Now, CSD will make the argument that this is fair and equal because every family had the choice. Positivity rates greater than 10 percent will require online-only learning for all students, the AJC reported. Please click on the link to see the full 2021-2022 school … Letters to the editor are opinions of the authors of the letter, not Decaturish.com. The dashboard data will be updated each … Those partner organizations also pointed out that many members of the Black and disability communities would elect to remain in virtual learning due to increased risk of adverse consequence from COVID-19 for those communities and requested that the CSPC include a subcommittee to address improving virtual learning. Morgan County Schools, Decatur City Schools address reopening Leaders at Morgan County Schools and Decatur City Schools plan to reopen and send kids back August 12th, however each district has a different approach. Once again, CSD is demonstrating how it consistently confounds equality with equity at every turn. This choice for reopening by ethnicity has followed a similar pattern in Fulton County and in CSD’s last published data on parent choice by ethnicity. Decatur City Schools Superintendent Michael Douglas says … Next work session: Jan. 11, 2021 at 2 p.m. Parents and teachers expressed concerns over the safety of returning to in-person schooling while COVID-19 is still spreading substantially in DeKalb County. “CSD also recognizes that Students learn best alongside peers with a teacher in the room with them.” This is indisputable common sense and it is severely lacking in context with regards to facing a global pandemic that has killed 350,000 Americans, 585 of which are educators. Virtual learning will take place for all grade levels within CSD from Jan. 5 - 15, according to a CSD newsletter. CSD officials also created an overview one-sheet of each school's schedule as of Dec. 17. DEKALB COUNTY, GA — City Schools of Decatur and DeKalb County Schools have updated their reopening plans for the second semester of the 2020-21 school year. All rights reserved. Under the guise of academic achievement, CSD invests in a model that serves only the highest achieving students, at the neglect of closing the. He allowed the CSD BPA representation, but when the designated representation from Beacon Hill requested to join the Student-Focus Sub-committee that had NO representation from Black community members or their advocates, Dr. Dude rejected the request. These children will get “hands on” learning and individual support in ways that virtual students will not. Updated 2021-2022 Decatur City Schools Calendar. Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? They need to hire paraprofessionals for every elementary classroom so that all the students with IEPs, 504s, and EIPs aren’t corralled into the same classrooms, overwhelming teachers with paperwork and increased demand for differentiating learning for a multitude of complex learning styles and abilities. While CSD recognizes that “one size does not fit all” that is exactly what it’s offering to its families. Adapted Curriculum/Program Special Education classes, … As with many efforts in CSD, the committee moved forward despite severe under-representation from members of its most vulnerable communities. DECATUR, Ala. (WAFF) - Monday at 10 a.m. Decatur City Schools superintendent will be discussing the district’s plan to reopen with in-person classes. CSD needs a superintendent that will reestablish trust among administrators, teachers, staff, and parents and unites the entire community around serving each and every one of our kids. Instead, these members had to appeal to Dr. Dude to be added to the committee after the deadline. Decatur City Schools Reopening Plan Video. However, CSD’s singular focus on academic achievement and college readiness overwhelmingly benefits high-achieving students, many of whom are white and/or come from families of high socio-economic status. A Decatur teacher holding a sign simply reading, "No". For most students, this means attending school in-person with their teacher and peers.”, This commitment to not only uphold, but advance academic achievement/college readiness, is further reiterated by their statement that, “, A continuous improvement cycle must be used in all aspects of the district to ensure the highest quality of education is maintained over time.”. Learning experiences must be designed to meet the needs of individual students while challenging each student to reach the next level of success. Decatur, GA — City Schools of Decatur on Jan. 4 confirmed the district intends to bring some students back for The global pandemic of COVID-19 has only magnified the flaws and inequities of most institutions, especially healthcare and education. Mild but wet through the end of the year Video. Decatur, Hartselle, Morgan Co. Schools defend Fall 2020 reopening plans. In one of many botched approaches towards developing a reopening plan of our schools, CSD assembled a 60 person committee, The COVID-19 Stakeholder Planning Committee (CSPC) in a most inequitable way. City Schools of Decatur's COVID Reporting Dashboard is now linked on our website. Public and private schools in the Tennessee Valley are announcing their back-to-school plans. CSD made no effort to reach out to its partner organizations like the CSD Black Parent Alliance (CSD BPA) , Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights (Beacon Hill), or the Special Education PTA (SEPTA) to bring their voices to the conversation. Everyone has an equal opportunity to submit a letter to the editor. As with many efforts in CSD, the committee