Last week Governor Tate Reeves announced that schools in Mississippi will remain closed for the rest of the school year to slow the spread of COVID-19. In response, Scott County School District Superintendent of education issued the following statement in a letter to parents.
Dear SCSD Family,
I hope this letter finds you safe and well. In light of Governor Reeves’ decision to extend the school closure for the remainder of the school year, we will continue to send in-home learning packets to students and families. Although the school doors are closed, the SCSD staff will continue to reach out to boys and girls to provide opportunities for learning. Learning packets were mailed Friday, April 17 to the address on file at your school. If you do not receive a packet, please contact the school so we can update your contact information.
Distance learning will continue through Google Classroom, Facebook, and Google Meets. We truly understand that not every family, or teacher, will have access to high speed internet. Students will not be penalized in any way for lack of internet service or devices. If you need printed copies of work, in addition to the learning packets you received in the mail, please contact your school principal and we will make that available.
I know there is concern regarding the calculation of end-of-year grades. We feel confident students had an opportunity to complete the assignments given by staff during the first three nine weeks of this school year. Therefore, SCSD will use the first three nine weeks average to determine final averages. This average will also determine promotion/retention since this is a true depiction of student work, ability, and achievement. Teachers and principals during this time will lean more toward grace when applicable.
In the early grades of K-6, there will be a few situations where students may not be ready to promote academically. Principals will work with parents, teachers, and students on an individual basis to determine the best course of action for the students’ long-term academic success. The additional work we are currently providing is to serve as enrichment for all students, and will not factor into overall grades, unless you have been notified otherwise. Teachers and counselors are working closely with administrators to identify situations where additional remediation is needed.
In grades 7-12, counselors and principals will be reviewing student performance to provide opportunities for students who might lack the necessary grade to receive a credit or Carnegie unit for a class. Teachers and principals have attempted to apply grace in areas where applicable. In grades 7-12, SCSD will use the first three nine weeks average for promotion or retention. Principals will contact individual students if additional work is required to meet promotion.
Valedictorian and salutatorian will be calculated on a mid-term basis, not year end. Therefore, we will use the mid-term average of seniors to determine this honor. Class rankings, along with val/sal, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Several extended graduation dates have been selected in June and we will discuss those plans with parents and seniors during virtual meetings. Our seniors have worked extremely hard over the past 13 years. I am hopeful we can provide them with the tradition they deserve, pending decisions from Governor Reeves to lift the shelter-in-place and the broadening of the number of people who can gather. We must first feel comfortable with protecting the health and safety of graduates and those attending the ceremony.
The SCSD will reinstate the Grab-and-Go lunch/breakfast meals May 4 pending the release from the shelter-in-place. The same procedures will apply. Please do not exit your vehicle. Lunches will be distributed curb-side only. We apologize for any hardships the temporary suspension of meal service has caused families during the last few weeks. A notice will be placed on social media outlining Grab-and-Go procedures as we make every effort to protect the health of our child nutrition workers and the families we serve.
School offices will also accept phone calls each day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning May 4 pending the release of the shelter-in-place. Scott County School District staff will be available for phone calls or virtual conferencing if the need arises. Please email or call the school office if you need to speak with the administrator or your child’s teacher. If you need to reach my office the number is 601-469-3861 and my email is tmcgee@scott.k12.ms.us.
Principals and counselors are diligently preparing for our 2020-2021 school year registration. They will notify you in the coming weeks with more information. Once the Governor advises citizens on the shelter-in-place, and begins to broaden the number of people allowed to gather, we will determine the best and safest means possible for class registration for the 2020-2021 school year.
Please know, what I encourage most at this time is keeping families safe, healthy, and strong. My overall hope is for the opportunity to see each of you again soon. Please take care and thank you for the continued support given to teachers, principals, and support staff.
Forest Municipal School District is also currently making plans for graduation and end of the year.
Current Forest High School Principal Kim Shoemaker is retiring at the end of the school year and the board has approved the hiring of current Assistant Principal Allan Atkison to be the new principal.
Atkison said Tuesday that the staff and administration is currently ironing out details and that plans to recognize graduating seniors as well as other students would be released as soon as available.
To ensure that Mississippi students' education continues through the remainder of the school year, Governor Reeves has asked every school to submit distance learning plans to mitigate and enhance their learning. He is also asking that educators prepare for summer or early fall learning as an option for make-up school.
“I know how hard teachers, students, all staff, and parents have been working during this dangerous time,” the governor said. “You have my deep respect and sincere admiration. It has been so encouraging to see the efforts of our education community to protect the people of Mississippi while ensuring learning takes place. I know our education community will do whatever it takes to make sure Mississippi kids don’t fall behind.”
The Governor will be issuing an executive order shortly with details for school districts to develop enhanced learning plans for their students and their communities.
