DeKalb County School District officials on Monday presented a framework for returning to classrooms in the fall during the DeKalb County Board of Education's monthly meeting.
DeKalb County School District officials on Monday presented a framework for returning to classrooms in the fall after school buildings were closed in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The presentation is purposely short on specifics, Superintendent Ramona Tyson said during the DeKalb County Board of Education’s monthly meeting Monday, adding that the framework is being left for the incoming superintendent to use in preparing for the upcoming school year.
"The work is underway with the plan to transition to Ms. (Cheryl) Watson-Harris," Tyson said, referring to the district's recently named superintendent finalist. "She will come on board and work with the staff for her direction."
The plan includes focus areas based on outside guidance, including prevention, transportation, meal service, transitioning within the school buildings, conducting large group gatherings and responding when someone becomes sick at school.
The framework includes guidance from the Georgia Department of Education, the DeKalb County Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Classrooms have not been used in DeKalb since March 12, when school buildings were first closed to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The district’s plans will be dictated through the level of community spread. In a low/no spread level, a green designation, learning will take place in classrooms. In a minimal/moderate spread scenario, a yellow designation, schools could employ remote learning, traditional learning or a hybrid learning model. In a substantial spread, a red designation, the district would implement its virtual learning plan.
Several initiatives are in the works to ensure uninterrupted learning can take place, including looking at building capacity and spacing classroom furniture for hybrid teaching, purchasing masks and other protective equipment and cleaning supplies as well as shoring up technology shortfalls. Not every DeKalb student has received a district-issued device, and many students do not have access to Wi-Fi at home.
Staff members have been asked to fill out surveys on the virtual learning process from the past few months to help develop professional development lessons this summer and to make necessary changes to the district’s distance learning plan. A community survey for staff, parents and students will begin Tuesday, seeking feedback on learning models and hybrid teaching plans as well as their level of comfort with the tentative schooling plans.
Board member Stan Jester asked whether the district’s teachers would be prepared for anything, including the possibility of an abrupt closure, similar to what happened in March. Chief Academic Officer Stacy Stepney said the district has developed plans for whether school will start fully in classrooms, in a hybrid model or fully closed.
“As a committee, we are working to make sure we have the instructional tools for our teachers,” Stepney said. “Part of the (staff) survey asked what resources they needed. That is how we’ve organized our professional development this summer.
The Georgia Department of Education released “Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools,” a 10-page document written by state education and public health officials providing guidance for those in charge of Georgia’s nearly 2 million grade-school students. The document includes responses to low, moderate and substantial spread of the coronavirus, including guidance for hand-washing, mask wearing and social distancing.
The state’s guidelines are just that, as the state’s 180 school districts operate independently. Tyson said recently she was waiting for the state’s recovery guidance to consider it with other recommendations the district has taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health department officials.
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