MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Officials are temporarily suspending classes at public schools and charter schools in Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but teachers still have to report to work.
The United Teachers of Dade and the Broward Teachers Union told teachers they had the right to self-quarantine to protect themselves from the pandemic.
“We strive to make decisions that are in the best interest of students, families, and employees. The well-being of our students and staff must be valued above all,” Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.
The Florida Department of Education directed districts to temporarily close schools, cancel all extracurricular activities, provide eLearning to students, parents and staff, and “conduct thorough cleaning.”
Miami-Dade County School District will transition to remote online instruction on Monday and was asking parents who don’t have access to the Internet to sign up for free Comcast Internet service. The district is also distributing devices until 7:30 p.m. Friday and on Saturday.
For more information about Miami-Dade’s employee assistance program, call 305-995-7111.
Broward County School District will close the classrooms on Tuesday. The Monroe County School District asked teachers to report to work on March 23.