The opening plan for Elizabethton City Schools… Fluid situation remains as schools set sights on opening August 5th
Published 12:29 pm Wednesday, July 15, 2020
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders New Director of Schools Richard Van Huss addresses the board and those in attendance as he speaks of plans for the school system's reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton resident Robin Mottern addresses the board prior to the business portion of the Called Meeting during the time set aside for citizens to speak.
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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
The number one question on the minds of students, teachers, parents, and the Elizabethton community is what will the opening of the school year 2020-2021 look like for city schools.
During a called meeting on Tuesday evening, newly elected Director of Schools Richard Van Huss answered that question as well as others.
“I want to start by thanking the committee that has worked many, many hours working on the plan,” said Van Huss. “This was not just one person but a group of people and I would suggest that the board would recognize those people at a future board meeting.
“There are about 20 people that worked on this plan – there are teachers, administrators, health care workers, and the Carter County Health Department has been involved all along the way. We all understand the stress that we are under as a community and a school system on how exactly that we move forward.
Van Huss admitted that there are many different opinions across the board from those that may feel that the safety of their student is more important while others rely on the school system for their family units to survive.
“There are people across the spectrum on what they feel is important,” Van Huss continued. “There are those that don’t feel comfortable with their students coming back in that setting with that many people being together and on the other side, there are individuals that feel like their family unit is going to look very different if I don’t have somewhere to send my children where I can work and make a living.
“My question is who is right – and in my opinion both are right. Every family has to make the decision so there are no easy answers. There is no perfect plan. This plan is flexible enough to make adjustments. It will continue to evolve as we move forward.”
With the ever-changing landscape due to the COVID-19, the school system has made its initial decision to open with in-class instruction with a platform being developed for those that choose to remain at home to learn.
“Today our intention is to move forward with opening schools with in-person instruction for students,” Van Huss stated. “We are also going to offer a virtual opportunity for students and parents who don’t feel comfortable with their students coming back and the virtual instruction will look different than what it did in the spring – it will be new learning and staffed by our teachers.”
There will be many factors that will be looked at even as school approaches it’s opening date to determine if changes will need to be made right up to the day school is set to open and will be evaluated on a daily basis after reopening with the input of the Carter County Health Department and the regional health department.
Opening plans have been posted online at the school’s website.
The school will work under five guiding principles that are as follows:
1. We will be transparent. We will share what we know and what we don’t know. We will use the Epi Curve data from the Tennessee Department of Health to see what stage we are in. We will be clear about what we can control and what is outside of our control.
2. We will be equitable. We will center decisions on what is best for all students, families, and educators, especially those most impacted by educational inequities and COVID-19.
3. We will listen. We will bring together diverse stakeholders and experts to
A. Understand the realities on the ground
B. Surface creative solutions.
4. We will put safety first. We will leverage science, data, and public health leadership to inform the choices we make.
5. We will be decisive. Given the size and scope of the challenge, we must move deliberately and make tough choices. We will make mistakes, and we will adapt quickly as variables on the ground change.
In other timely business matters, the school board approved GoinsRashCain, Inc, as the construction manager for the restroom and roof renovations at T.A. Dugger Jr. High.
Also, the board approved the Guaranteed Maximum Price Amendment between the school system and GoinsRashCain, Inc. for the completion of the hardening of the entrances at Elizabethton High School, Harold McCormick Elementary, and East Side Elementary.
The amount is not to exceed $343,600.
Another timely decision was to approve a date when the Navy National Defense Cadet Corps (NNDCC) program at Elizabethton High School would start.
Van Huss praised Travis Thompson for all the hard work that he had put in on the project as well as securing several donations for the new program.
The board unanimously agreed to implement the program in the 2021-2022 school year. If funding is not available, the board felt there was enough flexibility to use teachers at the high school that has had prior military background to assist with the program.
Also, the 2020-2021 organizational chart for Central Office Employees was approved.
Prior to the business portion of the meeting, Robin Mottern had requested to address the board with questions in regards to the opening of schools. Mottern brought out several points that the board revisited in talking about reopening plans during the meeting.
The board will have its regularly-scheduled meeting next Tuesday, July 21 evening at the Central Office board meeting room at 6:30 pm.
