Florida school district's back-to-school video is being called 'apocalyptic' and 'sad'

The ongoing pandemic has drastically changed our day-to-day routines, and countries around the globe are currently working to come up with solutions so that life can go back to some semblance of normality.

Now, the Manatee County School District in Florida has come under fire for its back-to-school video which has been ridiculed and mocked on social media after a parent from a nearby town shared the video to TikTok.

In her video, Tiffany Jenkins, a mother of three children, described the video as "apocalyptic" and like "an M. Night Shyamalan movie."

The video, which was posted to the county's Facebook page, features teachers in shields, masks, and lab coats, students in masks, and the methods that will be used to socially distance children at break and lunch.

Watch the video below: 

[[tiktokwidget||https://www.tiktok.com/@jugglingthejenkins/video/6852342779322977541]]

Erica Howard, 30, who has three young children, said: "The fact they expect this to happen - expecting kids to sit at tables away from each other, having fields between them, especially preschoolers and kindergarteners ... I didn't think it was realistic."

"Schools need to open for parents who have to work and can't be with their kids during the day but what they're projecting is unrealistic," she added.

In an interview with BuzzFeed News, Jenkins, who posted the TikTok, said that she saw a number of other parents reposting the video to social media and complaining.

Jenkins' children attend a different school in a nearby school district.

"It made me sad how different the experience would be," Jenkins said about watching it. "It feels like a punishment for the kids. That makes me sad. The kids are kids. The idea that they have to focus on distancing, or to keep their masks on to be so far from their friends, it's heartbreaking."

The school district's website states that parents have three reopening options: five days a week of in-person learning, a five-day hybrid of learning at school and at home, and five days of virtual classes.

These are the enrollment numbers for the options offered:

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Howard said schools have a scheduled reopening date of August 18, but specific details like class sizes have not yet been revealed to parents.

"They said what they will do with lunchtime is all the grade levels will be eating lunch, but will it be staggered? Are they going to have a shorter amount of time to eat?" she asked.

Howard said she is now concerned that teachers will have to "spend their whole time disciplining kids about keeping their masks on and disciplining them about keeping their distance, and less time on learning."

Needless to say, the video provoked an equally strong reaction from people on social media too.

One Twitter user wrote: "This video from the Manatee County School District is... something. The masks, the distancing, the incredible lifelessness of the whole ordeal. People cite kids' mental health as a reason to go back to in-person schooling, but this doesn't look healthy."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Adriana_Edu/status/1289047454604824577]]

A second added: "Can't wait to send my kid to medical prison."

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/daveanthony/status/1289105044256694272]]

A third wrote: "This is a fantasy land nightmare of impossible proportions and lethal stakes. Nothing about this video is real or reassuring in the least. It's not my district, but it doesn't matter. This place is risking kids and teachers with a terrible plan."

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Howard and Jenkins, however, admitted that because of how unprecedented the situation is, it is difficult for schools to know what the right course of action is.

"I've been so confused on what to do and what is right," said Howard. "It's the hardest decision as a parent right now. No matter what you do, you don't want to desensitize the virus and who's at risk, but you don't want to neglect your child's emotional health either."

What do you think of the future of our schools? Let us know in the comments section...