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CENTRAL FLORIDA COUNTY IS DOING TO MAKE SURE KIDS ARE SAFE -- CLASSROOMS ARE SAFE WHEN KIDS RETURN. HADAS: WITH CLASSES AND HALLWAYS EMPTY AT WETHERBEE ELEMENTARY, A CRUCIAL THING ACROSS ORANGE COUNTY’S NEARLY 200 SCHOOLS -- DISINFECT. >> IT IS A LOT OF SPACE, WE ARE STAFFED ACCORDING TO SQUARE FOOTAGE AND EVERY PERSON HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SQUARE FOOTAGE TO CLEAN. HADA CORONAVIRUS, MAKING SURE THE TALL TASK OF KEEPING THE SCHOOLS SAFE. >> WHAT WE ARE USING IS AN ELECTROSTATIC SPRAYER, DESIGNED TO GO OUT AND DOES NOT JUST HIT THE TOP OF THE SURFACE, IT COVERS IT. THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF AN AREA. >> THEY ALSO SEAL UP A SCHOOL ONCE IT IS DONE AND MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE GOES IN OR OUT. THERE ARE ALREADY -- THEY ARE ALREADY ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE LIST. TEACHERS ARE SET TO COME BACK TO SCHOOLS NEXT WEEK TO IRON OUT THE PLANS FOR DISTANCE LEARNING. >> IT WILL CREATE A CHALLENGE, BUT WE ARE DOCUMENTING, AND THE SCHOOLS ARE OPENING, AND WE ARE TRACING ANY ROUTES GOING IN, MINIMIZING MOVEMENT SO WE CAN MAKE SURE WE PROPERLY DISINFECT THAT AREA. HADAS: THE DISTRICT SAYS THEY ARE WORKING ON WHAT EXACT GUIDELINES THEY WILL FOLLOW.

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Gov. Ron DeSantis announced all K-12 required testing and grading in Florida will be canceled for the rest of the school year.“All remaining testing for school readiness, voluntary pre-K and K-12 will be canceled for the school year,” DeSantis said. “Requirements for graduation and promotion and final course grades will be evaluated as though those assessments did not exist.” Grades for the rest of the 2019-2020 school year will not be calculated, and parents will be able to choose if they wish to keep their children in the same grade for the 2021 school year, the governor announced.Florida's K-12 schools will remain closed until April 15, Florida's education commissioner announced.Officials said schools should be prepared to continue their educational calendars through June 30, 2020.Additionally, public state college and university and private college and university campuses and buildings will remain closed for the rest of the spring semester.Officials are encouraging colleges and universities to work virtually or through non-classroom based means. Any unspent funds from the school year will be used to help low-income families receive internet services and get digital devices to help online learning.Instructional hours may also be reduced to accommodate for closures. All school readiness programs, voluntary pre-K, public K-12, career and technical programs and state college programs will be fully funded as if there was no disruption."The containment of COVID-19 is essential, and this is not a decision we made lightly. Districts have taken action and have instituted distance learning as a necessary precaution to protect students, educators, families, and Florida's overall public health," Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said.Exam fees for teacher certification-related exams will be waived for the next 120 days. Those who are not able to take an exam because of a test site closing will be given an extension to meet the requirements they need.Meanwhile, Orange County schools are being thoroughly disinfected. Special tools are being used to get the job done, so that teachers can return next week to iron out their plans for distance learning.