The Red Clay School District announced Wednesday that they will begin the school year with remote learning.
August 5, 2020
Dear Red Clay community,
The past five months have been unlike any other time in recent history. Daily, we are reminded of the many risks and challenges we face in providing an equitable return to school for all of our students, staff and families.
Yesterday, Governor Carney announced that all Delaware public and charter schools may reopen in the “yellow” scenario according to the Delaware Department of Education’s Return to School guidance. During that announcement, districts were encouraged to consider a hybrid model of instruction for reopening.
Our school and district leaders, educators, support staff, and other members of the community have been preparing for various scenarios for some time now, knowing all plans are subject to change based on the latest health and safety guidance and recommendations. We have also received an overwhelming number of emails, calls and correspondences from stakeholders, and this has been very informative as well. After much deliberation, consultation and synthesis of state guidance, we have decided to continue embracing a “safety first” approach to learning this fall.
We will phase in our instructional model and all Red Clay students will start the 2020-21 school year in a remote learning environment for the first six weeks. Our school board recently modified the first day of school to be Tuesday, September 8, 2020, which allows our leaders, staff and educators additional time to prepare for the remote start.
Each school will survey families in the coming weeks to help us plan for the transition to hybrid learning later this fall. Families will be asked whether they prefer an in-person learning option once schools reopen, or whether they prefer to continue with remote learning at home.
Red Clay’s Roadmap to Reopening
Phase 1: Remote Learning (Starts on Tuesday, September 8)
All students will begin the school year on September 8, with remote learning for the first six weeks. To support remote learning, a device will be provided for every student and we will work to ensure that all families have access to the internet. Schools will provide more details in the coming weeks as part of their remote learning plans.
Phase 2: Phased Reopening
We will phase in a hybrid learning environment for specific grade levels/programs, with families that choose in-person learning. In this scenario, families that wish to keep students home would be provided with remote learning support.
Phase 3: Full Reopening
All students will return to campus, full time. Families that wish to keep students home would be provided with a remote learning option.
We all understand that this is a stressful time for you, for your children, and for our community as a whole. Our primary mission is to provide meaningful instruction in a safe and healthy environment.
Please stay tuned for more information from your child’s school, including details on what remote learning will look like for your child and updates on how we will transition to a hybrid learning environment later this fall.
Sincerely,
Dorrell Green
Superintendent
Red Clay Consolidated School District