Local

ALACHUA – A local group in Alachua is making life a bit easier for troops overseas and is also stepping up to help military families who can’t afford to send their own care packages to their loved one. The Military Support Group of Alachua County (MSGFAC) sends monthly care packages to deployed soldiers in combat zones to provide items they can’t find in the field to make their lives a little easier and remind them of home.

MSGFAC President Ronna Jackson explained part of the reason the groups mission is so important to the members, many of whom have family members that either served, are currently serving or are veterans themselves.

“We owe our freedom in America to these heroes that are willing to risk their lives to defend people they do not even know, but are fellow Americans,” Jackson said. “This is especially true of our current military. During the Vietnam War there was a draft where people had to serve by law. But our current troops are all volunteers, who give up their civilian life to serve their country. What we do is a small way to say thank you.”

The group sends monthly packages to service members whose names have been provided by families or friends. They typically ship 20-30 boxes a month. Boxes usually contain items that are hard to get in the field such as nonperishable food, snacks, candy, personal hygiene items, writing supplies, movie videos and clothing items such as socks and underwear.

Troops may be out in the field for several weeks with nowhere to wash clothes and often wear the socks till they wear out from multiple marches. The military has a set quota for replacements, so additional socks and underwear are appreciated. Each box also contains letters and cards from people back home thanking the soldiers and offering a pen pal to correspond with.

Supplies for the packages come both from donations of cash or goods and from funds the group raises from special events they host. Members of the group are assigned items to purchase with one person getting snacks, another toiletries and hygiene items while another will get writing supplies or videos. The group meets once a month over a pot luck dinner supplied by members to load the boxes for shipping.

The whole process changed when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. In person group meetings stopped. Many of the members were older and concerns of spreading the potentially lethal virus put the group’s health concerns a priority. In April and May, the MSGFAC was unable to ship any boxes. For much of that time mail service was limited to necessary items and the packages were not considered essential.

“It really was a hard time emotionally, as we had to stop sending anything to the troops, especially since this was a trying time for the deployed troops concerned about their families back home as the virus spread,” Jackson said. “We decided we had to find a way to do this safely and get back on track, so we started up again in June.”

The process changed to adapt to social distancing. Instead of a whole group gathering over a meal to load the boxes, each member put together a box and brought the completed package to the First United Methodist Church in Alachua. Several members volunteered to put the packages into cars on a no-contact drive-through basis on a designated evening. Members picking up the packages shipped on their own.

But the pandemic had also shortened the list of soldiers they were shipping to, and at the July 2 distribution, there were only 16 packages to send. While group numbers went down, some members had specific soldiers they had been sending to, so they sent packages individually.

“One of our concerns is that with the high unemployment and financial difficulties the pandemic has caused will limit the ability of families to send on their own. Many families who were not part of our group were sending their own packages to their family members who were deployed, but could no longer afford to do so,” Jackson said.

“We want to help those families. Their resources may now be limited but our group has the funds, but we need the names and addresses of these soldiers so we can send them packages,” Jackson said. “Anyone who is having financial difficulties and has a soldier deployed can contact us and we will send a package for them each month.”

While the MSGFAC is limiting direct contact meetings currently, the group is open to anyone who would like to help support the troops, either as a volunteer or for donations. They can be contacted through their website at msgfac.com.

Families with deployed troops who are having financial difficulties due to loss of income can email the group at their website with the name and address of their soldier. The group will make sure that the soldiers get a monthly package.

“For the soldiers deployed in combat areas, these packages are important,” Jackson said. “They give them a sense of home and lets then know that we care and appreciate their service.”

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Santa Fe College Releases Levels of Operation Plan for the Fall Term

GAINESVILLE – Santa Fe College released a five-level plan for the phased in return to onsite instruction and student services. The college has been using a deliberate phased-in approach to returning faculty and staff since moving all operations online in mid-March.

