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Brevard County school officials push back start date to Aug. 24

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Brevard Public Schools decided Tuesday it will push back the start of school by two weeks and will now start Aug. 24 to allow more time for planning and training.

The board will meet again next week to decide if any other changes need to be made before students return to the classroom.

“We’ve been hearing from our community, we need more time,” said Brevard School Board Chair Misty Belford. “We’ve been hearing from our teachers we need more time to prepare for the new expectations.”

The district is also providing families who aren't ready to return to the classroom a Brevard Virtual School option.

Read: Brevard County approves back-to-school plan as some residents ask for delayed start

But, for those who decide to return to brick and mortar schools, board members want some metric for  when it’s safe to resume in-person instruction , and when it’s not.

Next Thursday, the board also plans to discuss the possibility of making masks mandatory. The current reopening plan says that masks are "expected" when social distancing isn't feasible and when students are on the bus.

Under the current plan the last day of the 2020-21 school year will be June 3.

The Brevard Federation of Teachers said it’s also making sure teachers are properly supported if they fall ill, as about a quarter of the union’s teachers self-identify as high-risk.

Click here to read the county’s back-to-school plan in full.

Read: Keeping track of back-to-school plans in Central Florida


Q Mccray

Q McCray, WFTV.com

Q McCray is an award-winning general assignment reporter.