Calcasieu school plans updated
Published 6:00 pm Saturday, April 25, 2020
The Calcasieu Parish School Board released a series of academic updates on Friday.
While final grading policies and curriculum plans are forthcoming, the district said opportunities for remediation are in the works for qualifying students.
Holly Holland, spokeswoman for the district, said qualifying students include those “who might have experienced academic challenges in previous nine-week periods of the current school year.”
Interested parents or guardians should email their teachers to determine remediation eligibility, she said.
Teachers will soon be holding virtual office hours. The hours will serve as a designated time for teachers to communicate via email and make sure Blackboard sites are being refreshed and kept current, Holland said.
“At this point learning is vital in the educational journey of the students so this is a dedicated time to sit down and really work on those sites so that students can remain engaged,” Holland said.
Individual schools will determine the dates and times of the virtual office hours and families should consult school websites on May 4 for detailed instructions.
Plans to celebrate the Class of 2020 are underway with high school principals submitting plans for live and video graduation ceremonies; however, graduation plans will not be finalized without guidance and approval from state governing entities in light of stay-at-home orders and restrictions on public gatherings, Holland said.
“If video graduations take place, each student will have the opportunity to receive their diploma from their principals and take photos.”
Photos from the ceremonies will then be compiled and shared with all senior families.
With one month left in the school year, the district is gearing up for “more robust online instruction,” Holland said. CPSB will soon deploy 12 school buses equipped with mobile WiFi throughout the district in an effort to provide free WiFi to students, staff and community members.
The bus sites have not been finalized yet, but Holland said they will certainly be set up in areas that have a high need for access.
“And, of course, they will be mobile so if we have a day where we don’t have much traffic, we have the ability to move them,” Holland said. “That’s the beauty of it.”
For students without consistent WiFi or device access, schools are still continuing to provide printed packets of instruction, Holland said. Such families should consult school websites for details on pickup dates and times.
“Even in May, if they were in the classroom they’d still be leaning, so naturally we hope they’re doing the same at home,” she said. “Nothing is graded simply because we can’t guarantee equal access and accommodation for 32,000 students. But we strongly encourage families to be engaged in learning at this time and we’re certainly going to provide the resources for this to happen.”
Visit www.cpsb.org/coronavirus for more updates on the Calcasieu Parish School Board’s coronavirus response.
