3/26/20 COVID-19 UPDATE for LCCTC
The center is moving forward with its plan for continuity of education. You need to know the following:
All Teachers will push out at least 1 graded assignment the week of March 30th. They may push out more, based upon their teaching, content, and where they are in their lessons. Students are required to login to complete these assignments to receive credit. If a student fails to complete an assignment, the classroom teacher will make a reasonable effort to reach out to the student. If a teacher is unable or if a student consistently fails to complete assignments, those concerns will then be directed to the building principal.
The direction of the center is to move instruction forward. We will be assigning work and grading work, which can consist of new material.
The 3rd nine weeks has been extended by two weeks. It was to end today, March 26th. It will now end April 9th. We will verify grades and issue report cards. Report cards will be mailed by April 17th.
As of this date and time, the district will be proceeding with the established school calendar. Therefore, April 9, 10, and & 13 remain Easter break. There will be no expectation of sending or receiving assignments on those days. Until further notice, we are following the school calendar as it is. Teachers have been instructed to not push out assignments during regularly scheduled days off.
At the direction of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we were advised to create 3 contingency plans, which are outlined below.
Plan A: Return on April 7th. In the unlikely event that the state gives us permission to return, April 7th will be an Act 80 Day to prepare for students to return to school. April 8th will also be an Act 80 Day. Students would return to school on the 14th of April (their first day of attendance since the shutdown proclaimed March 13th).
Plan B: Continuing instruction through a digital platform for the foreseeable future. LCCTC COVID-19 Response Team, comprised of school administration as well as bargaining unit representatives have met and will continue to meet to plan for delivering instruction and to drive learning forward until the state gives us a return to school date. If we are permitted to congregate we will come back and resume instruction within our building. It would be our goal to return for 4 to 6 weeks of brick and mortar instruction, which may require us to extend the school year. Any extension to the school year would not go further than June 19th. If we are allowed to congregate prior, then we would plan traditional end of year activities such as prom and commencement.
Plan C: Continue through the end of the year with Remote Learning: If we need to finish the year on a digital platform, the center does not see the benefit of adding additional weeks to the calendar, and the school year would end according to the current school calendar. If the school year ends and then we are allowed to congregate, the district would explore options to traditional end of the year activities, such as a “make-up” prom or a commencement ceremony.
As we navigate this unprecedented challenge that faces all of public education in the state of Pennsylvania, we will continue to do our best and make adjustments accordingly. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at lrich@lcvt.tec.pa.us .
School Guidance from PDE can be found at the following link:
https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/Pages/AnswersToFAQs.aspx
