Granville Co. Public Schools Moves Forward on Re-Entry Plans

THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

At a special called meeting on Thursday, July 2, 2020, the Granville County Board of Education approved plans related to the reentry of students to school this fall.

During the past four weeks, GCPS has been busy preparing three distinct plans as required by the state. Governor Roy Cooper had planned to announce on July 1, 2020, which of these three plans would be enacted this fall. However, he instead postponed his decision until later in the month.

Despite this delay, GCPS is moving forward to finalize plans so families and staff can prepare for which plan the Governor eventually chooses, and are explained as follows:

Plan A – minimal social distancing – which is the least restrictive, is one where all students would return to school with extra attention to cleaning, health and safety. This plan looks a lot like a traditional return to school and is less complex to implement.

Plan C – remote learning for all – is the most restrictive, and is very similar to what families experienced this past spring.  GCPS has been busy working on ways to improve the instructional delivery and support systems should this plan be chosen.

Finally, under Plan B – moderate social distancing – only 50% of students would be able to return to school on any given day. Many different possibilities and scenarios are being considered by districts across the state, but in each of these, separate groups of students would physically report to school on different days or weeks.

So, what would Plan B look like in GCPS? On July 2, 2020, the GCPS Board of Education approved the general framework for our Plan B, which includes two separate groups of students alternating between two consecutive days of face to face school, with Wednesday being a remote learning day for all students. So, essentially, students would have two days of learning at school and three days of remote learning each week.

At this time, the Board also approved a provision to allow the district to begin this schedule for ALL students on August 17, 2020, but with using a ‘staggered entry’ for face to face, whereby smaller groups of students would physically come to school in the first few weeks to better learn and understand the new screening processes, social distancing expectations, use of PPE and modified class schedules.

Under this plan, all students and parents will be learning about many new expectations, processes and procedures for how to come to school. Therefore, it is important that we do this with smaller groups of students to ensure the safety of everyone on our campuses.

To understand exactly how the weekly schedule will work for students, refer to this chart below:

PLAN B SCHEDULE AS APPROVED BY GCPS BOARD 7-2-2020

Some details are yet to be finalized under this plan.  The way in which students are selected for A or B group remains to be determined, however, care will be taken to ensure that siblings are not separated by group, even among grade spans or different schools if necessary. Also, students with special needs may be eligible to physically report to school more frequently than two days a week. The district is also working on plans to make sure students can have access to meals on days when they are engaged in remote learning.

Finally, guidance from the state indicates that our school bus capacity will be limited to a maximum of one student per seat, which may mean significant changes to our bus schedules and routes.

It is also important to note that this schedule includes a break on each Wednesday between the two different groups of students so additional cleaning and disinfection can occur. This will help reduce the possibility of potential virus transmission between groups of students in the unlikely event of an outbreak. The district will also be performing daily, regular disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces and high traffic areas throughout our buildings and buses.

Families should also know that if either Plan A or Plan B is chosen by the Governor, GCPS will also provide remote learning from a student’s base school to ANY family who does not feel comfortable with their child returning back to school.

Granville Academy, which offers a blended model of education, is also another option that will be available to families. We are committed to providing choices to all families to meet their needs.

THREE LEARNING OPTIONS UNDER PLAN A OR B:

Finally, in the coming weeks, we will continue to refine our internal processes and be ready to share more information with our families once the Governor makes a final decision on which plan will be in place on August 17. If the Governor chooses option A or B, then we will immediately be launching our “SaFE” process, or “Sign-up Fall Entry,” whereby families can choose which of the above learning options they prefer for their child.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to move forward during this difficult time for all.  #gcpsonthemove