The Talbot County Board of Education approved a revised Recovery Plan for the 2020-21 school year as presented by Dr. Kelly L. Griffith, Superintendent with a vote of six to one at their meeting on August 12.
The regular meeting was scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. with live streaming for public viewing.When the meeting was about to begin, the live streaming equipment shut down.After working for an hour to attempt to regain connection to live streaming capability, and acting upon legal advice from the attorney present, the meeting was abbreviated and videotaped for posting on the TCPS website.
Dr. Fredia Wadley, Talbot County Health Officer attended the meeting and responded to questions from members of the Board of Education regarding testing, contact tracing and notification. School District staff then presented revisions to the plan. Clarification to the operational part of the plan included:
- Hiring additional custodial staff
- Details about increased cleaning and sanitation of buildings
- Improved building filtration systems
- Personal Protective Equipment for students and staff
- Health screening for staff
The revised plan also includes the following additional details and clarifications to the instructional component:
- Sample Schedules
- Clarified Orange Model
- Assessment/Learning Plan
- Grading and Attendance
- List of Curriculum and Digital Tools
- Outline of Equity and Access
- Overview of Professional Learning
- Timeline for Evaluation of Plan
The plan includes five phases for recovery, with transitions of any of these phases pending a daily evaluation of health statistics with our local Talbot County Health Officer. The updated plan includes clarifications about choices families can make as TCPS transitions through the phases outlined based on what is best for their child(ren) as follows:
Phase 1 – Remote Synchronous Learning (Stage 2 Red) All students will attend school virtually. Families will elect an a.m. vs. p.m. option during parent-teacher conferences. Two full days are built in for conferences before the start of school on September 8, and each school has its own schedule to ensure that every family is contacted.
Phase 2 – Blended Synchronous Learning (Stage 2 Orange) Schools or individual teachers will extend invitations to students in special population groups to participate in face-to -face instruction in small groups. Availability of face-to-face instruction will depend upon staff commitment and family response.
Phase 3 and Phase 4 – Blended Synchronous Learning (Stage 3 Yellow) Families may elect to continue virtual instruction in lieu of face-to-face hybrid instruction if they choose.
Phase 5 – In-Person Synchronous Learning (Stage 3) Families may elect to continue virtual instruction in lieu of face-to-face instruction if they choose.
“This recovery plan is a broad overview, explained Dr. Kelly L. Griffith, Superintendent. “Each school is developing details to meet the needs of their individual environments and student populations.” She also added, “I think it is important for parents to have time to experience virtual learning in our recovery format before they must make decisions about any transition.”
The plan must be submitted to MSDE for evaluation on or before August 14.
TCPS will continue to refine the plan as more information is received from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). A survey will be conducted of parents of special populations as well as staff in order to be able to transition small groups. Efforts to increase internet connectivity in homes will continue. TCPS will monitor state developments directed by the Governor and will be ready to respond quickly. Work will continue on development of the ESMEC Blended Virtual Program as an alternative when all students have the opportunity to return to face-to-face learning.
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