>>JENNIFER WAUGH: FACING THE FALL OF THAT NASSAU COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD IS SCHEDULED TO
VOTE TOMORROW ON THE DISTRICT’S
REOPENING PLAN. RIGHT NOW IT GIVES PARENTS 3 OPTIONS SINCE STUDENTS BACK TO
TRADITIONAL CLASSROOMS UP FOR
SCHOOL BASED DISTANCE LEARNING
OR ENROLL IN NASSAU VIRTUAL
SCHOOL. NASSAU COUNTY SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT KATHY BURNS IS
JOINING US THIS MORNING
VIA ZOOM TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE
REOPENING PLAYING GOOD MORNING.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
GOOD MORNING.
>> SO DO YOU SUPPORT DELAYING
THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
>> YES, I BELIEVE IT GIVES US
MORE TIME TO PREPARE TO GET THE
NEEDED SUPPLIES AS MANY OF US IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AS WELL AS OTHERS HAVE ORDERED SOME
PLASTIC KEEP OUR SCHOOLS,
SAFER. AND
HELP HERE AND WE’RE ALL
EXPERIENCING A TIME DELAY IN
THAT IT GIVES EVERYONE BETTER
TO MORE TIME TO PREPARE.
AND AS WELL AS EVERYONE TO FEEL
CONFIDENT THE DECISIONS THAT
ARE BEING MAY DO YOU ANTICIPATE
THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD WILL
AGREE WITH YOU AND VOTE IN
FAVOR OF THAT TOMORROW.
WE HAD A WORKSHOP LAST WEEK ON
THURSDAY AND DISCUSSED THE PLAN
AND REVIEW THE CALENDAR AND I DO ANTICIPATE THAT THEY WILL BE IN FAVOR OF THAT WILL BE TAKING
ON THURSDAY DURING OUR PORT BE
SO WOULD YOU EXPLAIN WHERE
STUDENTS WOULD BE REQUIRED TO
WEAR MASKS AS WE KNOW FOR
VIEWERS WHO DON’T LIVE IN
NASSAU COUNTY THERE IS A MASK
MANDATE FOR CHILDREN 6 YEARS
AND OLDER ADULTS OBVIOUSLY IN
PUBLIC PLACES.
>> WHERE WOULD KIDS BE REQUIRED
TO WEAR THEM.
SO WE’RE FINALIZING THE DETAILS
ON THAT THIS MORNING WE’RE
MEETING TO
FINALIZE ARE PLANS THIS MORNING
WITH OUR TEAM RIGHT NOW THEY’RE
REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS ON THE
BUSES AND WE DO HAVE A MANDATE
IN NASSAU COUNTY AS WELL AS OUR
STATE FOR EVERYONE TO WEAR MASK
OVER THE AGE OF THAT WOULD BE
A REQUIREMENT IF WE AS
FOLLOWING THAT MANDATE, WE’RE
FINALIZING OUR PLANS FOR THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT THIS IMPORTANT
IT WILL PRESENT TO THE BOARD
ON ART. DO YOU ANTICIPATE THEN
THE CHILDREN WILL BE EXPECTED
TO WEAR THEM IN CLASS.
WE’RE STILL FINALIZING
THOSE DETAILS.
>>LAUREN VERNO: I UNDERSTAND
THAT THIS THERE’S A PROCESS
HERE YOU NEED TO GO TO THE
BOARD FIRST BEFORE YOU MAKE A
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT AND I
RESPECT THAT. SO AT A TEACHER
RAISE CONCERNS DURING A RECENT
MEETING ABOUT WHETHER
THEY WILL HAVE ENOUGH HAND
SANITIZER AND
LYSOL WIPES DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH
MONEY IN THE BUDGET TO PROVIDE
THOSE FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
WE WILL MAKE
THAT WORK. WE KNOW THAT THAT’S
GOING TO BE A.
>> AND NEED AND WE’RE PREPARING
FOR THAT NOW.
