PSD is working on plan to return to classrooms

School board gets say on youth’s return to learning in August, if state directives don’t prevent it

Polk School District is putting together a plan for what re-opening their doors will look like in August, with a lot of moving parts still to be determined in the process as a presentation is being organized for the Board of Education’s approval.

Superintendent Laurie Atkins said work is happening in committees all across the district as plans are being formulated, and decisions made on how best to follow the recommendations posted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in past weeks, and what is realistically going to work.

“As we close out the 19-20 school year, we are busily making plans and preparations for 2020-21. I realize that with the release of the bewildering CDC considerations, a lot of questions have been raised. Please keep in mind that these are considerations and are not mandates at this point. The plan is like a living document, changing daily as new information if provided to us,” Atkins said.

The main goal is to ensure that students are able to return to classrooms without fear of additional spread of COVID-19, but within boundaries that make sense. However, the guidelines put forth by the CDC aren’t requirements, giving some leeway in planning for how to best reopen campuses locally to youth.

Atkins said before any student is allowed back in the classroom, the Board

of Education will have to sign off on the plan to return to education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board will hopefully have the plan to review by their June regular meeting.

“As the District receives information from the state department and Governor’s office, we will make updates to the plan and communicate it to the community once approved by the board,” she said.

Currently, the district serves 8,003 youth in the ten Polk School District schools. Students have been out of the classroom since mid-March, when campuses statewide were closed by order of Governor Brian Kemp due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

School is set to return on August 3 based on the Academic Year calendar passed earlier in the year. That date is subject to change based on any new start date directives that may come from the state or governor’s office.