Florida is starting to understand where tens of thousands of 'missing' kids have gone

A huge drop in enrollment this academic year had school districts and lawmakers concerned about tens of thousands “missing” kids and where they all went during the COVID pandemic.

But the puzzle pieces are coming together, as lawmakers work on Florida’s state budget this session.

During a Senate appropriations subcommittee on education Wednesday, Sen. Doug Broxson implied that a chunk of those kids are now better accounted for. He represents Escambia, Santa Rosa and part of Okaloosa counties.

“We know that the enrollment was down some 88,000, that’s been reduced to about 48,000,” he said, referring to the number of students expected to enroll in Florida schools during the 2020-21 school year, but did not.

Read more: https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2021/03/24/florida-is-starting-to-understand-where-tens-of-thousands-of-missing-kids-have-gone/