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Could the end of distance learning be on the horizon? Florida’s Education Commissioner hints so
State leaders say the money for distance learning could be reduced to pre-pandemic levels.
Pandemic-era distance learning could soon be coming to an end.
Florida's Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran hinted on Wednesday that it might be time to get back to normal. He suggested that funding for the style of learning could revert back to pre-pandemic levels.
If that happens, it could force students who have been doing distance learning back into classrooms in just a few months.
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"The goal is to get everyone back to class," Governor Ron DeSantis added on Wednesday. He has always been a proponent of in-person learning. "Florida is only one of a handful of states where 100 percent of parents have the option of sending kids to class for in-person education."
However, some teachers feel distance learning has been vital during the pandemic and that now is not the time to cut back.
President of Orange County Classroom Teachers Wendy Doromal said that the proposal could be devastating, telling FOX 35 that "it really could [be] for students and for teachers and the community because you don't want to have just face-to-face options during a pandemic. We would lose a lot more students."
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She added that if the suggestion to return virtual learning funding to pre-pandemic levels is approved, it should be done in a step-down approach.
"I see a problem because we still have not accounted for all the students that were there pre-COVID. They haven't returned to our schools virtually or face-to-face. We are seeing a huge teacher shortage as a result of COVID. We don't have enough substitutes," Doromal said.
Nothing has been decided yet though.
Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.
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