This browser does not support the Video element.
Reivews mixed on Hillsborough’s first day of online school
Aaron Mesmer reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County students started off the school year Monday with the beginning of a week of online-only learning.
The district is calling the first week of school 'Smart Start' week. Parents gave mixed reviews, with several families reporting a series of connectivity issues.
"This has been frustrating," said Larissa Hicks, whose child had issues with Canvas, the e-learning program students will be using this year. "They should have started school already but now you're trying to coach your child through a platform that's not working and meanwhile the majority of parents are probably supposed to be working."
"I think what would have been great is if we had a practice run before the smart start day, like a pre-smart day or a few days last week where we could all try and do some test runs. A week or two earlier would have been really great," added Natalie Wetherington, who said her son had similar problems.
Superintendent Addison Davis said the issues with Canvas were mostly resolved by late morning.
MORE: Florida's order to reopen brick-and-mortar schools is unconstitutional, judge rules
Some parents, meanwhile, said their children didn't receive their schedules until Sunday or even Monday. Davis addressed those issues late in the day.
"This could be directly linked to the 14 to 16 percent that did not identify and finalize their declaration of intent," Davis said, referring to the survey parents were asked to fill out, notifying the district whether their children will be attending school in person or online.
Davis sat in on a few virtual classes and said, for the most part, there were few problems to report.
RELATED: Polk schools welcome students back to campus
This browser does not support the Video element.
Students in Polk County practice social distance
Kids came back to a whole new world when they returned to class in Polk County on Monday. For tens of thousands of students, it was their first day back to school since March, when classes were canceled because of COVID-19.
"I saw beautiful interaction between every one of our educators and students that I was able to visit virtually with," he said, adding this week will help prepare students for a challenging year. "It's just a holistic week for them to understand norms and to be introduced about the level of expectations that we will be using moving forward and also to have a better understanding of what safety measures we're going to be taking regardless of if its return to brick and mortar next week or continue to transition to e-learning in Hillsborough County."
It's unclear if school board members will adjust the reopening plan after a judge ruled late Monday that Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran's emergency order requiring schools to reopen is unconstitutional. Hillsborough County school board members voted to begin the school year with four weeks of online-only instruction. Davis reduced that to one week after Corcoran threatened to withhold funding.