moved forward despite severe under-representation from members of its most vulnerable communities. While the Georgia Department of Education and CSD claim to have adopted a motto of “Compassion over compliance,” they refuse to change grading or assessment models that would relieve the academic pressures that contribute to the mounting stress and mental health crisis the global pandemic is causing students and families. Photo by Alex Brown . Schools Reopening 20-21; Plans; Morgan County Schools Road Map to Re-open Schools 2020-21. As we saw in NYC schools, where white wealthy parents were effective in forcing a school reopening; when given the choice, Black families keep their kids home, regardless of the cost to their learning. The gentrification of the city compromised its racial and socio-economic diversity by sky-rocketing housing costs and property taxes, thus resulting in a community that has now become unaffordable for the average middle class family. … Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. This means that CSD, by its own measures and standards, fails over half of its students, even the ones who appear to be on the right track for college readiness. The plan told parents if they failed to make a selection in four days’ time, they would be defaulted to virtual learning. Skip To Navigation; Skip To Content; Skip To Footer; Sign in. Yet, the City Schools of Decatur begins Tuesday bringing back pre-K-5 students under a hybrid schedule. Next assessments of reopening plans, should they change, will be presented at upcoming board meetings for both districts: Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, Coronavirus updates: Minnesota begins vaccine lottery; world on brink of 100 million infections as global deaths set record, Johnson & Johnson on track for 100 million vaccine doses by end of June, bolstering US supply. If the rate increases, the number of in-person school days for students and staff will decrease. Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here. Reopening Plans 2021; In-Person Learning Schedule & Procedures; COVID-19 Stakeholder Planning Committee; CSD COVID-19 Safety Manual ; CSD COVID-19 Reporting Dashoard; Glennwood Elementary; CSD COVID-19 Reporting Dashboard . 28.5% of graduates were still enrolled in post-secondary. As a result, CSD is pouring all of its resources into bolstering the viability of its new in-person model at the cost of the students who need to remain virtual for physical health and safety. Those families who lack the resources to mitigate CSD’s failure at serving their special needs kids, remain stuck and struggling in a learning environment that tells them that they need to be an IB model student. DORCHESTER CO., Md. Decaturish.com Sep 30, 2020. This is indisputable common sense and it is severely lacking in context with regards to facing a global pandemic that has killed 350,000 Americans, 585 of which are educators. Decatur, GA — During the Oct. 13 Decatur School Board meeting, district officials announced that students would not return to classrooms until January. Those are the kids making up the 5% who don’t graduate from Decatur High School. Over the past 10 years, CSD has seen unprecedented growth in enrollment as families, sharing the same value for high academic achievement and college readiness, moved here for the school system alone. In acknowledging that an in-person learning environment is the gold standard of education, it is also admitting that its virtual option is sub-standard. The Executive Session will begin at 5:30 p.m. and the Board meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m. Decatur City Schools Re-opening Plan 2020 Jul 21, 2020 Jul 21, 2020 Updated Jul 21, 2020; 0; Facebook ... Decatur City Schools may begin virtually if 'very high risk' category does not drop. Families who take the health risk to return to in-person learning get the benefit of a smaller class size, with a teacher ratio no greater than 15:1, although with small physical classroom spaces at the lower elementary schools, those ratios improve to 12:1 and 10:1, depending on classroom capacity. Neighboring Cobb and Fulton county school districts are resuming remote learning for some schools through the rest of 2020, the districts announced earlier this week. Those are the children who are being disciplined at higher rates than their peers. lists Decatur High School as #20 in it’s ranking of top high schools in Georgia. Many children with special needs are also burdened with co-morbidities of health that make COVID a greater risk for them. Write a letter of your own. The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, a group that advoca... tes on behalf of Black residents and students in Decatur, on Friday released its official position on City Schools of Decatur’s school reopening plan. Dude acknowledged receipt of the questions via email but has not responded to two follow up requests for comment. , CSD Leaders have failed to move the needle in terms of addressing the disproportionate outcomes affecting the academic achievement of and the disciplinary actions against its marginalized students, particularly the Black students. Schools have been closed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To support us, click here. Learning experiences must be designed to meet the needs of individual students, while challenging each student to reach the next level of success. CSD originally offered a reopening plan that was loosely based on student needs, prioritizing mandatory evaluations and assessments for special education, 504, etc., conducted 1-on-1. 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