The Palm Beach County School Board has approved a modified reopening plan.
Wednesday night's 6-1 vote means parents will have the option to send their kids to school once classrooms reopen, a change from the original plan of phasing students in slowly at that point.
Classroom Teachers Association President Justin Katz says teachers should have the same option. He says that even if half the kids don't show up, there would be more people in a school and classrooms than is acceptable in any business right now.
Students in Palm Beach County will still begin the school year virtually on August 31st. Campuses will only reopen a week after the governor decides to move the county into Phase 2 of reopening.
That's not enough for some parents, who held a protest outside the school district headquarters. One mother said she has more fear for the childrens' mental health because they're not inside of a classroom, a similar feeling espoused by health experts like the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Parents of special needs students contend their kids need one-on-one attention that virtual schooling doesn't provide.
The district's reopening plan outlines live classrooms in Google Meet, a specialized curriculum and support for families through email, phone and video chat.
School Board member Debra Robinson was the lone dissenting vote on Wednesday night. She said she worried about what would happen if too many kids returned to campus to allow for the proper social distancing.
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Photo: CBS 12