The Talbot County Board of Education reviewed the draft “TCPS Recovery – Our Plan to Re-Open Schools”at their July meeting.Dr. Kelly Griffith and members of her senior leadership team presented the plan, which follows the guidelines outlined in Governor Hogan’s “Roadmap to Recovery” as well as Dr. Salmon’s “Maryland’s Recovery Plan for Education.”
The plan was developed with input from a Recovery Plan Stakeholder Group comprised of Teachers, Support Staff, Parents, Students, Administrators, County Government, County Board and various Community Partners. This group reviewed survey results and other data to inform and help to refine planning for a safe return of both students and staff to schools in the fall. The plan includes details about School Safety and Operations, Instruction, and Communication and is available online using this link: https://www.tcps.k12.md.us/2019-20/tcps-draft-recovery-plan.
TCPS will be taking comments about the plan from the public until Friday, July 24th. A special meeting of the Board of Education will be held in late July (date to be determined) to make a final decision about which learning model will be in place when school begins on August 24th. The final Recovery Plan will be presented to the Board of Education at their meeting on August 12 and will then be posted to our website.
The School Safety and Operations Action Plans are based on guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Maryland Department of Health and the Maryland State Department of Education. The primary objective is to provide for the safety and wellbeing of TCPS students and staff as they begin to return to school facilities. Also included are guidelines for preparing for when staff, students or family members become ill, and for student services, athletics, and extra-curricular activities.
The Instruction Plans include three return to school models that correspond to the State Stages of Recovery as follows:
Remote Synchronous Learning (Stage 1) – ALL students would be learning from home or other remote locations with learning materials that reflect comprehensive grade and subject level expectations, with a required daily class schedule and accountability.
Blended Synchronous Learning (Stage 2 and 3)– A hybrid delivery of instruction with a combination of remote synchronous learning and on-campus school with a modified number of students in school buildings (A Group – Monday/Tuesday, B Group – Thursday/Friday) to adhere to social distancing recommendations.
In-Person Synchronous Learning (Stage 3) – Students attend school buildings each day with State recommended safety measures in place.
It also outlines considerations for assessment, social emotional well-being grading, and a virtual school program.
The Communications Overview outlines the methods of communication that will be used for the school district’s various stakeholders including Families, Staff and Community.
“I appreciate the intensive effort that our Staff and Stakeholder Group have put into developing this plan,” said Dr. Kelly Griffith Superintendent. “This is a phenomenal group of individuals who are passionate about helping our school system provide the best education in the safest learning environment possible for ALL of our students.”
Dr. Fran White says
As a psychologist and retired special education administrator, I do commend all of the community volunteers and parents who have contributed their free time to provide information and ideas in the formulation of an entry plan for our students.
It should be noted that , since March, most of our special needs and special education students on all grade levels have not received the instruction mandated on their IEPs. All of the goals and objectives written on their IEPs , a Federal Document , should have been followed to the letter Of the law or each district would be accountable with legal consequences inflicted on that school district. If in fact, the Talbot School District has used video instruction and the use of such devices to meet the needs of all special education students , following the goals and objectives documented in the IEP is most questionable since visually impaired special education children who are classified Dyslexic as well as students diagnosed with hyperactivity may not be able to process this method of instruction.
It is highly probable that our students with learning disabilities will need a great deal of added instruction since they have not been serviced since March and returning to school with huge gaps in their instruction and neurological development. It is hoped that the Talbot School District will focus on the needs of this student population and the Planning Committee of community members and parents will heighten their awareness of Federal laws and compliance to IEPs as well as the consequences of ignoring such legislation.
Dr. Fran White