Author Archives: Stan Jester

DeKalb Schools – End Of Year Guide For Students And Families

Posted on April 14, 2020 | 5 comments

We are approaching the end of the school year at DeKalb Schools. So, what’s the plan? This will hopefully answer many of your questions.

DeKalb Schools

SUMMARY

• Last day of school for Seniors will be Friday, May 8, 2020
• Last day of school for PreK-11 will be Friday, May 15, 2020
• The week of May 11-15 will be an academic support week for seniors and their teachers. The deadline for teachers to post the senior grades is Friday, May 15th.
• Post-planning for teachers will be the week of May 18-22 instead of originally planned May 22nd. The deadline for teachers to post PreK-11 grades is Wednesday, May 20th.
• Essential employees will continue to work on supply/demand schedule until such time the Governor’s Shelter-in-Place Order is modified.
• All other employees will continue to telework until such time the Governor’s Shelter-in-Place Order is modified.

GRADUATION CEREMONIES
Graduation ceremonies will be moved from the week of May 18-23rd to the week of June 22-27th. We have not made the decision yet on type of graduation but two options on the table.
• Virtual Graduation
• Hybrid Face-to-Face with seniors and staff only (will live stream and broadcast on Comcast channel PDSTV24 for families and friends)
• Final decision will be made near end of April/first of May pending Governor’s decision on Shelter in Place.

FULL End of Year Guide – 26 Page End-Of-Year Guide including FAQ

DeKalb Schools - End Of Year

FINAL GRADE CALCULATIONS (PRE-K – 11TH GRADES)

HOLD HARMLESS – All students’ grades from January 6 – March 13, 2020 have been archived. Virtual learning assignments can only be used to improve a student’s final average in the course.

Kindergarten
Teachers will continue to assess the students using the Kindergarten report card.

1st – 11th grades
Teachers will calculate each student’s final grade after evaluating which option is higher.
• Option A – Use the grade as of March 13, 2020 as thesemester final grade
• Option B – Use the grade as of March 13, 2020 and the virtual learning assignments to calculate the semester final grade

Any student in K- 11th grade who is not passing will have the opportunity to take a subject area competency assessment supported with remediation and a credit recovery program. Students will automatically be placed in the transition program in August 2020 to receive additional academic support throughout the year.

12th grade
Teachers will calculate each student’s final grade after evaluating which option is higher.
• Option A – Use the grade as of March 13, 2020 as thesemester final grade
• Option B – Use the grade as of March 13, 2020 and the virtual learning assignments to calculate the semester final grade

Summer opportunities will be provided for seniors who were not on track to graduate prior to March 13, 2020 to attempt grade recovery in order to be a summer graduate. If the senior is unable to successfully complete all graduation requirements before the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the senior will be classified as a retained 12th grade student.

END OF YEAR ACTIVITIES (12TH GRADE)

End of Year Date for Seniors: May 8, 2020
The last day for seniors is May 8, 2020. However, the week of May 11-15, 2020 is available for additional academic support. Teachers will post final grades for seniors on May 15, 2020.

Senior Week: May 11-15, 2020
Schools will conduct VIRTUAL senior celebrations during this timeframe. Principals will plan accordingly.

Graduation Ceremonies: Week of June 22-27, 2020
Graduation ceremonies have been moved to the week of June 22-27, 2020. The District is considering a virtual graduation or a hybrid face-to-face ceremony at the AIC Auditorium. A firm decision will be made no later than May 13, 2020. (Note: Decisions may change based on the most current COVID-19 information/updates.)

Summer Graduation Ceremony: August 7, 2020
This ceremony will be open to summer graduates and May graduates who were unable to attend in June.

Senior Activities
School-sponsored class trips and field trips scheduled for the 2019-2020 school year have been canceled. Details and guidelines for reimbursements are under development and will be communicated as soon as possible.

Proms have been postponed. Each high school principal will review prom contracts to determine if the prom event can be re-scheduled at a later date. If not, the local school will contact the students to provide details about reimbursements, if applicable.

All end of year activities are contingent upon the most recent state, local and district guidance related to health advisories per the COVID-19 pandemic. DCSD will monitor guidelines as it relates to large gatherings and establish parameters in compliance with the guidance.

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Posted in Coronavirus, DeKalb County School District

DeKalb Schools Closing – Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Posted on March 13, 2020 | 83 comments

DeKalb County School District (DCSD), in collaboration with other metro area school districts, will close the school district on Monday, March 16, 2020, until further notice. All employees will continue to be paid and will work remotely from home. Student learning will continue through virtual learning assignments in the VERGE platform.

Coronavirus

Throughout the process, DeKalb Schools has relied on the guidance from the Georgia Department of Public Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, DeKalb County Board of Health, Georgia Department of Education, and state leaders. During Thursday’s 3 p.m. press conference, Gov. Kemp communicated the following, “Given the rise of the coronavirus, I am going to issue a call to action. If local communities feel it is prudent, you should consider closing day cares and schools as early as tomorrow through the next two weeks.”

73% of our students receive free or reduced lunch and breakfast. DeKalb Schools is exploring options for providing emergency meal service for students. All district and school sponsored events, activities, meetings, and competitions are cancelled until further notice. It also includes athletics, extracurricular, school events and systemwide events.

Prom – Out of an abundance of caution and concern for the safety and well-being of our students and staff, ALL 2020 Junior-Senior Proms will be postponed until further notice. Principals will be directed to contact their venue to inform them of the necessity to postpone. They will also immediately notify their Senior Class Sponsor(s) and parents of members of both the junior and senior classes. It is the school district’s hope that the contracted venues will work with the schools to reschedule all of the PROMS at a later date.

School Supplies – It is currently undetermined when/if students will be able to access their school for books and other materials they will need for the upcoming virtual learning.

Length of Closure – Governor Kemp recommended closing for 2 weeks. According to the CDC, most people will be able to recover from COVID-19 at home. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. The estimated average incubation period of COVID-19 is 5 days and it is expected that nearly all infected persons who have symptoms will do so within 12 days of infection. The current period of active monitoring recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is 14 days.

More information will be forthcoming. I’ll post information as I get it.

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Posted in Coronavirus

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