Farmington: 80% Choose In-Person School

FARMINGTON — About 80% of Farmington students will attend on-site classes and 20% virtually, at least for the first semester, according to Stephanie Pinkerton, assistant school superintendent.

Farmington asked parents to sign up for the Farmington Virtual Academy by July 31 but the district continued to allow some parents to sign up the following week, Pinkerton said, adding enrollment for the virtual academy has now closed because the district needs to know how many students are attending virtual classes and how many will be on campus.

About 600 students, out of an enrollment of around 2,550, have registered for virtual school, Pinkerton said by email. She said students attending virtual school include kids from all five school buildings. Students enrolled in the virtual academy will be considered Farmington Public School students who will access their learning remotely, not on campus.

The district has asked parents to commit to virtual school for a semester, but school officials will be flexible, and any requests to change will be handled on a case by case basis.

“We want to ensure success for each student so building administrators can adjust student placement accordingly,” Pinkerton said.

The district’s 2020-21 Ready for Learning Plan, created in response to covid-19 concerns, is the culmination of meetings, discussions, research and interaction involving the district’s 27-member Ready for Learning Committee.

This committee has been meeting over the summer and includes representatives from

every aspect of the school, such as administrators, teachers, parents, counselors, child nutrition, maintenance and technology, transportation and medical.

The plan was presented to Farmington School Board at its July 27 meeting and is available to the public on the school’s website.

The plan has seven actions and assurances:

• The district will ensure the continuity of teaching and learning by providing a viable curriculum that includes blended learning for K-12 and diagnostic assessments for K-8.

• The district will address unfinished learning from the prior year.

• The district will use

a learning management system ( for virtual and on-site instruction).

• The district will provide

teaching training to support blended learning and virtual learning.

• The district will provide

support to parents and students.

• The district will provide a written communication plan for interacting with parents, students and the community.

• The district will adhere to guidelines set forth by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, Arkansas Department of Health and CDC to provide students and staff a safe learning environment.

Learning Management Systems

The district’s blended on- site instruction will include a five-day traditional classroom setting along with digital content. This will allow students to switch - or “pivot” - to distance learning if schools have to be closed temporarily because of positive covid-19 cases.

Students on-site and/or virtually will use learning management systems. These are digital platforms where a student’s curriculum and instruction will be housed.

For Williams and Folsom elementary schools, on-site students will use Seesaw and Google Classroom for their blended learning management system.

The middle school will use Google Classroom. The junior high and high school will use Google Classroom and Canvas, which comes through Virtual Arkansas.

For students enrolled in Farmington Virtual Academy, learning management systems will be Lincoln Learning/Buzz for kindergarten- eighth grade and Virtual Arkansas/Canvas for students in ninth-12th grades.

High school students enrolled in Virtual Arkansas will have teachers from that program, but Pinkerton said Farmington High staff will be available to help, and Farmington also will monitor the students’ progress to make sure they are on track for graduation.

The younger grades in virtual school will have Farmington teachers.

Assessments will be used to determine learning gaps that students may have due to the closure of traditional school on March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic. This will include diagnostic assessments three times during the year for grades K-10.

on-Site needs

To meet student needs for on-site school, teachers and staff will give socio-emotional support as students return to school, review procedures and rules, provide blended learning support and go over new requirements about personal protection equipment etiquette, social distancing and other safety measures.

The seventh action plan spells out how the school will provide a safe learning environment on campus. This includes masks required for all staff and students in K-12th grade while on campus and riding buses.

Jon Laffoon, superintendent of schools, told board members the district is purchasing protection equipment that includes face coverings, neck gaiters, face shields, gloves, plexiglass, fogging machines and touchless water bottle filling machines.

The seventh action plan also details disinfecting protocols in classrooms and buses, social distancing for safety, creating schedules to minimize students in the hallways, cafeteria and playground, limiting visitors and daily health screenings through a digital link. Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottles that can be filled at touch-free water bottle filling stations on each campus.

academic Support

Teachers will receive professional development for the learning management systems and will continue training for other academic programs. Campuses also will continue their professional learning communities so teachers can collaborate among each other to improve teaching and learning.

To support parents and students, the district will provide a Chromebook and charger for those students who do not have a device. Farmington has seven Wi-Fi hotspots around the district for those students who do not have access to internet. The district also is partnering with PG Telco for a low-cost rate for internet for those students who qualify.

Academic support will be available for students using traditional and virtual learning and teachers will be available to families for academic support during school hours through email, phone, Zoom or Google Meet, messages or for an in- person conference by appointment.

School counselors also will provide support for students and families and will be available during school hours and will have their own Google Classroom for additional help. Ozark Guidance Counseling Center will continue to provide outside counseling services to those students who need additional support.

In addition, the district will provide a written communication plan to parents, students and the community through a number of avenues, including school websites, local newspaper, text messages and phone calls, social media and email.