PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Students and teachers in Pinellas County will have to wait a few extra weeks before hitting the books.

The school board on Tuesday voted to delay the start of fall classes until August 24 because of the ongoing surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.

"If things should change, then we would go back and dynamically look at the start date and then roll everything accordingly. If things do not get better or are worse, that would probably further hinder us from opening safely," said school board member Renee Flowers.

"I think our employees need to know when we're going to start school, but as we know – as you know as you stated Ms Flowers – this is a fluid environment that we live in," Superintendent Michael Grego replied.

Parents and guardians were given the option of either sending their children back to physical classrooms or selecting one of two remote learning alternatives.

The deadline for that decision was July 27.

According to the reopening plan, classrooms will be set up to maximize social distancing, and numerous other health and safety precautions that are being put in place.

Among them is a mandate requiring all students and staff members to wear masks.

The district says:

• Students and staff will receive instruction on the proper way to wear a mask or face covering.
• Masks and face coverings must adhere to standards as outlined in the student dress code.
• The student’s name must be written in permanent ink on his/her mask or face covering to avoid cross contamination
• Students or staff with a medical condition that does not allow for wearing a mask must provide medical documentation

More information on Pinellas County Schools' reopening plan can be found on the district's website.