>>JENNIFER WAUGH: FACING THE FALL AS NASSAU COUNTY STUDENTS PREPARE TO HEAD BACK TO CLASS
NEXT TUESDAY, THE COUNTY IS
REPORTING ONE OF THE HIGHEST
RATES OF NEW
COVID-19 CASES PER CAPITA OF
THE COUNTIES IN THE NATION’S
LARGEST METRO AREAS.
THE RATE OF NEW POSITIVE
COVID-19 TEST RESULT STANDS AT
NEARLY 27% IN
THE COUNTY. THE SURGING CASES
COINCIDES WITH THE START OF
SCHOOL NEXT WEEK AS WE KNOW IN
NASSAU COUNTY
NASSAU COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT
DOCTOR KATHY BURNS IS NOW
JOINING US VIA ZOOM THIS
MORNING, GOOD MORNING, THANKS
FOR BEING WITH US.
GOOD MORNING. SO A DOCTOR BURNS
AS I’M SURE THAT YOU ARE WELL
AWARE LATE LAST NIGHT THE DUVAL
COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MADE THE
DECISION TO
REQUIRE MASKS ESSENTIALLY NOT A
MANDATE, BUT IT REQUIRES
STUDENTS TO OPT OUT IF THEY
CHOOSE NOT TO WEAR ONE.
WHAT IS NASSAU COUNTY DOING
WHEN IT COMES TO MASS IN
CLASSROOMS WHEN THAT SCHOOL
STARTS NEXT WEEK.
>> AND THIS
TIME WE ARE ENCOURAGING MASK,
I’M STRONGLY ENCOURAGING AS YOU
KNOW THE
EXECUTIVE ORDER DID NOT ALLOW
US TO REQUIRE MASK. I WAS NOT
AWARE OF DUVAL COUNTY’S
DECISION LATE LAST EVENING AND
YOU KNOW THEY ARE REQUIRING
THEIR EMPLOYEES TO WEAR A MASK,
BUT THAT’S OUR POSITION TODAY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK ARE YOU RECEIVING FIRST, LET ME SAY FROM PARENTS
ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT STUDENTS
SHOULD REALLY WHERE THE NASTY
FEEL THAT THEY WILL REQUIRE
THEIR KIDS TO DO IT WHEN THEY
GO TO SCHOOL.
>> WE
MIXED MIXED FEEDBACK THAT YOU
THERE OF THAT FENCE YOU WANT
THEIR STUDENTS TO WEAR MASK AND
THERE’S ALSO THE IMAGE OR A LOT
PEOPLE WHO. WHAT THE OPTION TO
CHOOSE WHETHER THEIR CHILD
WEARS A MASK
OR NOT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND WHAT
ABOUT TEACHERS ARE THEY
CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR HEALTH
GIVEN THE FACT THAT WE
KNOW THAT THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO
MAY NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE
THE VACCINE AS AN EXAMPLE CAN
POTENTIALLY SPREAD IT TO THOSE
WHO ARE OLDER.
>> I HAVE PUT OUT A MESSAGE OF
OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR SCHOOL LEADERS TO SHARE WITH THEIR EMPLOYEES AS WELL THAT I
STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE USE OF
MASK, ESPECIALLY FOR THE FIRST
30 DAYS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AS
WE SEE THESE NUMBERS INCREASE
AHEAD, WE WILL SEE THE
PLAN SAYING.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: ARE YOU
CONCERNED ABOUT A TEACHER
SHORTAGE I KNOW THAT’S A
CONCERN IN DUVAL COUNTY AT THE
TEACHERS HAVE ALREADY ACTUALLY
RESIGN BECAUSE THEY’RE WORRIED
ABOUT THEIR HEALTH.
>> I THINK THE TEACHERS TO
FLORIDA PROBLEM AND NATIONWIDE
AND WE DO HAVE ABOUT 20
POSITIONS TO FEEL AT
THIS TIME.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: HOW ARE YOU
GOING TO ABLE TO DO THAT IN
TIME AND WITH THOSE 20
VACANCIES, IT IS THAT GOING TO
BE A PROBLEM IN TERMS OF HAVING
ENOUGH IN THE CLASSROOM FOR
STATE SCHOOL.
>> WELL OF COURSE WE WANT
CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN EVERY
CLASSROOM EVERY DAY WE’RE
WORKING DILIGENTLY TO BUILD HIS
POSITIONS AT
THIS TIME.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: IT SAID I
KNOW THAT BUSING IS A FREQUENT
QUESTION THAT IS ASKED JUST IN
GENERAL REGARDLESS OF THE
PANDEMIC SO I WANT ADDRESS IT
FOR NASSAU COUNTY PARENTS SINCE
IT IS SUCH A
COMMON QUESTION. BUT FIRST IF
YOU COULD PLEASE EXPLAIN IT
WILL THERE BE ANY SOCIAL
DISTANCING ANY MASK ANY
HAND SANITIZER ANY OPPORTUNITY
ON THE BUS FOR THE KIDS TO KIND
OF SIT FURTHER APART THIS
SCHOOL YEAR.
>> WE DO HAVE
A SANITIZING STATIONS AT THE
BUS WE HAVE MASK AVAILABLE ON
THE BUS WILL BE FOLLOWING THE
PROCEDURES THAT WE FOLLOW LAST
YEAR’S FAR SANITIZING FOR COVID
CLEANLINESS DURING THE
SCHOOL YEAR. WE DO NOT HAVE THE
OPTION TO SOCIAL DISTANCE ON
THE BUSES AND IT IS YOU KNOW.
DRIVERS BUS DRIVERS S ANOTHER
SHORTAGE WE HAVE NOT ONLY IN
NASSAU COUNTY BUT ALSO IN OUR
STATE AND AROUND
THE COUNTRY.
>>LAUREN VERNO: SO WE DO NOT
HAVE THE OPTION TO SOCIAL
DISTANCE ON THE BUS AND FOR
PARENTS WHO MAYBE ARE SENDING
CHILDREN TO SCHOOL FOR THE
FIRST TIME THEY’VE MOVED TO
NASSAU COUNTY WHAT SHOULD THEY
KNOW ABOUT LEARNING ABOUT BUS
ROUTES AND WHERE THEIR KIDS
NEED TO GO AND AT WHAT TIME.
ALL OF OUR BEST ROUTES ARE
POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE, BUT THEY
MAY ALSO CALL THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT OFFICE.
>> AND WE CAN DIRECT THEM TO
THE RIGHT PERSON TO GIVE THEM
THE INFORMATION THAT
THEY NEED.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: AND I KNOW
THAT I’M TYPICALLY THEY’RE OPEN
HOUSE EVENTS AND WHATNOT THAT
ARE HELD AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE SCHOOL YEAR MEET AND GREET
OPPORTUNITIES ALSO FOR
PARENTS TO MEET THEIR CHILD’S
TEACHER ARE THOSE STILL GOING
TO HAPPEN THIS YEAR AS REGULAR
A GIVEN THE INCREASE IN THE
DELTA VARIANT IN CASES.
>> WE ARE HAVING TO MEET AND
GREET ACTIVITIES GOING ON OUR
SCHOOLS
ADDRESS THE NASSAU COUNTY
RECEIVED OUR NEWSLETTER THE
NEXT ON THE BOOK THAT PROVIDES
ALL
THAT INFORMATION.