Carvalho reports that 350,000 students returned to Miami-Dade schools with face masks

MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Superintendent of Public Schools Alberto M. Carvalho said an excess of 350,000 students and nearly 18,000 teachers, including 300 new hires, returned to classrooms Monday for the first day of the school year 2021-22.

Carvalho said there were more than 800 school buses in service and the 19 delays that exceeded 15 minutes were attributed to traffic or ongoing construction. The district hires 100 more school bus drivers. Carvalho said parents should take advantage of the free breakfast and lunch at M-DCPS schools, as only about 85,000 breakfasts were served on Monday.

M-DCPS reopened buildings with security protocols, including a universal indoor mask warrant during the rise of COVID cases. Students should not share a face mask and should not display obscene, profane, drug-related, gang-related, or inflammatory messages.

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“No more than two or three parents had a specific mask problem at school … I think we had an extremely high level of compliance and understanding,” said Carvalho, who later added, “We look forward to receiving a message from Tallahassee ”Regarding the Ron DeSantis government, July 30 order to protect parental freedom.

Teachers ask students to bring their own bottles of water, not to touch their face and eyes, social distance, and avoid shared objects. Teachers ask students to stay home if they feel sick, to wash their hands with soap and water frequently, and to disinfect their hands with 60% alcohol.

Carvalho said the M-DCPS virtual academy had about 300 students enrolled about three weeks ago. On Monday, he said the virtual academy had an excess of 3,000 students enrolled and there are an additional 700 students whose parents are trying to enroll them.

“This is a huge increase in a very short period of time … We will spend some time processing these students, but we will,” Carvalho said.

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Carvalho said the district still has devices in place to help students who do not have online connectivity. He also urged parents to ask teachers about their schools ’extracurricular programs and tutoring opportunities. Carvalho declared the first day of school “a resounding success.”

School principals accept applications for medical exemptions in advance for the face mask requirement. For more information about back-to-school policies, call 305-995-3000 or visit the back-to-school parent information site or attend The Parent Academy.

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