First and foremost, I want to sincerely thank you for your patience, support, and understanding as our education team plans for the upcoming school year. It seems like each day we are given new or additional information that will have an impact on how the school year will look. This has made it extremely difficult in developing a plan to cover all of our bases. Please know that the health and safety of our students and staff continue to remain our top priority.
I know you have many questions about the upcoming school year: When will school start? What will a school day look like? What safety protocols will be implemented? This, and many other question, are being considered by the team as we prepare.
In developing the plan, we are following the expertise of national, state, and local officials in order to protect our students and staff. We are also using feedback we received from students and parents after conducting the continuous learning plan in the spring.
This process has not been an easy task. We have discussed topics ranging from screening students for temperatures, to transportation issues, to extra-curricular activities, to protocols for positive cases. I know we can’t adequately address every possible scenario but we are trying to develop the best plan for our district.
At this time, we plan on starting back to school on August 13. What school will look like is still being decided and will be subject to change based on the most recent information we have. Once we have developed our plan it will be shared with the public. Until then, we ask that you continue to have patience as we go through this process. Please do not believe every rumor you hear. An official statement will be released as soon as the plan is completed and anything else you hear will be speculation.
This is brand new for everyone (students, parents, and staff) and difficult decisions are being made with ever-changing information. Please keep our students and staff in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate these unprecedented times. Thank you again for your support.
/s/ Jimmie Dedmon Superintendent