John Legg: Education will never be the same again; that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Undoubtedly, March 2020 will go down in history as the month that changed education.

Many tears have been shed over the abrupt closing of every school in Florida at least until April 30. However, by now, every educator in Florida knows what is unspoken — we are not physically going back to school this year.

Eight other states have already publicly announced this reality.

Overnight, the lives of over 2.8 million schoolchildren and their families were changed forever. Yet Florida educators quickly sprang into action and refused to shut down learning. School administrators and teachers worked tirelessly over their spring break to deploy distance learning to every single learner in Florida.

Although Florida educators refused to give up on their students, sadly, this is not the case everywhere. Some states have forgone the opportunity to do distance learning; this is indeed a tragedy on many levels.

The State of Florida’s school districts were, perhaps, the most prepared for distance learning. Last week, all 67 counties transitioned to distance learning.

Moreover, Florida Virtual School (FLVS) is regarded as a national educational model for online learning.

Just last week, the State of Alaska deployed the FLVS platform to all its students during the COVID-19 crisis. This is not by accident but by design, as Florida has a history of distance learning.

Since 2014, the Florida Legislature has funded its school districts with close to $200 million in a budgeted line item called Digital Classrooms. To be eligible for Digital Classroom funds, school districts and charter schools must submit a digital classroom plan outlining four critical uses:

1) digital devices,

2) digital curriculum integration,

3) professional development, and

4) increasing digital infrastructure.

These are not one-year funds but are reoccurring funds representing a multilayered strategy to assist educators in preparing for digital classroom instruction.

These funds, as we now can see, have paid huge dividends during this crisis.

When students return this August, God-willing, there is little doubt that they will witness a different education system.

As a result of developing needed innovative teaching methods, the education system has forever been changed. Families and teachers have been suddenly experiencing a new way of teaching and learning. New tools, techniques, and innovations have been and will continue to be discovered, used and experienced. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Many schools are seizing the opportunity to incorporate 21st-century skills as they create new instructional models that are rigorous, interactive, and dynamic with live interaction via Zoom, Google Hangouts/Classroom, Schoology and other digital tools.

Others, unfortunately, might choose to settle with a few e-worksheets and prerecorded videos to sustain their students’ interest until the school year ends.

By the end of this crisis, families and teachers will see firsthand that education can occur outside a traditional school classroom and that learning can take place using unique methods and mediums.

Moreover, families and teachers will no longer tolerate bureaucratic excuses for not incorporating these new skills and learning methods into every student’s education plan.

County boundaries and laws that have prevented educational choices based on geography will no longer be acceptable — especially given that Alaskan students can learn on the FLVS platform.

There is no question that education has changed forever, and as an educator and parent, I am grateful for that change.

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John Legg, Ed.D. has been a school administrator and classroom teacher in Pasco County for over 15 years. He served as Chairman of the Senate K-12 from 2012-2016, Speaker Pro-Tempore of the Florida House of Representatives from 2010-2012, and Chairman of the House K-12 from 2008-2010. John holds a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Program Development and Sustainable Educational Innovation.