Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) began the 2021-2022 school year with a heightened emphasison the mental health and social-emotional well-being of students.This year, M-DCPS is amplifying its Restorative Justice Practices (RJP) Check2Connect and Connection B4 Curriculum campaigns by creating opportunities for real and meaningful connections amongst teachers and their students.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is recommending that countries in the region adopt a phased approach to reopening schools for face-to-face learning in the 2021/22 academic year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BELMOPAN, Belize – Belize has shelved plans for the return of students to classrooms for face-to-face tuition for the new academic year after the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) recommended that schools at all levels begin in full distance learning mode.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has called for an international effort to guarantee secondary education for refugee children and youth, as levels of school and university enrolment remain critically low.

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Bahamas government says schools will reopen next month with no face-to-face classes due to the resurgence in the number of coronavirus (COVID019) cases.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ (M-DCPS) Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) – a free program that prepares four-year-old children for kindergarten and beyond – will be available in more than 200 schools countywide for the 2021-2022 school year. Children can register for VPK programs if they turn 4 years old on or before September 1st of the current school year. 

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Barbados government Tuesday said that all classes will be fully online when the new school term begins on September 20.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) while it has for now taken a decision that it will not mandate staff and students to be vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic, its position may change based on if the matter is legislated or pronounced upon by the Courts.

Miami, – JPMorgan Chase announced today a $500,000 grant to help launch the Multi-Organization Supports for Access, Inclusion and Completion (MOSAIC) program at Miami Dade College (MDC), designed to help Black students complete college and connect with careers and jobs in high-demand technology fields.

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Mona campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI) Friday informed students residing in the halls of residence there that they will be required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus (COVID-19) by September 3.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados –The High Court has ruled that the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) had to be properly consulted about fundamental changes to terms and conditions of members’ employment.

As we approach the start of the new school year, Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is closely monitoring the latest developments concerning the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as local conditions. Due to significantly shifting conditions in our community; the disproportionate impact that the Delta variant is having on individuals, including those who are vaccinated or have antibodies; the fact that vaccinations are not available for all ages; atypical cases involving healthy and younger individuals who have been hospitalized, as a result of COVID-19; the most recent guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics and now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), M-DCPS will once again meet and consult with local health officials in the coming days regarding the school experience in the fall, particularly as it relates to the mask policy in schools and District facilities.