With the first day of school less than a month away, Dr. Ted Horrell released a video this morning (July 15, 2020) announcing the school system’s plan for the fall semester. The first day of school is rapidly approaching on August 10th and parents have been waiting on the detailed plans. Emphasizing the students’ and faculty’s health as priority one, Dr. Horrell called it, “our Safer at School plan for returning to in-person instruction.”
The multi-page plan has two main emphases. One for in-person instruction, 5 days per week. The second option for full-time virtual (remote) learning. Parents have a choice of either for the fall semester. He emphasized the school system is not able to safely provide bus service for all students and if parents can provide their own transportation to please do so. He’s asking parents to submit a transportation survey by next Wednesday, July 22.
When contacted school board member Laura Harrison added, “I am very proud of the work that Dr. Horrell and his team have done to put a plan together that balances safety and with effective learning.”
Full documentation is linked at the end of this article to both the plan documentation and the bus survey. A few highlights from the documentation include:
Lakeland Elementary
Students at Lakeland Elementary will be assigned to classes in a similar manner as previous years. Because social distancing requirements will limit the number of students to no more than 20 in each room, most grade levels will not be impacted by the class sizes.
Lakeland Prep
LPS is maximizing all regular classroom space and following social distancing guidelines of at least six feet between students and teachers. Following these guidelines means there are not enough regular classroom spaces for every student to be in a classroom at all times with appropriate social distancing. Therefore, students will alternate between in-person traditional instruction with teachers in the classroom setting, and supervised digital instruction that happens in other spaces in the school using the assigned student Chromebook (library, cafeteria, gymnasium, etc.). This learning will be supervised by LPS staff and will ensure that students are supported both technically and academically even when they are not receiving in-person instruction.
Physical Activity (Recess and PE)
Lakeland School System is committed to providing both physical education and recreational activities for our students even while implementing social distancing requirements. While the use of playground and other equipment may be limited or even unavailable, students will have the opportunity for physical activity and recess with their cohorts.
Social Distancing and Mask
Our Safer at School plan is based largely on our belief that we can consistently maintain social distancing of at least six feet between students and staff throughout the school day with some exceptions. Masks are encouraged to be worn by all students and staff throughout the day, but masks will be required when social distancing of at least six feet cannot reasonably be maintained (including but not limited to arrival, dismissal, transitions between classes or activities). Excess furniture has been removed from classrooms to accommodate the maximum number of students possible in each class at a time while maintaining six feet of distance.
Bus Service
We are asking every parent who is able to transport their own child to school. While our transportation provider has the bus drivers to run the number or routes that it would in a typical year, we will not have the number of buses or drivers that would be required to provide six feet of distance between students on those buses. We also understand that parents may have situations where they cannot provide their own transportation.
Therefore, if you know you are unable to transport your own child to school on a daily basis, we are asking you to fill out this form at the following link by Wednesday, July 22nd to request bus service for the 2020-21 school year.
Important Links
