A Message from the Superintendent
Dear Staff and Families:
At Thursday night’s Board meeting, during the discussion of plans for offering in-person instruction, several revised plans and timelines were discussed. These new plans address both the rising COVID numbers in our area and feedback from the Board and community that they would like to maintain the structure and success of our virtual model, especially at Buford and CHS (where a hybrid model had initially been proposed). These revised plans are also informed by community input from families who would be willing to remain online if it would enable the schools to safely offer in-person instruction for those who most need it.
Briefly, the updated plans call for:
- A return to in-person instruction for those preK-grade 2 students who selected it, with a tentative return date of January 19.
- A return to in-person instruction would be offered for students in grades 3-12 who are most in need (for example, ESL students, special education students, or students who have been struggling with attendance, engagement, socially-emotional well-being, or other. This plan is tentatively scheduled to begin January 19 (grades 3-6) and February 1 (grades 7-12).
- At Buford and CHS, the plans for in-person instruction have now been redesigned to maintain the current structures for virtual learning. For example, at CHS, in-person students would receive in-person support during teachers’ morning office hours. (Office hours will also remain available for virtual students).
- As COVID numbers improve, we would look at the possibility of returning more students to in-person learning. Again, as another example at CHS, one possibility is to use Fridays to offer events for students whose classes benefit from hands-on activities such as urban gardening, engineering, or fine arts.
- Finally, to allow teachers to set up their classrooms and prepare to shift modes, each school would have one fully asynchronous week during January (timed at the principal’s discretion).
- Schools will be in touch with families of students in grades 3-12 to give clarity about whether students would have an immediate option for in-person learning. For any families of preK-grade 2 students who need to make a change in their selection based on these revised plans, please contact your school.
The Board unanimously approved these updated plans. Even so, at the Board’s next meeting on January 7, Board members will review area health data and may revise these timelines accordingly. To learn more about these plans, you can watch the Board meeting video.
Additionally, here is related news coverage for your reference.
As we head into winter break, I want to wish you all Season’s Greetings for safe and joyful holidays.
Happy Holidays,
Dr. Rosa Atkins
Superintendent
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Winter Break, December 21, 2020 – January 1, 2021 – Happy Holidays!
At the December 17 School Board meeting, the Board voted to approve the revised plans for returning to in-person instruction contingent upon a review of health data on January 7. In addition, the Board is in the process of developing a 2021-22 budget.
