TAMPA, Fla. — The first week of school for many Tampa Bay school districts has shown that change is never easy.
New online learning platforms have been riddled with connection and use issues and parents have clogged up the phone lines aimed at troubleshooting those problems. Students are finding it hard to adjust to formats of online learning, different from what they experienced in the spring. Other students have found it difficult to adjust to in-person learning changes too, making sure they're following dozens of new protocols for safety.
The struggle students have faced in the first couple of days of class have prompted parents to ask their school districts if they can make changes to the learning styles they originally chose.
We reached out to the four districts that started school this week about making changes to the learning format you have originally chosen. Here's what they say:
Pasco
The superintendent of schools released a video to parents, announcing a freeze on switching between in-person, virtual and MySchool. The freeze will be lifted after the first week of school, on August 31. He suggests parents stick with their original choice, saying consistency for students is key.
Pinellas
The Pinellas County School District is asking families to stick with their original learning plan for nine weeks because lesson planning and scheduling was created based on the number of students choosing in-person or online learning. However, the district will accommodate changes to the learning format on a case-by-case basis.
Polk
Polk County says many parents have asked to switch learning formats but is asking families to at least finish the first week of classes before making a decision. They encourage families to stay with their original choice for nine weeks.
Hillsborough
Hillsborough County Schools say the best thing for students is consistency, so they encourage students to stay with their original learning format for nine weeks. However, they will accommodate changes from in-person learning to online and vice versa on a case-by-case basis.
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