As our community prepared for possible impact from Hurricane Helene this fall, our last school day before Fall Break, Friday, September 27, was re-designated as an e-learning day. Hurricane Helene’s impact was more far more severe than anticipated, resulting in widespread power outages across our county.
For an e-learning day, state guidelines require student access to the learning material and that students be able to communicate with their teachers for support. Unfortunately, with most of the county without power, students were unable to access assignments, and teachers were unavailable to provide support as e-learning designation requires. Therefore, we are unable to count September 27 as an e-learning day and must instead classify it as a school closure.
To make up for this day, the district looked into multiple options. District leadership ultimately determined the least impactful solution is to use Monday, January 6—originally scheduled as a teacher workday—as both an e-learning day and a teacher workday.
What This Means for January 6:
• Students will take home their devices over Winter Break and complete assignments on Monday, January 6, using the e-learning platform. In our district, Schoology serves as the primary platform for students to access material, and having this in place is part of our e-learning approval requirements.
• Teachers will hold office hours to support students. Communication for assistance can be done through Microsoft Teams, email, or Rooms in our district’s mobile app. This setup allows teachers to work within their classrooms as they would on a regular workday while providing the required support to students. Two hours will be designated for teacher office hours on January 6. Times will be communicated to students/families.
We understand this adjustment may cause some inconvenience, and we appreciate your flexibility and dedication in adhering to state requirements. We also realize we’re fortunate to only need one make-up day, as some districts are facing the same requirements and were not closed for a fall break in the aftermath of Helene and are left with many days that must be made up.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your principal, who can bring feedback to the district leadership team. Thank you once again for your resilience, collaboration, and commitment to our students’ success.
Image by Bruce Mars, Unsplash