On Monday, the Asheboro City Board of Education met for a scheduled work session which consisted of reviewing the district’s reentry plans and local COVID-19 data. After much heartfelt discussion and based on guidance from local and state public health officials, the Board charged Superintendent Dr. Aaron Woody, along with the district's leadership team, with developing a modified plan for remote learning to start the 2020-2021 school year.
Today we announce our plans to delay moving into Plan B. Starting August 17, all students will work remotely from home with the exception of elementary students, and sixth and ninth grade students. For these students, this first week (week of August 17) will be an orientation week where families will sign up for time to meet with teachers, pick-up necessary materials (including computer devices), and learn the classroom management system. Thereafter, all students will work remotely until September 21, 2020. Schools will be sending information about orientation dates and times.
Please understand - we believe wholeheartedly that students need to be in school to learn best. Children need time with teachers. They need to be with their friends and support groups. School is an essential part of the health and wellness of children. It is why we have worked diligently to look at every way possible to make safely reopening school in the fall, a reality. However, given the status of our community having one of the highest infection rates in our state, we see hard, scientific data that show we are not through the worst of this pandemic. Therefore, going back to school for our communities and families is still of great concern to our Board and me.
We assure you remote learning will look different than it did in the spring. Over the summer, our instructional team has worked very hard to develop comprehensive educational plans for online instruction. Student schedules will also provide for a full instructional day. Our teachers will be assessing students to gauge their understanding of instructional concepts and grades will be administered to reflect student work and progress. Additionally, our Exceptional Children team is working to ensure our EC population is well-served. Finally, as we continue to navigate these unprecedented times, we remain committed to communicating with you through every step of process. We know keeping you informed is one of the best ways we can ensure our students are successful.
This was a very difficult decision, as we want our students in school. But the safety and health of our students, their families, and our staff must remain our number one priority. Please stay tuned as more information about the 2020-2021 school year becomes available.