Fulton Schools Weighing Options For 2020-21 School Year

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Since the first case of coronavirus impacted Fulton County Schools in mid-March, normal education standards and practices have been irrevocably altered. The district began a short term implementation of remote learning for the remainder of the school year. Now, the district is working on how to transition from this crisis and reactionary planning, to long-term steps necessary to plan for the future.

During the Tuesday Fulton Schools board work session, an executive summary was shared to address the district’s phased approach to transition from COVID-19 school closures to beginning the next school year. The three phases of recovery include:

1. Closing out the 2019-20 school year
2. Transitioning to summer recovery and summer learning
3. Reopening for the 2020-21 school year

While all the details are not yet finalized, this document shares additional information and will be updated with necessary revisions as the district continues working through these phases of district recovery.

Fulton Schools said while it implements these phases of transition and recovery, the following principles will be used to guide the process and decision-making:

• Ensuring safety and health of all stakeholders: We are and will continue to work with local, state, and federal agencies to ensure that our protocols are up-to-date and reflect our commitment to protecting the students, staff, and families of Fulton County Schools.
• Ensuring continuity of student learning: Our leaders and teachers will continue to assess, plan, and improve student learning materials to provide the best possible experience during this unprecedented time.
• Providing social and emotional support to students and staff: The social and emotional health of our staff, students, and families is important to us, and we will continue to provide a menu of options and events for stakeholders to receive information and support.
• Making financially responsible decisions: Our Board and District Leadership will continue to analyze the fiscal environment to forecast the impact of COVID-19 on the FCS Budget and develop fiscally responsible decisions to ensure continuity of operations

Fulton County Schools is prepared to open school based on the proposed 2020-2021 school calendar. As they prepare for opening, their team is developing processes for three different scenarios, each following the most recent health and safety guidelines from the CDC and state officials, and instructional models based on learning from the current COVID-19 closure:

• Scenario one: All students and staff will report in traditional face-to-face structure for instruction and work with modified social distancing and cleaning practices in place.
• Scenario two: Due to a recurrence or resurgence of COVID-19, the district will remain in a remote learning and remote work environment until clearance is given by public health officials.
• Scenario three: Fulton County Schools will adopt a new model for ongoing instruction and work that includes a blend of remote and in-person instruction.

District staff members are also working to finalize a comprehensive COVID-19 response plan, in the event future health conditions require the need for school or zone-based closures. The plan will include steps and processes for social distancing, infection control, reentry and recovery, and cleaning/disinfecting, as well as short-term, remote instruction models.

As Fulton Schools leaders plan for the start of the 2020 school year, they said they are continuing to develop parameters for employees returning to work and the re-opening of schools under the conditions described in scenario one. Parameters for opening in scenarios two and three will be provided at the June 9 scheduled board meeting.

The parameters for opening in scenario one include:

Safety and Sanitization

• Additional cleaning/disinfecting guidelines will be implemented in buildings and on buses aligned to CDC recommendations and approved chemical standards.
• Guidance will be implemented to support personal hygiene including standardization of paper products for hand washing and safe practices regarding access to drinking water.
• Employees will wear face coverings as prescribed by the CDC. If face coverings are not required, they will be permitted based on individual employee, student, and community member preference.

Instruction

• Teachers will regularly assign digital work to increase proficiency in using technology amongst teachers, students, and parents.
• The district will develop a bank of prerecorded lessons.
• The district will support the social and emotional needs of students returning to school by implementing social emotional learning lessons at all schools.
• The district will create an instructional model that includes diagnosis, analysis, and planning to address the student learning recovery due to COVID-19 closure.

• Students in grades 3-12 will be permitted to carry home their school issued devices.
• The district will seek alternative funding sources through grants and provider programs to assist families without internet access.
• The district will reduce the number of instructional platforms used across the system

• The district will operate under the state of Georgia’s proposed 14 percent budget reductions.
• Policy adjustments will be proposed based on lessons learned from COVID-19.

Talent Management

• The district will provide support to employees returning to work by leveraging a variety of resources such as the district’s employee assistance and wellness programs.
• The district will use existing public health standards and develop mandatory training on the symptoms of COVID-19 and stress the “no report when sick” expectation.
• The district will provide standards that align with the social distancing guidelines in place as of August to include signage and mandatory employee training. This includes employing limits to various large gatherings, meetings, and visitor access when deemed necessary.