Dear Parents/Guardians/Staff,

As we strive to make the best decisions for our students and families while maintaining safety and health for everyone during this unprecedented time, we have made the following adjustments and updates to our reopening plan.  

Our plan focuses on bringing students back to school while maintaining social distancing and recommendations from the CDC and other governing health organizations.  Two key factors have prevented us from our original plan of a hybrid learning environment.  We have listened to parents and students and realized that instruction continuity with their current teacher is a high priority.  Transportation companies also have not been able to completely fulfill contractual obligations.  Other mitigating factors impact our plans and influence our decisions.   There have been sudden closures for many districts that have reopened due to COVID infection among students and staff.  Additionally, we are also seeing a trend of increased cases among children, according to the CDC.  

Although our plans have changed, our goals have not.  We remain committed to keeping students, staff, and their families as safe as possible while trying to provide the best educational programs and supports given our current circumstances.  

Our revised plans are as follows:  The district will continue its current remote learning approach for all students until the end of the first marking period, which ends on November 13, 2020.  This will ensure that your child has a consistent teacher and educational supports for the first cycle.   At the end of the first marking period we will begin to reopen in three phases in two week intervals.

Phase 1:  November 16 (Pre K-3)

Details: On November 16, for those who selected in-person instruction, we will open for students in grades PreK-3.  All other students, including those in grades Pre K-3 who chose the remote learning option, will continue in the remote program.  

Phase 2:  November 30 (Grades 4-8)

Details: On November 30, for those who selected in-person instruction, we will extend reopening to include Pre K-8.  All other students, including those in grades Pre K-3 and 4-8 who chose the remote learning option, will continue in their remote program.  

Phase 3:  December 14, 2020 (Grades 9-12)

Details:  On December 14, students who requested in-person schooling in grades 9-12 will be included in this phase.  Cohort A will attend school in person on Mondays, Tuesdays and alternating Wednesdays.  Cohort B will attend school in person on Thursdays, Fridays and alternating Wednesdays.  Cohorts will be established by the secondary schools as we prepare for this model.  The classroom teachers will teach both the in-person students and fully remote students at this time.  Minor adjustments to schedules may occur; however, for the most part, students will maintain the teacher they had for the first marking period.

To create class sizes consistent with social distancing guidelines, you may not switch between in-person and remote learning after the start of any given marking period.   These plans reflect what we know and understand at this time.  Circumstances like state mandates and peaks in COVID infection along with influenza may dictate additional changes.  These factors are beyond our control, so we must remain as flexible as possible.  Of course, we will continue to update you as often as possible to keep you informed.  Lastly, devices continue to arrive, and distribution will continue until every student who requests a device receives one.  School principals will be contacting you to let you know when your child will be able to come to school to gather consumable materials by the end of next week.  

Yours for the Sake of All Children,

Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton