CLAY COUNTY – The school board will begin determining how best to start the 2020-21 school year at its upcoming meeting on June 25.

As Florida continues its gradual reopening per Gov. Ron DeSantis in phases coming out of COVID-19, the question of schools grows larger in everyone’s minds. Will the next school year begin at home or will it begin at home? That is the question the school board is set to tackle as the 2020-21’s August 11 school date nears. It will also be one of the topics of discussion at next week’s meeting.

“We have three scenarios,” Superintendent David Broskie said during last Tuesday’s school board agenda workshop.

Those three scenarios consist of a regular school year procedure, a distance learning procedure, and a plan consisting of a hybrid of the two. It will be up to a specially-formed committee to determine how to proceed, with guidance from the school board.

The scenarios are the three choices districts around the state face today and in Clay County specifically, they’re shaped by a recent survey sent to residents. More than 12,000 people completed the survey and of those people, more than 40% said they are “very comfortable” with the Aug. 11 return date for the school year. A smaller percentage responded with just “comfortable,” even less for “somewhat comfortable” and 17% for “not comfortable.”

When asked about pushing the start date back, the majority of survey responses indicated that pushing the start date back is not preferred. The biggest gaps were found in the question of school bus transportation. Over 30% responded with “not-applicable” as their children do not use school buses but of the remaining responses, “very comfortable” had the largest percentile, although a sizable percentage indicated otherwise.

“Transportation is going to be a challenge,” Broskie said.

When asked about additional safety measures the school district should take, the largest measure mentioned in responses to the survey was increased access to hand sanitizer and soap. Daily temperature checks and masks followed. The board agreed with access to soap and hand sanitizer, and temperature checks but there was some concern around masks.

Board member Ashley Gilhousen said masks only slow the spread of coronavirus, not stop it, while board member Tina Bullock said there could be some hearing challenges presented if masks were required. If someone can’t hear something well, the person talking might be inclined to remove the part of the mask covering the mouth. Board chair Carol Studdard added that wearing a mask can make breathing difficult for some and fogs up glasses.

Bullock suggested that instead of making masks mandatory, which include a new cost incurred to the district as it would have to purchase thousands of masks for students and faculty, they should be optional. The committee that will help the board and district determine how best to start the 2020-21 school year will be tasked with taking on challenges like masks and sanitization.

Broskie said that regardless of the scenario, be it students fully back in school on campus or a hybrid, schools will have to undergo daily and rigorous sanitization processes. The school board will discuss this topic and more at their June 25 meeting at 6 p.m. in the Teacher In-Service Training Center at Fleming Island High. It's important to note that this topic is not an action item meaning no official vote will be made. If discussed during the meeting, it will be a non-actionable discussion.