Hendry County schools will start the school year online

A hard decision made for the safety of your children. Hendry County schools will start the school year online until the pandemic is under control.

Hendry County Schools Superintendent Paul Puletti says he did not take this decision lightly. In fact, he feels so much responsibility for students and teachers that his decision’s personal. No one is going to die on his watch.

“My gut reaction was I do not want a decision that I make to cost somebody their life,” he said.

He says he understands students are less likely to die from COVID-19, but he says he worried about his teachers, many of whom have underlying conditions.

They were readying themselves to teach in their classrooms for the sake of the students.

“If anyone was to pass away because of this, that’s on me. And I cannot guarantee safety 100% at any given day, but there are certain things that I can mitigate, and this is one of them,” Puletti said.

He wants parents to know that no child will go hungry.

“The students will get two meals a day from us delivered out remotely to the areas or students and parents can choose to pick it up at the school through a drive-in option,” he said.

As for kids with special needs, they can still come to the school building for therapy and other services on a case-by-case basis.

A sobering fact that clearly influenced his decision — He said students going to summer school did test positive for COVID-19. He said his district, if necessary, is prepared to go to remote learning all year long.