Gov. DeSantis warns of widening academic gap, stresses its ‘lifetime effects’ on students

Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the academic gap among students Friday and doubled-down on his belief that parents deserve the right to choose the best medium of education for their children.

Speaking to media during a press conference in Apopka, DeSantis defended his hotly contested decision to reopen Florida public schools in August.

“As good as Florida’s system is compared to other states in the country, the distance learning is not the same,” DeSantis said. “There is an academic gap that has developed.”

Florida schools were ordered to abruptly close in March as the COVID-19 pandemic began its grip on the state. Since then, Florida’s schools have defaulted to remote learning as the primary means of instruction.

And while the state’s seemingly overnight transition to remote learning sustained itself through the conclusion of the school year, DeSantis argued that online instruction can disproportionately impact younger students and even cause harm later in a student’s life.

“I think one of the things that we’re really concerned about is some of the learning gaps that will develop in the K-5,” DeSantis said. “When you’re doing that, when you’re falling behind in reading especially, that can have a lifetime effect.”

The Governor also reiterated his belief that parents, rather than the state, should decide which means of learning is best for their children.

“My overriding principle is that parents should have options,” DeSantis said. “If they choose distance learning because they’re not comfortable in school settings then that’s for them. If they are a parent and really would want to have some in-person instruction, I think school districts should do whatever they can to provide that, particularly for our very young students.”

Since the onset of the pandemic, DeSantis has maintained a triage-like approach to managing the spread of COVID-19 and has often allowed local government to take the lead in respective decision-making.

In the case of education, the reopening order leaves the final decision to parents.

“You’ve got to be sensitive to the different communities and what they’re dealing with,” DeSantis said, citing Florida’s diverse population and circumstances.

When asked if he would consider a state-funded testing lane for school staff such as teachers and bus drivers, DeSantis said he was open-minded but skeptical of its effectiveness.

“There’s a limited utility in testing healthy people,” DeSantis said.

He also questioned the effectiveness of providing regular tests to students.

“I’m definitely not one that thinks that every student has to be tested every week or anything like that,” DeSantis said. “One, I think functionally, it wouldn’t work.”

The Governor instead suggested isolation and contact tracing as a more plausible option for school districts.