MANY PRIVATE SCHOOLS - AND SOME CHARTERS - WILL RETURN TO BUILDINGS IN THE FALL 

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL
By SCOTT TRAVIS|AUG 01, 2020

Parents hoping to send their children to an actual school campus this fall may have to shell out money for a private school.
Despite pressure from the state and federal governments to open their campuses for the new year, most South Florida public schools plan to start off online only due to the continued surge of COVID-19 cases and deaths in South Florida. A few charter schools plan to offer in-person instruction, but most say they will begin online until conditions improve. READ MORE

Florida 2020 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday August 7-9 

Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) encourages parents to plan ahead to take advantage of back-to-school shopping tax breaks. 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (July 30, 2020) – Florida’s 2020 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is slated for next weekend, from Friday, Aug. 7 to Sunday, Aug. 9.  The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) encourages parents and students to plan ahead for the purchase of tax-free items, in order to take maximum advantage of the sales tax holiday. 

Qualifying items are exempt from tax during the sales tax holiday.  They include certain school supplies selling for $15 or less, per item, as well as clothing, footwear and certain accessories selling for $60 or less, per item. 

Also tax free this year is the first $1,000 of the sales price of personal computers and certain computer-related accessories purchased for noncommercial home or personal use. 

“It’s not completely clear how COVID-19 will impact the 2020/2021 school year, but parents may want to consider buying school supplies to help them with various options,” said Robert Haag, President of FCPCS.  “For instance, purchasing computer equipment during the sales tax holiday could save them significant dollars.” 

For more information and a list of qualifying items, parents and students may want to review the Florida Department of Revenue’s Tax Information Publication on the 2020 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday.  It also includes answers to frequently asked questions. 

About the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools 

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools (FCPCS) is the leading charter school membership association in the state, with a membership of nearly 75 percent of all operating charter schools.  Since its inception in 1999, FCPCS has been dedicated to creating a national model of high quality, accredited public charter schools that are student-centered and performance-driven.  FCPCS provides a wide array of technical support, mentoring, training, networking, and purchasing services to its membership, as well as serving as an advocate for all Florida public charter schools. 

PEDIATRICIANS URGE CAUTION, PRECAUTION IN SCHOOL REOPENINGS

From FLAPOL

By A.G. Gancarskion   July 29, 2020

The Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics has sent the Governor an 11-page White Paper dealing with some issues with school reopening... READ MORE

NEW CDC GUIDELINES FAVOR REOPENING SCHOOLS. HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 

From Miami Herald

BY SUMMER LIN
JULY 24, 2020 10:36 AM , UPDATED JULY 24, 2020 12:54 PM

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines on Thursday favoring reopening schools. President Trump has pushed heavily for reopening schools, but acknowledged on Thursday that some may need to delay reopening. READ MORE