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Dear CH-UH Families, Staff and Community,

At last night’s Board of Education special meeting, the Board voted in favor of the District starting the 2020-2021 school year under a remote (all online) learning model for all students. This means that families who have chosen one of the two online models will move forward with these plans as they currently stand. For families who have chosen the blended or in-person models for their children (or were unable to submit a choice at all), we will soon reach out and assist them with making a decision for their online model of choice.

The vote came after District administration and I presented updates to the draft reopening plan and discussed aligning our reopening decisions with the state’s Public Advisory System, more commonly known as the County Alert Levels 1-4. After a nuanced discussion, the Board concluded that the Alert Level on September 2 is unlikely to be lower than our current status of Level 3, and therefore starting the year with an all-remote model would be the safest decision for all. And in order to give District leaders enough time to properly plan for a District-wide remote model, the vote needed to take place that same night. You can watch the presentation and discussion here, and find school reopening information on our website here.

 

How long the District will remain in the remote learning model has not yet been determined. I will consult with District leadership and bring a recommendation to the Board at their next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, August 4.  

 

Preschool/Pre-K 

Preschool will also operate virtually for the start of the 20-21 school year in accordance with the K-12 plan. Students who were registered can opt to participate by paying $106.00 per month, which will cover the technology, instruction, supplies, and resources, or choose to have a spot held for when our in-person learning returns (date TBD). Students who have special needs (IEP) can access the virtual program and services with no fee. 

Staff will be in contact with families about their choice for participation during the week of August 3. Chromebooks and at-home learning kits will be distributed to the families participating later in August at the Gearity Early Childhood Center, along with orientation materials. Please email Erin Hanna at [email protected] with questions.

Chromebook distribution
The District will be providing a Chromebook to every kindergarten through twelfth grade student before the school year begins. Some families already had one Chromebook issued to them during our spring COVID-19 school closure, but our goal is to make sure that every student has their own device to be successful with online learning in the new school year. The distribution schedule can be found here.

I understand that you may have a lot of questions about the next steps. Our planning committees will continue working on the many various details of our all-remote learning, including enrichment support for families who may find themselves in a difficult spot due to work commitments, etc. Please know that I will be in frequent communication over the coming days, and we will do everything we can to assist you in making the transition into the 20-21 school year as smooth as possible.

Sincerely,
Superintendent Liz Kirby