Montgomery County, TN – During the Director of School’s report at this evening’s Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) School Board Study Session, Millard House shared an update on the plan for reopening the district’s 40 schools for the 2020-21 school year with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The reopening planning process is led by the CMCSS Communicable Disease Team (CDT), composed of leaders from all CMCSS departments and the Montgomery County Health Department.
The CDT continually monitors and evaluates the latest local, state, and national data, guidance, and best practices to develop a flexible plan with the safety and health of students, employees, and the entire community as the first priority.
In an effort to gain feedback from CMCSS stakeholders about the safe return to school, the CDT sent surveys in early June. Parents and guardians of more than 36,500 students in addition to 5,100 employees had the opportunity to complete the survey. With nearly a 50 percent response rate, 54 percent of parents/guardians and 60 percent of employees prefer returning to a traditional, in-person setting in the fall based on comfort level and safety concerns.
The CDT’s goal is to prepare the district with strategic plans for a Continuum of Options that will ensure the district can provide a high-quality education for all students no matter the circumstances of the pandemic. At any point during the academic year, CMCSS may need to move between any of the following options:
Traditional refers to in-person classes for 100% of students with health, safety, and operational changes to reduce the spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus.
Hybrid refers to a modification of the traditional five-day, in-person school week with a reduction in class sizes, transportation, and building capacities by 50 percent to allow for increased social distancing.
Remote learning refers to the ability for the entire district or a specific school to move strictly to a model in which students are not physically present in the school building but continue learning remotely.
In addition, the district has developed a virtual learning option open to all K-12 students for the upcoming school year. Virtual learning provides a comprehensive online learning environment, led by a CMCSS administrator and taught by CMCSS educators. The program will begin in September. More information will be shared soon.
The Board-approved first half day of school for CMCSS students is August 11th. Wednesday, August 12th will be an additional half day, with Friday, August 14th scheduled as the first full day. The method in which schools will reopen in August on the Continuum of Options will be based on the level of community spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus and the district’s ability to adhere to laws, policies, and guidelines related to the pandemic.
Since these factors continue to evolve, the CDT’s goal is to make the reopening recommendation at least one month ahead of the first half day of school.
Resources and information regarding the reopening of the CMCSS schools can be found at cmcss.net/reopening.