I DON’T THINK ANYONE COULD HAVE
ANTICIPATED ARE
PLANNED FOR THE IMPACT ON OUR
BUDGET THAT THIS PANDEMIC
HAS HAD BUT WE WILL DO WHAT IS
NECESSARY TO KEEP OUR STUDENTS
AND OUR STAFF SAFE AND HEALTHY
DURING
THIS APP.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHAT WOULD
YOU SAY ARE THE TOP 2 QUESTIONS
THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING FROM
PARENTS AND HOW YOU ANSWER
THEM.
>> SO OUR TOP 2 QUESTIONS I
WOULD SAY OVERALL
NUMBER ONE PEOPLE STOP QUESTION
IS ABOUT THE OPTIONS AND THE
OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY
HAPPENED
OR STATEMENTS AND THE SECOND
ONE IS KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE
AND HEALTHY.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO AMONG
THOSE OPTIONS I FOUND IN MY
INTERVIEWS WITH OTHER SUPER
IT’S INTENDED AS THERE TENDS TO
BE A LITTLE BIT OF OF
CONFUSION ABOUT. SCHOOL BASED
YOU KNOW SOME SOME DISTANCE
LEARNING THAT STILL INVOLVES
FOLLOWING
THE CURRICULUM AND THEN VIRTUAL
WOULD YOU EXPLAIN TO OUR
VIEWERS WHAT THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THOSE 2.
SO THE
QUESTION WOULD YOU EXPLAIN THE
CONFUSION THAT SOME PARENTS MAY
HAVE ABOUT VIRTUAL SCHOOL AND
DISTANCE LEARNING.
I THINK ONE OF
THE CONFUSIONS.
>> MAYBE THAT EXCUSE ME WE ARE
OFFERING THEIR 2 I BRICK AND
MORTAR OR IT’S COMING BACK TO
THE SCHOOL AND THEN SECOND
OPTION IS SCHOOL BASED
VIRTUAL LEARNING. WELL NEAR THE
INSTRUCTION HAPPENING IN THE
CLASSROOM WITH SCHOOL WITH
VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION BY TEACHERS
BASED AT
THAT SCHOOL AND THE 3RD OPTION
IS NASA BERTEL SO ONE OF
THE BIGGEST CONCERNS I THINK
QUESTIONS THAT COME TO MY
FAMILY ARE.
THE FLEXIBILITY IN EITHER ONE
OF ITS PLANTS.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WHAT DO YOU
SAY TO TEACHERS WHO MAY BE IN
THAT HIGH-RISK AGE GROUP WHO
ARE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT
RETURNING
TO SCHOOL. WHAT WHAT KIND OF
ASSURANCES HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE
TO GIVE TO TEACHERS ABOUT THEIR
SAFETY.
>> WE
UNDERSTAND THEIR CONCERNS AND
QUESTIONS WE ARE
WORKING DILIGENTLY WITH THAT
NOT ONLY WITH PEOPLE WITHIN OUR
SCHOOL DISTRICT BUT AS WELL AS
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS WE HAVEN’T
MEDICAL TASK FORCE.
WE ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH TO
ENSURE THEIR SCHOOLS ARE SAFE
AND HEALTHY
AS POSSIBLE. WE ALL KNOW
SOMEONE I’M SURE HE’S BEEN
IMPACTED
BY THAT. I COULD KIND OF 19 AND
I THINK IT WILL MANY PEOPLE
HAVE TO
MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT IS
BEST FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILY
BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY. THIS IS
JUST AN
UNUSUAL TIME AND YET THIS IS A
CRITICISM THAT PREDICTABLE
SITUATION. WE ARE WORKING TO
KEEP EVERYONE AS SAFE AS
POSSIBLE AT THAT AS MANY
PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS IN
PLACE TO ENSURE THAT.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: KATHY BURNS
NASSAU COUNTY SCHOOL
SUPERINTENDENT THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME THIS MORNING THAT