Schools
Hillsborough School District Answers Parents' Questions
The school district is answering the many questions posed by parents about the school closures due to the coronavirus outbreak.
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — With the help of the Hillsborough County School District, Patch is attempting to answer the many questions posed by parents about the school closures due to the coronavirus outbreak:
Q: When will eLearning begin?
A: This week, March 23-27, is "Set Up for Success Week" during which teachers and parents can get comfortable with eLearning, finalize lesson plans and get access to devices and computers. Classwork during Set Up for Success week will not be graded. Graded work and full eLearning will begin statewide on Monday, March 30.
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Q: I don't have Internet access at my home. What should I do?
A: Through a partnership with Spectrum, the school district is providing free Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with children in kindergarten through 12th grade and college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. Installation fees will be waived for new student households.
Find out what's happening in Tampafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Comcast is also offering its Internet Essentials service. If you are not a customer and have questions about applying for Internet Essentials, call 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376). You must live in an area where Comcast Internet service is available. You can check by entering your address on the Comcast website. If you are eligible for Internet Essentials, apply by April 30. If you are approved, you will automatically receive the two-month free promotion for households with students and teachers requiring remote education. After the promotion, regular rates apply unless you cancel your service. Internet Essentials' current rate is $9.95 per month plus tax unless you disconnect your service.
Q: What if these providers don't service my area?
Spectrum is also opening up its Wi-Fi hotspots for free across the county. To find out where the nearest hotspot is located near your home, click here.
Q: What if we don't have a computer in our home?
A: School and district staff have used surveys and phone calls to determine which students need access to a device. Now those parents will be given an appointment starting on Wednesday, March 25, to check out the device at their child’s school.
Principals created a rotating schedule for device checkout between Wednesday and Friday to ensure social distancing and to maintain an orderly pickup. Families are being notified of their scheduled pickup times by their schools. Families are also being given an alternate time if they are unable to come at their assigned time.
Parents must bring a photo ID and will need to know their child’s student number (which is the same as their lunch number). The schools will have an assigned drive-through area for device pickup and will gather any necessary information from parents. A parent or guardian must be present to check out the device.
Families must have a pickup time scheduled by their school in advance to receive a device—unscheduled walk-ups will not be allowed.
The district has roughly 51,000 devices available to be loaned out to students for eLearning. At this time, families with multiple children will be provided one device, so the district can ensure that at least every household that needs a device can check one out.
Any families that still need a device should contact their school if they have not heard from their child’s school by noon on Thursday to set up an appointment for Friday.
Q: I've heard my student's grades don't count this quarter. Is that true?
A: Your student will still receive grades for the third nine weeks (quarter), which just ended and the fourth quarter (nine weeks), which now starts March 30. Your child's school, however, will not receive an overall "school grade" (where Jones Elementary is rated as an A school or a B school, for example) by the state because Gov. Ron DeSantis has canceled state testing. So, student grades will still count, but the state's "school grades" will not be measured.
Q: How do I access the eLearning lessons?
A: The district will begin online learning Monday. Every student will have access to eLearning through the online learning tools Edsby and Clever. Click here for instructions on logging on to these sites: Accessing Edsby and Clever
Q: How will graduation be impacted?
A: The Florida Department of Education is still discussing plans for high school graduations. Currently, the schedule still stands for graduation. The school district will keep everyone updated if there are any changes.
Q: What about prom and other graduation activities?
A: Some high schools have already rescheduled proms for a date after the schools reopen on April 15. If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extends the period needed for isolation, prom and other graduation activities may need to be canceled.
Q: How will this affect the testing schedule, accountability and promotion?
A: All remaining assessments for school readiness, voluntary prekindergarten and K-12 assessments are canceled for the 2019-20 school year. Requirements for graduation and promotion, and final course grades will be evaluated as though those assessments which were canceled did not exist. K-12 school grades will not be calculated for 2019-20 and schools in turnaround may continue their current status for 2020-21 to avoid disruption to school leadership and operations. Eligibility for Florida Bright Futures scholarships will be based on available data and results. Tests that were not available to be taken will not be counted.
Q: What if I have a senior graduating this year?
A: The Florida Department of Education will be waiving all graduation requirements related to seniors who are projected to graduate this spring who have not met the requirements for Algebra I (End of Course) or English Language Arts FSA or received a consistent score. Students must finish the spring semester and meet all other requirements.
Q: What about sports, band competitions and other extracurricular activities?
A: The Florida Department of Education urges adherence to the CDC’s guidance for higher-risk populations by cancelling any mass gatherings, community events and extracurricular activities, including sports of more than 10 people in a single occupied space at any educational program, school readiness, voluntary prekindergarten, public and private K-12, career and technical centers, and public and private colleges and universities.
All extracurricular activities including before and after school programs have been canceled until future notice. If anything changes, the school district will send information to parents.
Q: I have to work. What do I do with my children are at home when there are no camps or other daycare alternatives?
The school district is seeking child-care alternatives for parents who must work and will updateparents about resources in the community as they are made available.
Patch will continue to add to this list of questions and answers in response to posts from parents.See related stories:
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