Lee County students have until Oct. 16 to switch mode of learning

Lee County parents have until 5 p.m. on Oct. 16 to change the way their children are learning, but they may face changes like a switch in teachers and an altered schedule.

The Lee County school district says it has had more than 2,500 requests to return to classrooms face-to-face and almost 100 requests to switch to online learning. There are currently around 43,562 face-to-face students enrolled compared to 35,066 with Lee Home Connect.

For those looking to make the switch, the application is easy to fill out. All you need is your child’s name, student ID, grade and which model you plan to switch your child to.

This is only for Lee Home Connect and face-to-face students. Children enrolled in Lee Virtual School won’t be able to switch until January 2021.

While the majority of parents WINK News spoke to were sticking with their initial choice, some have already opted to make the switch. Local parent Jennie Gutierrez says she’s switching because her kids need some normalcy, but it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have concerns.

“School’s hard on Home Connect; we’re going back face-to-face because they’re having trouble connecting and staying connected,” Gutierrez said. “I’m worried that they’re going to end up getting sick, but at this point the isolation being at home is more detrimental than the chance of catching COVID[-19].”

“Too many distractions, too many issues with the technology, too many issues with trying to get whatever work they have to get done… either receive the work or submit the work, and then obviously getting the credit back after the fact,” said local mom Colleen Cruikshank.

Lee County Schools emphasizes that those planning on making a switch for this upcoming quarter must have their forms filled out by the Oct. 16 deadline, as the opportunity to switch during the next quarter will be limited.