Volusia County School Board Talks of Face Mask Policy and Delays Start Date of School to August 31; Vote on School Re-opening Plan.

Written by Kristen Schmutz

Belden Communication News

At a special virtual school board meeting Tuesday, the Volusia County School Board has unanimously voted to delay the start date of students from August 17, to August 31. Teachers are to report to school on August 11.

The new delayed start date will allow for training and professional development to be used during half of the pre-planning period.

When school returns an Emergency Policy for Mandatory Face Coverings could be in place.

The policy will require students, staff, visitors, and vendors to wear a face-covering while on school property where social distancing measures cannot be practiced.

According to the presentation provided at the school board meeting, the instances where social distancing cannot be practiced are on the bus, during class change, or in the lunch line.

The new policy will require the use of cloth face masks, commercially produced masks, and/or face shields when the schools do reopen.

The traditional option and Enhanced Volusia Online Learning are both approved learning options that can be utilized in August, while the Volusia Live Option passed unanimously, and will be submitted to the Florida Department of Education

A survey form for parents will be made available as of Wednesday, July 22, and be open until Tuesday, July 28 to choose which option works best for their families. Parents will need to fill out a form for each student in the family. 

For more information visit www.vcsedu.org.