Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) strives to safely return students to the physical schoolhouse for the 2020-2021 school year, but recognizes that doing so will not be possible while Miami-Dade County remains in Phase 1 of The Plan for Florida’s Recovery. M-DCPS’ tentative schools reopening plan will be enacted only once Miami-Dade County is in Phase

2. The plan is built to ensure M-DCPS can rapidly pivot, if necessary, in response to a shift back to Phase 1 or to a broader reopening under a transition to Phase 3.

M-DCPS will continue to closely monitor the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and prioritize, above all, the wellbeing of students and employees. M-DCPS will also remain a Choice district where parents have the power to make decisions and select the best course of action for their children. They will have the flexibility to select their children’s fall enrollment plan based on their preference and comfort level between distance learning or physical inschool instruction, or a possible combination of both.

Parents will have from today through Friday, July 10 to indicate which fall semester enrollment plan they are choosing for their child. Parents of current M-DCPS students can find the short questionnaire on the Parent Portal or the Dadeschools Mobile app.

If parents cannot locate the form on the Parent Portal or the mobile application, they can visit reopening.dadeschools.net to fill out and email or print the form and return it directly to their child’s school. Form pickup and dropoff at schools will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Forms will also be made available at the schools for pickup during those times. Parents of new students must complete the physical form and take it to the intended school of enrollment, in person.

On the questionnaire, parents will indicate whether they intend to have their child return to a brick-and-mortar school in the fall for up to five days a week, with the understanding that depending on the school building utilization (the student enrollment divided by the permanent capacity of

the school), it may be through a hybrid model – blending in-school learning with a specially designed eLearning component, and following stringent public health protocols and guidelines.

Parents will also have the option to select My School Online (MSO), which will hold a student’s placement at the current school and will enable distance learning, directly under the guidance and in conjunction with their assigned teacher.

MSO is M-DCPS’ distance learning option for those students in grades K12 who wish to take online classes fulltime but still maintain their connection to their enrolled schools. Its design is based on feedback received from parents on distance learning during the recent school 2 closures. It incorporates many of the features that parents and students valued, such as a single online platform to access digital course content, and virtual real-time interaction with teachers each day for every class.

MSO provides a learning model that reflects the District’s commitment to providing students with high-quality instructional experiences and to meeting the needs of students and their families during these uncertain times.

Students who choose to participate in MSO will receive remote instruction from M-DCPS teachers using highquality course materials and will follow the standard school schedule and bell times. All core subject areas will be available through MSO. However, because not all electives can be provided through an online environment, elective offerings in MSO are limited. Teachers will meet with students daily and utilize web conferencing technology to provide direct instruction, administer checks for understanding, and assist students with their assignments.

The daily student-teacher interactions will provide a structure similar to a classroom setting and teachers will facilitate and guide student learning. In addition to the virtual class meetings, teachers will be available to respond to individual students daily. Students participating in MSO will maintain their enrollment status at their brick-and-mortar school and will be permitted to return to their schools.