OCPS reopens for face-to-face instruction

Orange County Public Schools on Friday, Aug. 21, reopened for face-to-face instruction. It was the first day the school buildings have been open for class since March 13.

According to OCPS, about 1/3 of the district's total student body has opted for face-to-face instruction. The district offered two other instructional options — LaunchEd@Home and OCVS virtual school.

Face-to-face instruction includes several safety measures:

• Students will be required to wear a face mask or personal protective equipment in class, unless a medical condition or disability does not allow it.

• Employees working with students shall wear face masks or other appropriate PPE.

• Hand-sanitizer stations will be available in each classroom.

• Class sizes will reflect those in alignment with prior years and will align with state student-to-teacher ratios.

• To the extent feasible, students will be seated in a socially distant layout in classrooms with all chairs, desks and other workstations 3 to 6 feet apart.

• Nonessential furniture will be removed from the classroom.

• To limit any exposure of students on campus, non-essential visitors are not allowed in schools, and parents are not allowed to walk their children to classrooms. Also parents, are asked to stay in their vehicles when dropping off or picking up.

For more information about OCPS' reopening, click here.

See our 2020 Back-to-School Guide here.