Although the plan could change, based on CDC recommendations as well as guidance from the Florida Department of Health and local health officials, the college plans to open at Level 3 for the fall term. Level three would mean approximately 75 percent of courses would be offered online, leaving on-campus instruction to programs that require hands-on instruction including Career and Technical Education programs, science labs and programs approved by the provost.

Student services would be available both online and onsite, college facilities will be open with enhanced cleaning to reduce community transmission, and students, faculty and staff who will be on campus will be required to wear a cloth face covering.

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GAINESVILLE ‒ The School Board of Alachua County will be holding a special meeting/workshop on Wednesday, July 15 at 4 p.m. to vote on and discuss items related to the reopening of schools.

Superintendent Karen Clarke will be bringing forward two recommendations for a Board vote. They include a requirement that all students and staff wear masks at schools and on school buses, with some exemptions based on age and medical condition.

“We’ve heard from many families that they would feel more comfortable with a return to brick-and-mortal schools if masks were required,” said Superintendent Karen Clarke. “We’ve developed a draft policy that has been reviewed and approved by the Alachua County Health Department.”

The second recommendation is a delay of the start of the school year for students until Aug. 24. Currently the first day of school for students is scheduled for Aug. 10.

Last week Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran issued an emergency order requiring all public schools open in person for all students beginning in August. Districts that also want to offer an ‘innovative alternative,’ such as ACPS’ Digital Academy, must submit their plan to the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) by July 31. The plan must meet new state requirements and include an estimate of the number of families who plan to choose an online option for their students.

“In light of these new requirements and all the planning and preparation that will need to be done, including staff training, we think it’s best to delay the return of students until the 24^th,” said Clarke.

The later start date for students would also mean a later return to work day for teachers and other 10-month staff, although that schedule and its impact on employees will have to be discussed with the Alachua County Education Association, which represents the district’s teachers and educational support professionals.

During the meeting/workshop, which will be conducted online, district staff will be presenting additional information to the Board about the reopening of schools, particularly the three instructional options the district is offering families—the traditional, in-person option mandated by the state and two online options, including the Digital Academy and the Alachua eSchool.

More details all three options, an FAQ and the option form families are asked to complete by 11:59 p.m. July 19 are available on the district’s Choose Your School Option website at: https://fl02219191.schoolwires.net/Page/29815

Citizens can review the agenda for the meeting, which includes instructions for watching on YouTube and providing input, at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1srkwn3I1opSvQMIvs0wiTjraAas0zXki/view

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GAINESVILLE – Santa Fe College will be hosting a “Fall Focus for Families” virtual event Thursday, July 16, 2020, starting at 3 p.m. This event will cover information about the upcoming Fall semester and what resources are available for students, parents and family members.

Santa Fe College is aware of the growing concerns that parents and family members face surrounding the upcoming semester. SF invites all parents and family members to join this free virtual event that will cover information about the Fall semester, resources for parents and family members, and will highlight student services. Parents, family members, and students are to register online at bit.ly/fallfocus.

“We are looking forward to previewing the fall semester to those who will join our SF family in the fall during this event,” said Corry Moore. “Please register in advance at bit.ly/fallfocus, let me know if you have any question.”

The event will begin with an introduction from SF’s Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Naima Brown, followed by information on how the college will hold classes and practice safe physical distancing. Attendees will also learn about academic advising, the Learning Commons, which offers free online tutoring and academic coaching, and financial aid and other ways to pay for college. There will also be breakout discussions for students, for families, and the event will conclude with a panel to address remaining questions among participants. 

For more information, contact Corry Moore at corry.moore@sfcollege.edu.

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GAINESVILLE – The University of Florida on July 10, 2020 released its updated Reopening Plan for the fall semester, which lays out how the university will move forward amid the ongoing pandemic. The Our Plan Forward is a comprehensive guide for students, faculty, staff and community on what the fall semester will entail.

Classes begin Aug. 31, final exams will be completed by Dec. 18, and instructors are encouraged to allow course and exam completion remotely after Thanksgiving break.

