Summer plans, fall curriculum in the works; principal search continues
Summer break may have started in this topsy-turvy school year, but the Demopolis City Schools systems already is working on plans for summer activities and the opening of school in the fall with safety precautions needed for the novel coronavirus.
At a called meeting to be held Monday, the DCS Board of Education will vote on a revised schedule for the upcoming year, said Supt. Kyle Kallhoff. If passed, the start of school will be delayed one week to Aug.20 to “buy us a little more time.” Teachers will take part in almost two weeks of professional development before classes begin, especially on remote learning should the school system be forced to shut down again.
Included in the calendar are four embedded remote learning days, Kallhoff said. Teachers will provide taped lessons online, and students will be required to undertake assignments that will be turned in either on paper or online.
The proposed calendar has set the remote learning days for Oct. 15-16, Feb. 16 and March 15.
Even with precautions, there are some parents who will not feel comfortable sending their children to school in the fall. Kallhoff said the Alabama Department of Education is purchasing an online curriculum for students whose parents choose to keep them at home.
The state-provided curriculum still has a lot of questions to be answered, Kallhoff said, and those answers should be provided by June 19 when superintendents throughout the state meet for their summer conference.
DCS is using part of the CARES Act funding it received to purchase computers to lend to those households who don’t have one. Any local student who uses the state curriculum from home will still be considered part of the DCS system.
Keeping students safe will be a priority for middle and high schoolers taking part in summer school or athletic training beginning June 8. Kallhoff stressed that attendance is not mandatory, and students will not be dismissed from a team if they don’t take part.
Following state health orders, each instructor will have only 12 students, with one person for each 36 square feet of space. Since most classrooms are too small for those requirements, classes will be held in the gymnasium, auditorium or lunchroom.
Every person entering the schools will have temperature checks and undergo a daily screening to make sure there hasn’t been any contact outside of the school with COVID-19 patients. Students and staff will be required to use hand sanitizer entering and leaving the building.
Kallhoff said everyone is encouraged to wear facial coverings. The school system will have a few on hand, but it cannot provide masks for all students. Anyone taking part in an activity that brings them closer than six feet is required to wear a mask. The only exception is strenuous physical activity where wearing a mask might restrict the flow of oxygen.
He said all classrooms will be sanitized and cleaned daily; athletic equipment will be cleaned after each use, and rest rooms and locker rooms will be cleaned twice a day.
As of May 27, 21 people have applied for the job as principal of Demopolis High School, Kallhoff said. The list will be culled, and interviews now are scheduled to be held June 8-9. He hopes the new principal will be able to start July 1.