FEA’s Safe Schools Report: 2021-22

Florida’s teachers and education staff professionals have done their very best to keep students safe and learning — under what were often incredibly difficult circumstances — since the Covid pandemic first affected public schools in March 2020. When school campuses closed that spring, teachers and staff turned on a dime to take education online, keep kids fed and provide needed services to children and families. When our campuses reopened in fall 2020, teachers and staff pivoted again, finding ways to keep students learning even as infections surged.

Our educators’ successes during this trial by fire are particularly remarkable given the circumstances that existed when Covid arrived. Florida’s public schools already were struggling with a raft of issues — severe shortages of teachers and staff, an over-reliance on high-stakes standardized testing that stole away time for genuine teaching and learning, overcrowded classrooms, failing infrastructure and defunct air conditioning, the diversion of resources to unaccountable private and religious schools.

Covid exacerbated some existing problems, such as our staffing shortages. Since March 2020, pandemic-caused disruptions and illness have taken a terrible toll on students, teachers, education staff and schools.

This webpage gathers data on how Covid has affected the current school year. Click here to jump to the data. Statistics regarding the 2020-2021 school year have been archived.

The Covid vaccines now offer a path past the pandemic for our communities and schools, and the Florida Education Association urges anyone who is eligible to be vaccinated. Even as infections decline, however, our students and schools still need help — and they need assistance more acutely than before the coronavirus arrived.

We ask that you join with us in pushing for change during Florida’s 2022 legislative session, when state lawmakers will have the opportunity to truly improve educators’ ability to help students learn and thrive. The session begins Jan. 11. Click here to read about the changes we’re seeking.

Please join us also in asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to turn aside from punishing schools and districts because, after all, who he is really hurting is kids. Email Gov. DeSantis today to ask him to release the federal Covid relief funds he is withholding from our schools, and to allow local districts to make decisions regarding the safety of their communities’ students — without state retaliation.

Our students deserve strong public schools. Help us push past the pandemic and toward a brighter future for Florida’s children.