COVID-19 and school

As the DeSantis and Biden administrations feud over a reported change in state policy on ordering and distribution, Moderna and Pfizer vaccines begin going into tinier arms this week.

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for kids from 6 months to 5 years old expected as early as next week, Florida is in the national spotlight. It was the only state not to request the vaccine from the federal government.

The emergency authorization paves the way for vaccinations for children under 5 to begin next week. A final signoff from the CDC is expected this weekend.

The state did not preorder supplies of the vaccine for young children from the federal government by a Tuesday deadline.

The release comes as new data reveals just 53 percent of Florida's third-graders passed the state’s reading test.

Here's how these students navigated the challenges of COVID-19 to reach the graduation stage.

The program launched in 2017 and was initially set to expire in June 2020. After extending into this school year because of COVID-19 restrictions, the pilot program will receive another extension and continue next year.

Kids were already facing a mental health crisis before the pandemic. Closing schools for a year only made it worse, says Rachel Kusher of the Florida School Counselor Association. And reopening hasn’t fixed all the harm.

He says the funds will help close achievement gaps and boost student resiliency, especially after pandemic slowdowns.

The governor says initiatives will include reading coaches, STEM and math acceleration programs, parent mentorship training and mental health resources.

Children with underlying health conditions should consider taking the vaccine and parents "are encouraged to discuss the risks and benefits" with their doctor.

Instead of shifting away money from 12 districts that required masks, legislation would set up a $200 million reserve fund from which the 55 counties that followed state directives would be rewarded.