Back to school
July 2020
Dear Parents,
As we continue to examine the current health status of this pandemic, factors pertaining to our county, and concerns expressed by of our ABLE family, we realize that our best plans are subject to change. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, families and community continues to be our greatest priority, as well as the academic success of our students.
Based on the responses we received regarding your decision to send your students on campus for face to face learning or keep them at home to learn virtually, most of you chose the virtual option. We understand your concerns with meeting face to face in light of the current status of this pandemic. We appreciate and value everyone’s feedback.
We are aware of the mixed concerns regarding the decision that was made by the Henry County Board of Education on Thursday, July 16th regarding their revised “back to school” plan. As mentioned in this Emergency Call Meeting, there had been a rise in COVID-19 cases of more than 600 in just the time period between July 8th and July 16th. Though the Henry County School System has a well-developed plan to bring students back on campus, they determined that it was in the best interest of their approximately 43,000 students and 6,000 staff to only offer a virtual option until further notice. They have also decided to delay school reopening until August 17th to allow their teachers adequate time to train and prepare for the school year.
Our staff and school leaders have been meeting to determine the best course of action for ABLE based on the vast amount of current information we have received. Though there is an abundance of factual and conflicting information regarding COVID-19 and current conditions, please know that it is our goal to make prayerful, well-informed decisions that are in the best interest of our ABLE family and community.
We are a small school and have much fewer students and staff to plan for than the Henry County School System. Nevertheless, each one of our family members is extremely special and important to us. As a result, please see our revised plan that affords us the best opportunity to reopen as safely and academically prepared as possible. We cannot wait to see all of our students on campus, and hopefully we will all be together again very soon. We covet your prayers and support as we continuously navigate through these uncertain times and develop a “new normal” for our school.
reopening revisions
July 22
First Day of School for All Students: August 17th
There will be many changes that will take place in our learning environments. Based on the start of teachers’ contracts, they usually have one week to plan and prepare for a typical new school year. Due to the atypical nature of this coming school year, our teachers will need more time to train and prepare for all of the COVID-19 related safety and academic changes that will take place.
We will also take this time to prepare our students and parents for the reopening option they selected.
100% Virtual Classroom (Option 2) from August 17th- August 28th.
We will not offer face to face learning during these 2 weeks. Our teachers will teach all students remotely through our live virtual classroom. Please see Option 2 on our reopening plan for more details. During this time, we will also work with all parents to ensure they understand the functions and expectations of the virtual classroom as their child experiences this learning environment. This experience is necessary for all students for one or more of the following reasons:
1. You have chosen Option 2 as your child’s method of learning.
2. If your child is sick or absent for some reason, they may participate in the virtual classroom.
3. If mandates by governing authorities compel us to transition to the virtual option at any time during the school year, all students will be set up in the system and trained to use the virtual classroom.
Face to Face (Option 1) Available- August 31st
For those who wish to send their student(s) to the campus for face to face learning, this option will be available on August 31st. At that time, we will implement all of the safety guidelines listed under Option 1 of our reopening plan. We anticipate being better informed and equipped regarding best safety practices within a school setting.