Miami-Dade

High School Grads Get Laptops While District Debates Future of In-Person Classes

Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert will be handing out 165 laptop computers at City Hall to the class of 2020 from Miami Northwestern High School

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Some high school graduates got quite a present from one Miami-Dade city as officials from that county’s school district work to determine what the future of in-person classes might look like.

Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert handed out 165 laptop computers at City Hall to members of the class of 2020 from Miami Northwestern High School on Thursday, just days after doing the same for some graduates of Miami Norland High School and Miami Carol City High School.

The city has given laptop computers to graduates of the schools for the last 12 years, adding this year’s event is special due to the school closures that came in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Students were handed the laptops as they drove through, not being allowed to get out of their cars during events.

We’re seeing a variety of celebrations as schools are pulling out the stops to honor the class of 2020. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing a lot of creative thinking about what schools will look like in the fall. NBC 6's Ari Odzer gives us a closer look.

Miami-Dade Schools superintendent Alberto Carvalho has said the school district is working to figure out how classes would run during the 2020-21 year, adding space could be an issue when it comes to following social distancing guidelines.

Carvalho said the district is looking into alternating days for students to come onto campus while having them do distance learning the other days.

“They would switch. The 10 (students) who were physically in the classroom would now be at home, connected via Zoom, and the 10 who were home would now be in school,” he said earlier in the week.

Parents and teachers from across the district will be surveyed in the coming weeks to get their input on what the upcoming school year may look like.

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