BREAKING: Florida schools to remain closed through end of year

Florida students officially will not be returning to school for the remainder of the academic year.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a press conference Saturday, April 18, that students will continue with distance learning for the rest of the year. Students have been distance learning since mid-March, when the first round of school closures was announced.

DeSantis said the decision was made after much research and discussion with parents and others around the state.

"There was some differing opinions," DeSantis said. "Some parents were not interested in their kids going back; (for) some others, it's been tough around the house and they would have liked to have seen them go back. ... As we looked at the clock and we looked to see how, what it would look like, we've got the momentum for distance learning. It's obviously not the ideal situation, but given where we are in the school year, we felt that was the best decision to go forward."

For any news and updates regarding Orange County Public Schools, visit the district's website or follow OCPS on Facebook.