Parents in Collier County await school reopening plans

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Collier County Public Schools. (Credit: WINK News)
Credit: WINK News

Collier County Public Schools on Wednesday will explain how they plan to safely reopen their doors in August.

Joao Mejia spends a lot of time these days at the park with his kids.

“I have a lot of fears. I mean, actually that’s the reason why they are with me at all times, you know…”

He’s afraid of his kids getting COVID-19, and said no matter what plan Collier County presents, he doesn’t want to send sixth grader Salome back to school.

“It’s so hard … so many kids, you know, we have too many students. How they will handle the situation?”

That’s one of many questions Kristine Kenniston has as well as her daughter Payton prepares for kindergarten.

“I have a lot of questions and I don’t think they may be all answered,” she said.

One big question is how much say she’ll have in her daughter’s education. Kenniston said her biggest fear is “no options. Like they either have to go to school 100 percent of the time or homeschool 100 percent of the time. I’m really looking for somewhere in the middle because homeschooling is not for us.”

Jaime Crossan-DeBres also wants her daughter Sophie back in the classroom and she has high expectations for the school district.

“I’m hoping to see options and I’m hoping to see plans, hoping to see proactive strategies because nobody has all the answers right now, and unfortunately, there is no zero risk right now.”

Until that plan is released, parents can only wonder and wait.

“All the parents that I’ve talked to…it’s like this state of apprehension,” Crossan-DeBres said.

WINK News reached out to the school district, but they said they wouldn’t answer any questions ahead of announcing their reopening plan.

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