In an all-call to families of students of Grayson County Schools, Superintendent Doug Robinson announced the first plan to reopen county schools in 2020.
The first announcement he made was that the first day of school for students has been pushed back from Wednesday, August 5th to Monday, August 10th.
Robinson said that the district will offer both an in-person schooling experience and a “focused virtual alternative.”
In a letter posted to their website, the district said:
“During the first three weeks, we will follow a temporary A/B schedule, with students alternating days in the building and working remotely, Monday – Thursday. Your child’s teacher will provide lessons for the days they are not in the building. We will use Fridays as a day for remote learning for all students.
At this time, we plan to transition to a regular schedule on Friday, August 28, with the following week on a full five-day schedule for all students, whether they attend in the building or remotely.
This recommendation is for several reasons including:
- It provides additional training and preparation time for staff to get familiar and comfortable with new procedures and protocols.
- A phased-in opening is similar to how businesses have opened over the past couple of months, allowing time for adjustments before moving forward with increased student capacity.
- It eases students into new required protocols and expectations such as temperature checks, frequent hand hygiene, social distancing, and acclimates them to mask wearing in situations where social distancing can’t be practiced.
- It provides a preparedness model in the event of intermittent closures during the school year.
- It allows for continued changes – loosening or tightening – to KDE/DPH guidance between now and August. Your school will be reaching out to you to confirm your plans for this school year, as we prepare to welcome back you and your student(s) – whether in-person or virtually.
In addition to the above, the school district said that they will be abiding by guidelines set by the Kentucky Department of Public Health and the Department of Education.
Those guidelines, which were released at the end of June, focus on: Face Coverings, Social Distancing, Frequent Hand Washing and Sanitizer Use, Symptom Screening and Temperature Checks, and Contact Tracing.
The district came up with this process by taking input from nearly 1,800 submissions to a survey.
On their website, they have listed an FAQ sheet. To find that document in full, please click here.
If your question is not answered on the sheet, you can submit it by clicking here. The district is planning on hosting a “virtual town forum” at some point the week of July 13.
Robinson said that these plans are still subject to change and asks for parents and students to remain flexible.
By: Sam Gormley, Local News
Contact: sam@k105.com
