Hello School District Family,
At their September 15 regular meeting, the Board of Education passed a motion to begin in-person school for elementary and K-8 students on October 5, 2020. The Board also passed a motion to begin in-person school for middle schools on October 19, which is the start of the second quarter.
Schools will open on those dates if we are in the Yellow Operational Zone. If we are still in the Red Operational Zone on October 5 (elementary) or October 19 ( middle school), we will schedule the start dates for as soon as possible once we move back to the Yellow Operational Zone.
To help school opening go as smooth as possible, please review the start/end times for elementary and middle schools and make sure to register for school bus transportation.
Middle school will be following the A/B cohort schedule.
The board decided to postpone the decision about high schools until their October 6 regular meeting. Creating a plan for in-person school at the high school level while meeting the Department of Health and Social Services and Department of Education Smart Start guidelines, especially those that require small pods or cohorts and 6 feet of social distancing has proven to be particularly challenging for high school administrators.
The most recent update from the Center for Disease control reiterates the importance of cohorting.
Cohorting: Cohorts (or “pods”) are groups of students, and sometimes teachers or staff, that stay together throughout the school day to minimize exposure for students, teachers, and staff across the school environment. Ensure that cohorts are as static as possible by having the same group of students stay with the same teachers or staff (all day for young children, and as much as possible for older children). --Center for Disease Control, September 15, 2020.
I urge families to be patient with our school and district staff and the Board of Education as we work our way toward startup. We understand the huge economic, academic and social emotional impact of school closures. However, when positive cases of COVID occur in schools, principals find themselves immediately the target of intense scrutiny from various sources regarding whether or not their building is following health and safety protocols. Our principals and school staff are on the front line in terms of accountability for the health and safety of our community.
We are walking our way to school startup one step at a time. Educators are doing the very best they can every single day to serve students and we want all our students back in school as soon as it is safely possible. Please help us by doing all that you can in the community to lower the COVID-19 case rates in Fairbanks. Wash your hands, wear a mask, socially distance, maintain your own personal cohorts.
Best Regards,
Karen
