(soft music)
- Hi again, everybody,
and welcome to the fifth
in our ongoing series,
reopening reports.
There has been a lot of discussion
in the wake of the governor's
announcement last week
regarding the reopening of schools,
and I hope you had a
chance to read the letter
that our health officer, Dr.
Nilesh Kalyanaraman and I
sent out last Friday.
As we said in that letter,
we will begin the school year virtually
because that is what
is in the best interest
of not just our students, but our staff.
We are continuing to work
with the department of health
as we focus our attention
on the next phase,
which is planning for
return of students and staff
to our schools.
This is what we all want,
teachers and students in their classrooms
engaged in face-to-face instruction
and building positive
lasting relationships.
However, we must do that in a
thoughtful well-planned manner
that keeps health and safety
for students and staff
at the forefront of our planning.
Building upon our
previously-announced plans
to bring small groups
of special education,
technology, and ESL
students into our buildings.
Our most recent discussions
have focused on the return
of elementary students
prior to their turn of middle
and high school students.
They've also included how best
to meet the needs of families
who may wish to keep their
children on virtual learning
for the entire year.
Based on the current advice
from not only our local health department,
but the Maryland Department of Health,
the CDC and the Maryland
State Department of Education,
we will build a hybrid
model of instruction
in which students may be
in schools two days a week,
and learning from home
virtually three days a week.
This will allow us to reduce
the volume of students
in a building and on a bus,
promote cohorting of students and staff,
allow for more precise contact tracing,
and give our students and staff
some critically-needed time
to be together in the
physical school environment.
To do this, everyone will have
to contribute and sacrifice
in order to bring our staff
and students back into schools.
It begins now by everybody wearing a mask,
social distancing, and
washing their hands often.
When schools reopen, students
and staff will wear masks,
desks will be appropriately spaced,
and there'll be one
student proceed on a bus.
No public spaces will be
used for congregation,
and symptom checks will be expected
before anybody leaves their home.
As is recommended, the
ventilation systems in our schools
will be set to the use of external air,
and we will ensure they all meet state
and federal standards.
Our current focus is on the
opening of the new school year
and the onset of virtual
learning on September 8th.
In that regard,
we are continuing to
distribute Chromebooks
as quickly as possible.
Families still in need of a Chromebook
should contact their student's school.
There will be many questions
with the implementation
of virtual learning
at our virtual learning website,
www.aacps.org/virtuallearning
is full of information to help.
Please check it often.
I also want to remind any families
who have not yet enrolled
their students to do so today
at www.aacps.org/enrollment.
This week, I have some fantastic news
about meals for the coming school year.
The US Department of Agriculture
has extended the waiver
that allows school systems like ours
to serve meals to children ages two to 18,
regardless of income or
school enrollment status.
We're also going to nearly
double the number of meal sites
across our County beginning
on the first day of school.
So it will be even easier
than ever to access meals.
What this means to you
is that children can go to any meal site
and pick up a free breakfast
and lunch each school day
starting September 8th.
Parents can pick up meals
without their children present,
as long as they register
by calling our division of
Food and Nutrition Services
at 410-222-5900.
Families who will need
free or reduced price meals
whenever we get back into school buildings
must still fill out an application
to determine their status.
You can find that application
at www.aacps.org/mealapplication.
The opening week of school,
even in this virtual
environment, is always exciting.
We had a difficult spring
and a challenging summer,
but we have come together as a community
to support our students and each other,
and we have risen to the occasion.
Our teachers and staff have engaged
in a record amount of
professional development
to prepare themselves
for the new school year.
We are committed to a robust,
meaningful virtual experience
for our students, and we are ready.
Please continue to be safe for yourself,
your family, and our community.
Wear a mask, wash your hands,
keep your distance, and
help protect Team AACPS.
