The Clear Creek Independent School District will hold in-school instruction with the appropriate safety and COVID-19 prevention measures in place, as well as offer families a high-quality, rigorous and engaging online experience through the newly-developed Clear Connections Online Learning Program.
“We are prepared to welcome children and staff back to school on Aug. 18. Our team has been working around the clock to provide a physically safe and emotionally secure learning environment,” said Superintendent of Schools Greg Smith. “I know this time is met with many emotions from excitement to fear, and everywhere in between. My message to our staff, students and families is that it will be okay. We will, as we have always done, rise up, lock arms, and work together for all children.”
The Safely Reopen Plan, released July 8, reflects the recommendations developed by the Safely Reopen CCISD Committee. The committee of health professionals, educators, parents, students and community leaders met weekly, sought and received public input, and relied on subject matter experts to make recommendations.
LONGER DAYS
As part of what the District is calling “Brick and Mortar” education, Clear Creek ISD will extend the school day by 10 minutes to allow students and staff time to implement safety protocols while protecting instructional time. Students, staff and visitors will wear face masks/coverings — as mandated by the Texas Education Agency on July 7 — when physical distancing of six feet is not possible. The Clear Creek ISD facilities department is working with campus leaders to maximize space in the classroom as much as possible. CCISD’s traditional student-to-teacher ratio remains in place.
If at all possible, CCISD is encouraging parents to transport their children to school. If this option is not feasible, the parent needs to elect for bus transportation on the CCISD Back to School forms. Face masks/coverings must be worn on all CCISD buses. Buses will be cleaned between each run and at the end of each day.
MODEL OUTLINED
In the Safely Reopen Plan, the school district outlines an instructional model that provides for a continuation of instruction in the event a classroom or a school must move to an intermittent School-to-Home instruction model due to COVID-19. In this mode of instruction, students will receive real-time instruction from their teacher in a classroom. The intermittent School-to-Home learning will mirror a typical school day with authentic instruction from a student’s teacher, scheduled breaks, small group and self-paced instruction.
CCISD has also developed a COVID-19 Standard Response Protocol with five distinct stages of operations. CCISD’s superintendent, coordinator of health services, and newly-appointed Clear Creek ISD COVID-19 response coordinator will closely monitor health reports at each campus and support facility. If necessary, this team will move a school or support facility to the appropriate level and communicate those protocol measures to the public.
DAILY REPORTS
Each day, parents and staff will receive a daily report to inform them of any changes to the school’s operating stage. While the protocols provide District leadership guidance on how to respond, the school district will always err on the side of caution and may take additional steps in any one stage.
“Transparent and timely communication is paramount to us maintaining public trust in our school operations,” Dr. Smith said. “We will be diligent in our communication, educate parents and staff on the safety protocols in place, and always remind people that if you do not feel well, stay home.”
If parents do not feel comfortable sending their children physically to school, they have the option to enroll into a complete online learning program. Clear Connections Online Learning Program provides students an engaging and rigorous curriculum delivered by CCISD teachers in real-time as well as opportunities for self-paced instruction. This program is offered to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Students must have reliable internet and access to a computer during the school day, Monday through Friday. This is not a self-paced platform; students will be required to attend online school every day and on a set schedule, like a course schedule. Students enrolled in Clear Connections will be eligible to participate in on-campus extracurricular activities at their home campus.
AVAILABLE JULY 13
The application form will be available on Monday, July 13. More information about Clear Connections Online Learning Program can be found at clearconnections.ccisd.net.
“Parents and students need to know that this is not a vacation. It is not early release or late arrival either. Students will have a set schedule to be online with their teacher the majority of the day,” said Smith. “GPA and class rank will be tied back to their home high school campus and in the event the student wants to go to the Brick and Mortar model following one grade period, they can.”
Clear Creek ISD will follow all state and federal requirements, rely on local health experts for guidance in decision-making, and adopt reasonable practices while maintaining an effective learning environment, Dr. Smith added.
The District will hold a virtual meeting regarding the Safely Reopen Plan on Thursday, July 9 at 11 a.m. via www.ccisd.net and through its Facebook feed. Due to the volume of participants, the comment section of Facebook will not be used as a question and answer forum.
For the latest information on CCISD’s Safely Reopen Plan, visit www.ccisd.net/reopen