Students who registered for fall classes in February will not be required to re-register, although they may need to adjust their schedule in cases where classes have been divided into additional sections to allow for physical distancing.

Class offerings in the fall include some in-person classes that will be smaller to allow for physical distancing.  Some classes will be held outdoors.  There will be more online classes, and some will be hybrids of both in-person and online.  Students who prefer to stay online for the fall semester who can do so while staying on track to graduate on time, are encouraged to configure their schedules accordingly. 

Across all undergraduate, graduate and professional courses, 35 percent of the sections are scheduled to be held in face-to-face or hybrid modes. An additional 35 percent of the sections are scheduled to be delivered in a synchronous, online format where students will be engaging with the instructor and course activities at a prescribed time over the internet.  If the incidence of coronavirus improves during the Fall term, these courses could become face-to-face courses simply by assigning a meeting room. 

Residence halls and dining facilities will be open with modifications that promote necessary physical distancing and other safety measures in alignment with UF Health recommendations.  It is expected that most of the facilities students rely on to be open, including the Southwest Recreation Center, the Libraries, the Reitz Union, and Newell Hall. 

Campus residences will operate with a reduced capacity and will adjust occupancy within some rooms to promote safety. Triple rooms will no longer be available. Masks will not be required within a student’s own room as roommates in residence halls will be treated as a single household. However, face coverings are required in common areas, hallways and outside of rooms where physical distancing may be difficult to maintain.

Campus traditions as well as extracurricular and co-curricular activities will continue to the greatest extent possible, although many will occur in modified fashion.

The entire campus community is expected to continue the standard practices of wearing face coverings – required in all UF facilities – physical distancing, handwashing and staying home when you feel sick. UF also will be expanding enhanced cleaning and safety protocols in residence halls, dining facilities and classrooms with the arrival of the fall semester.

UF has put in place the UF Health Screen, Test & Protect program, which was launched in early May to return faculty, staff and students to campus at no cost to individuals. Every student will receive a letter outlining the screening process.  All students are required to complete a mandatory COVID-19 screening questionnaire. Students also will have access to COVID-19 testing.  

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ALACHUA COUNTY – Alachua County Public Schools has sent emails, phone messages and texts to all families with information about their educational options for the fall of 2020 and a request that they select an option by July 19.

The district plans to offer families three options for educating their children when school reopens. They include the traditional, in-person, five-days-a-week model mandated by the state of Florida and two online options, including the Alachua Digital Academy and Alachua eSchool.

The Digital Academy will be online but will follow the regular school day schedule with live instruction provided by the student’s assigned teachers. This option will have to be approved by the Florida Department of Education and meet FDOE requirements.

Alachua eSchool has been in operation for nearly a decade and currently serves more than 3000 full- and part-time students. This is a much more student-directed option than the Digital Academy, with more flexibility in terms of the schedule, pace and learning style.

More information about all three options and the option form are available on the district’s Choose Your School Option website at https://www.sbac.edu/Page/29815. The site, including the option form, is mobile-friendly. It also includes a Frequently Asked Questions document with more information about the options and the reopening of schools.

The deadline to submit the option form is July 19 at 11:59 p.m. This will allow the district to plan for the reopening of schools and to meet a new state mandate.

Families are being asked to commit to their choice for the first nine weeks of school, although schools will work with families if they need to make a change. If a family does not select an option, the child will be placed in the traditional, in-person option.

A special meeting of the School Board about the reopening of schools is being scheduled for July 15. It is expected that the board will vote on some key issues at that meeting, including a policy on making masks mandatory and a later start date. The calendar approved by the School Board in February has an Aug. 10 start date for students.

On Monday, the Florida Department of Education issued an order requiring all public schools to offer in-person instruction five days a week beginning in August. That order and subsequent communications from the state also require all districts to submit their plans for reopening schools by July 31, using a template provided on Wednesday. Those plans will have to be approved by the state, which will be reviewing them based on when they are submitted. The plans must include an estimate of the number of students who will be learning online.

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