potential spread of coronavirus.

Forson told Action News Jax the school board will be moving forward with this plan.

In July, they will present their formal plan that will be submitted to the Florida Department of Education.

If you would like to see the full plan for re-opening you can click on the PDF we uploaded.

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