On July 6, 2020, The Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education, Richard Corcoran, issued DOE Order No. 2020-EO-06, an Emergency Order the purpose of which was to accomplish the goals of reopening all K-12 schools within the State of Florida, including charter schools, with an offering of full services, suspending reopening requirements as necessary to ensure financial continuity of the educational process, retaining high quality school choices for Florida students and families and maintaining all services that are legally required for all students. The Emergency Order set forth the requirements which must be met in reopening the schools, the required services to be offered and the means to determine the progress of students. In order to receive the benefits of flexibility and financial continuity, each school district was tasked with drafting a comprehensive reopening plan which must be submitted to the Florida Department of Education by July 31, 2020. The attached 2020-2021 Clay County District Schools Smart Restart School Reopening Plan is such a plan. Because it meets the definition of a “Rule” it must be approved by the School Board prior to implementation and submission to the FDOE for approval. There is insufficient time to comply with the full adoption process required by Sec. 120.54, Fla. Statutes. Failure to comply with the Commissioners Emergency Order will likely result in loss of funding to the District; such a loss is a threat to and therefore creates an immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare of students, employees and the general public. The normal process of adoption of policy to meet the threat is too slow to meet the threat. Declaration of an emergency and passage of an emergency policy, to wit: The Reopening Plan to meet the threat while policy is being passed through normal channels, is needed.

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Approval of this item will allow the School Board and the Superintendent to submit the approved plan to the FDOE and, if approved by the FDOE, allow the district to move forward with reopening the Clay County schools pursuant to the plan guidelines and to take advantage of the flexibility offered by the FDOE in setting opening/closing dates, establishing a school schedule which, though not meeting the statutory day/hour equivalent teaching requirement and waiver of certain reporting requirements, while still qualifying for financial continuity which will support the school district's multiple programs from which parents may make selections to educate their children.  In the meantime, the Reopening Plan will be advertised, submitted to the public for comment and to the Board for public hearing and consideration in the manner contemplated by the Administrative Procedures Act.

Provide FAPE to all students of the free public schools operated by the School Board of Clay County, Florida

Approve and adopt the Memorandum supporting the declaration of an emergency and approve the emergency adoption/implementation The 2020-2021 Clay County District Schools Smart Restart School Reopening Plan as submitted.