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DeKalb County School District: Board Of Education Download

Here are some key takeaways from the 2-8-21 Board Meeting.

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Press Release Desk, News Partner
(DeKalb County School District)

Press release from the DeKalb County School District:

By B.Hood

2021-02-10

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Here are some key takeaways from the 2-8-21 Board Meeting.

ADA Requests

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  • Hardships allowing for remote working options for pending ADAs expired on February 2.
  • When the District made its transition back to offices/classrooms/workspaces, employees were told to send notification to their immediate supervisor of their pending ADA request.
  • Accommodations are based upon a review of an employee’s essential job functions. If face-to-face interaction is a part of an employee’s job, then remote working may not be approved as an accommodation.
  • Temporary accommodations may be recommended, such as an alternate work location in the building when feasible. School leaders will work with employees to provide reasonable flexibility while eligibility is being determined.

    • School Building Closures

  • Smoke Rise ES is closed due to an isolated COVID-19 case.
  • Hawthorne ES is closed while the boiler is being repaired.

    • Supporting our Students with Disabilities

  • To support families of students with disabilities, the Department of Exceptional Education has provided resources to help parents create visual schedules, identify break spaces, and incorporate daily strategies to support students who may need assistance learning at home to highlight a few.
  • In preparation for transitioning to in-person learning, teachers are also sharing resources like riding the school bus, wearing a mask, and washing hands.
  • Additionally, the Department of Exceptional Education will host a Virtual Parent University session on February 17, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. The focus of this session is to provide an overview of best practices and tips for promoting student success in learning. Also, technology tools and resources will be shared for families to support their children with learning.

    • Vaccines

  • We know that it is vitally important for staff to feel safe and have access to vaccines when available. Our Health Services Department is working in collaboration with the DeKalb Board of Health on a strategy to offer vaccines to employees once they are available.
  • The District has been in frequent communication with external partners regarding their ability to provide COVID testing within the school district. The Board of Health, Medcura, and Emory are focusing on vaccines. University medical schools have been contacted by the BOH to work with them on providing vaccines.
  • Medcura is still offering vaccines, with the South DeKalb Mall being the primary area for COVID-19 testing. Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church is another site for COVID-19 testing which has been advertised to our employees.
  • The district is working on a testing strategy to provide easy access for employees to receive COVID-19 testing.
  • We continue to advocate that our teachers receive priority access to COVID-19 vaccines.

    • Building readiness

  • The Operations team is continuing to visit buildings, working to support the building leaders to address areas that needs attention.
  • We have delivered PPE, sanitation, and cleaning supplies to all schools and centers. We have provided a four-week buffer of sanitation and cleaning supplies to all buildings and will continue to stock buildings as needed. The facilities team is addressing and completing critical work orders needed to ensure the safe return of teachers and students.
  • The progress that we have made with work orders over the past 6-8 months has been very positive. Our team will continue to respond in a proactive manner and make sure that we place a priority on work orders that involve the safety and welfare of our students and staff.

    • HVAC

  • The heat is activated in all DCSD buildings and the district does not have widespread outages.
  • All HVAC issues remain a top priority for our facilities maintenance staff. DCSD facilities and operations continue to work diligently to make repairs and test systems to ensure that the District will have an environment conducive for teaching and learning. DCSD has installed portable heaters in a number of classrooms across the district as a temporary measure. This will allow the District to complete repairs and keep the facility operational.

    • Air Quality

  • The facilities team has adjusted HVAC systems and units to increase ventilation in accordance with CDC and industry recommendations. SSC is performing quarterly filter changes and Quarterly preventative maintenance which includes cleaning, inspection and routine maintenance on internal parts.
  • This increase in ventilation and filtration along with the preventative maintenance creates an environment that is in line with the mitigation strategies recommended by CDC to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission in schools.

    • This press release was produced by the DeKalb County School District. The views expressed are the author's own.

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