At least 68 percent of Keys students are back in the classroom, early figures show
More than two-thirds of the total number of students enrolled in the Monroe County School District showed up in classrooms Monday, according to school officials.
On Monday, 5,910 students were in classroom seats across the island chain, while 2,025 were learning virtually, Herrin said.
That means at least 68 percent of the number of students enrolled were in classrooms.
But the numbers don’t reflect students in middle school and high school who are on a hybrid schedule, dividing their time between attending school and learning at home.
The district called the numbers preliminary, taking into account schools may not have coded students correctly as having been in class or at home, Herrin said.
Monroe public schools began welcoming students back to campus on Aug. 31, and by Monday, were fully reopened to students who chose in-person classes over virtual schooling.
Parents have until Sept. 30 to make a decision: Send their children back to campus or commit to virtual learning for the rest of the semester, Herrin said.
Safety protocols are in place at Keys schools. Masks are required, social distancing enforced and many schools are having students eat in classrooms rather than cafeterias.
The district’s latest enrollment total is 8,721, Herrin said, but the total number of students in attendance Monday in-person and virtually was 7,935.
Herrin said it isn’t unusual for the enrollment figures to be off at this point in the school year, given the transient nature of the Florida Keys.
“People move in or move out in the first few weeks,” Herrin said. “Families go up north for the summer and they don’t come back until a couple of weeks into the school year.”
Key Largo School counted 744 students present, with 608 in classrooms and 136 learning virtually.
But some of those 136 students are in grades 6-8 and on a hybrid schedule that includes attending classes on campus.
Stanley Switlik Elementary in Marathon reported 493 children learning “face-to-face” and zero virtual.
But Herrin said it’s possible the school defined “face-to-face” as including both in-person students and online students. Switlik has a total enrollment of 542.
Poinciana Elementary in Key West reported 493 students face-to face, while Gerald Adams Elementary on Stock Island had a face-to-face count of 523.
On Monday, Key West High School had 612 students in classrooms and 639 in virtual learning.
Not all South Florida public schools have welcomed back students to campus.
Broward County Public Schools could resume in-person learning as soon as Oct. 5. Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie announced during a virtual School Board meeting Tuesday morning he plans to recommend that date to School Board members.
Miami-Dade Schools has not set a date as to when the school district will reopen its classrooms. Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is meeting with medical experts on Thursday to review the issue.
