Dear Parents, The Rankin County School District (RCSD) team has been working diligently on a Smart Restart plan for opening school for the 2020- 2021 school year. With approximately 19,000 students, 40,000 parents, and 2,600 employees, many difficult decisions have been made while knowing we will not be able to please all due to the uniqueness of everyone’s personal situation related to COVID-19. However, we want you to know the health and safety of our students and employees has always been our top priority. The first goal of the RCSD Strategic Plan reads, “We will all experience a safe, healthy, and inclusive learning environment.” Of course, COVID19 has shed a whole new light on this year’s health and safety planning process. We have intentionally and conscientiously dissected the possibilities, processes and procedures of a school day in order to develop a plan that would meet the needs of the majority of our families. Many stakeholders have been involved in the planning process. The RCSD Board of Trustees, district leadership, principals, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, and many other employees have played a huge role in the development of the Smart Restart Plan. We have also created a Smart Restart Task Force whose mission is to problem solve and to provide insight and advice related to reopening. The task force consists of representatives from each of our eight communities such as parents, teachers, special education teachers and parents, principals, medical professionals, daycare directors, law enforcement officers, local and national public officials, and business leaders. Within this task force, a Medical Team was formed consisting of two pediatricians (one is also an internal medicine physician), a family practice physician who is also the chair for the Mississippi Medical Association, a nurse practitioner, a school nurse, a pediatric occupational therapist, a Rankin County Health Department nurse, a Region 8 Mental Health director, and our district counselor. They have committed to assisting us throughout the year to support a safe reopening of our schools. (SEE THE ATTACHED SMART RESTART TASK FORCE LIST.) Parent and employee surveys were also collected and analyzed which provided us with the highest number of responses in the history of this administration. This valuable information was used to guide us as we made decisions. The district also continues to stay updated on the guidance provided by local, state, and national public health officials. As you can see, we are taking the reopening of our schools during the COVID-19 pandemic very seriously. We are committed to doing what’s right for our students and educators. Know that all RCSD employees and the Board of Trustees are passionate about their professional purpose, which is to protect and educate our most valuable assets—YOUR CHILDREN. In closing, as you know, people move to Rankin County because of its amazing communities and excellent schools. While we may have different opinions and you also have some difficult decisions to make, we can all agree our childern are watching and learning from us during this incredibly challenging, historical time. It is imperative that we all join together during these difficult times to support our children. We may be social distancing, but we can do this while modeling patience, flexibility, grace and love as we move forward TOGETHER. **The following pages will explain how we plan to reopen our schools. Frequent changes could be made throughout the school year based on COVID-19 concerns, or hopefully, its mitigation in our schools and communities guided by the directions from the Governor’s Office, the Mississippi State Department of Health, and the Mississippi Department of Education. Individual schools will provide policies, procedures, and processes for their specific and varied environment.
(signature or graphic of letter is on the rcsd website)
Serving you, Sue Townsend, Ph.D. Superintendent of Education Rankin County School District
Comment
Comments