www.bleckleyschools.org Twitter: @bleckleyschools

KIM WRIGHT, Chair MICHAEL SASSER, Vice-Chair

AMY WILLIAMS SHANNA EVANS DIANNE LESTER

DR. STEVE J. SMITH, Superintendent DR. TREY BELFLOWER, Asst. Superintendent

Bleckley County Board of Education 242 E. Dykes Street

P.O. Box 516

Cochran, Georgia 31014-0516

478-934-2821

PARENT LETTER / PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 1, 2020

BLECKLEY COUNTY, GA – Superintendent Dr. Steve J. Smith presented preliminary plans for the start of school on

August 10, 2020, at a called board meeting last week. As plans currently stand, Bleckley County Schools will resume normal operations on August 10, adhering to the recommendations made by the Georgia Department of Education and the

Georgia Department of Public Health in their jointly-released Georgia’s Path to Recovery for K-12 Schools where

practical. Students will have two options: 1) traditional school or 2) Remote Learning.

The decision to emphasize traditional school coincides with recent guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Academy stated, “…the AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year

should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.” See https://bit.ly/2VxUMPy for the entire article.

The District has implemented several health and safety protocols to address concerns of parents, teachers, and stakeholders, as follows:

1. New electric disinfecting mist units were purchased for each school, and custodial staff will disinfect classrooms,

common areas, and lunchrooms throughout the day. 2. In addition to hand sanitizer being available in classrooms, hand sanitizer dispensers are being installed

throughout every school building in the halls, common areas, and lunchrooms.

3. Every staff member, including bus drivers, will have a no-touch LED thermometer to check students’

temperatures daily. Schools will also check staff members’ temperatures daily. 4. Masks will be available for staff and students, and teachers will have the discretion to wear masks and/or to

require masks in the classroom, where appropriate.

5. Several new protocols are being added to school nutrition: a. Lunch serving lines will no longer be completely self-serve, going from “buffet-style” to “cafeteria-

style,” with some items being pre-cupped and pre-packaged.

b. All condiments to be handled by students will be pre-packaged.

c. Students will have access to hand sanitizer throughout the lunchroom. d. Lunchrooms will be disinfected before each lunch group.

e. All students and staff will be encouraged to utilize myschoolbucks.com instead of cash.

6. School buses will be disinfected after each route. 7. Signs reminding students to wash their hands and keep their hands from their faces are being placed in all schools.

8. Some water fountains are being retrofitted with bottle-filling fixtures, and students will not be allowed to use the

others.

Dr. Smith stated, “We want to be as open and honest with our parents and students as possible. Most of our students

have not been social distancing throughout this pandemic, and student-athletes cannot social distance during practice

or in games.” Social distancing is impractical on a school bus and in most classrooms and lunchrooms even at 50% capacity. Therefore, parents should not assume social distancing will occur at school, realizing that no one can protect

against all hazards. The different schedules offered by some districts are not feasible in a small school district with

The Best Little School District in Georgia!™

limited resources. The steps mentioned above should provide assurances that the District is doing as much as

reasonably possible, given the limitations specified above.

The District will provide a Remote Learning Option for parents who wish to have their students learn from home. For

grades 3-12, this option will require the student to work on his/her own device through Odysseyware®. The District

currently uses this web-based curriculum for all students enrolled in Bleckley County Success Academy, and its content is aligned with the Georgia Standards of Excellence. Unit tests will be taken at school in small groups after

regular school hours with a teacher/proctor present. Remote Learning requires students and parents to be self-

motivated to complete work on time. While a teacher will check in on these students regularly, this option will differ

from the distance learning that was in place this past spring. For grades K-2, a teacher may be available for a limited amount of time per day per grade level, as that teacher will most likely serve students in all three grades. Families

interested in the Remote Learning Option will be asked to complete a Remote Learning Registration form, which will

be available on July 8.

“We are eager for students to return to school and get back to normal routines, and we have heard from many, many

parents who share our sentiments,” noted Dr. Smith. “We also realize some parents still have concerns, and we want to address those concerns.”

The District plans to allow flexibility during the first two weeks of school for parents to determine which choice

is best for them: traditional school or the Remote Learning Option. After the two-week period, the Remote Learning choice will be binding for the remainder of the school year. (NOTE: For grades K-2, the Remote Learning

choice will be binding for the rest of the semester). See Policy IFBGD: Distance Learning and Online Courses at

https://bit.ly/2VScm19. Any student switching from traditional school to Remote Learning will be bound to that choice for the remainder of the year. For grades K-2, the switch will be effective through the end of the semester, or if

within the last nine weeks of the first semester, then for the rest of the school year. These restrictions are necessary to

provide adequate scheduling of teachers and to ensure continuity of instruction within the traditional classrooms.

To help parents who choose Remote Learning to keep their students isolated, those students will not be allowed to

participate in extracurricular activities, athletics, and field trips.

In the event the Governor issues an executive order to close schools at any time during the 2020-2021 school year,

students already in the Remote Learning Option will continue with that option. All other students will then be taught

using the same model utilized during the closure period this past spring. This protocol will remain in effect in the event of a short-term closure for any reason.

The District will continue to communicate primarily through the district website: www.bleckleyschools.org. The

News section is on the left side of the screen, and the Twitter feed (@BleckleySchools) automatically posts to the site on the lower right-hand side of the screen. We encourage you to download the Bleckley County Schools Mobile App

from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The News and Twitter feed are the top two items, respectively,

on the App Menu in the Mobile App.

Please keep in mind that as situations change, these plans may change. Dr. Smith continued, “We have

tremendous community and parental support, and we don’t take those relationships for granted. We encourage feedback, and we realize this pandemic has created undue stress on our students, parents, and staff. We appreciate

each person in these stakeholder groups, and we want to be there for each of them. We look forward to a great school

year, and we will continue to do whatever it takes to help our students succeed.”

We have included some Back-to-School information that you should find useful. We look forward to seeing you or

hearing from you!

CONTACT: Dr. Smith: ssmith@expectexcellence.org Office: 478-934-2821 Ext. 1100