Education

Students in Hillsborough County may be joining kids in other counties by starting school two weeks later than scheduled.

Three school districts here in the Bay Area are trying to buy some time, pushing back the school year to get better prepared for all of the COVID-19 changes. Meanwhile, the state Board of Education and Gov. Ron DeSantis are meeting in Hillsborough County to discuss the reopening plan. 

More than a week after Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran ordered schools to reopen in August, members of the State Board of Education on Wednesday said his order has sparked confusion, fear and angst.

Officials in Broward County, Florida are not optimistic that coronavirus cases will decline low enough to reopen schools at the start of the semester and will have 100 percent online classes if the numbers don't improve soon.

School leaders in Manatee County voted Tuesday to push back the date kids would return to classrooms -- or begin online learning -- in the fall. 

As Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Michael Grego gave the school board a thorough breakdown of the district's reopening plan, dozens of teachers and staff protested the plan.

Sarasota County's school board had some difficult decisions to make during Tuesday's meeting. At the center of it all is the need for a plan to get kids back in the classroom by August, as required by the Department of Education.

When students and staff in Pasco County return to campus, face-coverings will likely be mandatory as part of the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

School board members with Polk County Schools voted to delay the start of the school year at Tuesday night's meeting despite teachers protesting outside the meeting and urging the district to begin the school year strictly online.

Facing eight federal lawsuits and opposition from hundreds of universities, the Trump administration on Tuesday rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the pandemic.

Through its Operation Outbreak, Sarasota Military Academy students have proven they have the tools to face COVID-19.

Lennard High School held a drive-thru graduation Monday. The seniors walked across a makeshift stage and received their diploma, while the parents took pictures from their cars. 

Thousands of students in Hillsborough County are expected to head back to school online this fall, according to the school district, but the majority of parents want their kids to return to campus.

The first day of school for many districts across Florida is scheduled for August 10, and while Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for students to get back into the classroom, the Florida Education Association says many districts are not ready for that.

Florida Southern College in Lakeland, along with dozens of other institutions around the country, is being sued because of COVID-19.

When Pinellas County schools reopen for the first time in nearly five months, things will look and feel a lot different for students and staff. Everyone will be required to wear masks or face coverings, classrooms will be rearranged and even school buses will have a new way to get on and off. 

The University of South Florida is defending international students after ICE announced it will enforce federal rules that could lead to their deportation.