Dear Families:
It feels like the school year just started, and yet it’s already time to start planning for next semester.
Later this week, families of students in grades Kindergarten through 12 will have the opportunity to select in-person or virtual learning for the second half of the school year.
I know what you’re thinking…
“Second semester doesn’t start until January! Why are you asking me for this information now?”
To ensure that your student and nearly 17,000 others are appropriately matched with the classes they need, we must know who will attend in person and who will attend virtually. Our schools cannot start planning class schedules for second semester without this information, and the complexity of scheduling and staffing both physical and virtual classrooms means we need to start now.
I also understand that we are asking you to make a decision about your child’s future learning needs without a crystal ball to know what the COVID-19 situation might look like in January and beyond.
As a parent of school-age children, I get it.
And while I can’t offer any guarantees on what 2021 will bring, I can share some data about what we’re seeing so far.
Since the start of the school year (August 31, 2020):
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A cumulative total of 1,101 FHSD students and staff have been quarantined due to close contact with a positive case.
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Of those 1,101 precautionary quarantines, only nine (9) close contacts later tested positive for COVID-19. That means 99% of individuals quarantined as a result of exposure did not contract the virus.
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And of those nine (9) that became positive, six (6) cases were likely the result of close contact with a family member or other situation occurring outside of school.
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What this data tells us is that there is very little, if any, spread of COVID within our buildings.
Yes, we’ve had to quarantine a number of students due to possible exposure, but those students are not contracting the virus.
Seventeen FHSD schools had zero positive cases last week, and to date, not a single building has had more than nine active cases at any given time. On average, about two positive cases are reported across the District’s 23 buildings each day. That’s two total cases among a community of nearly 20,000 students and staff.
Our numbers are where they are because of the things we’re doing. The things you’re doing.
We can’t let our guard down now. We have been successful at minimizing the impact of COVID in our buildings because all of us – students, teachers, staff, families – are following the health and safety protocols the District put in place at the beginning of the year.
And so, I invite you to start thinking about your child’s learning needs for next semester. FHSD will continue to offer both in-person and fully virtual options for the remainder of the school year. Families will receive the enrollment form later this week and will have until midnight on November 2 to respond. Much like the first semester survey, you will be asked to commit to the learning option you select for the entire second semester.
As you’ll remember, the District’s in-person learning plan includes the option to move to hybrid or full virtual learning based on the situation. You have my personal guarantee that the District will act appropriately to protect students if we see evidence of COVID spreading in a particular building. As your superintendent, I remain committed to act, but not over-react, when the situation requires.
To learn more about our in-person and virtual learning options, visit the COVID-19 resource page on the District website.
Thank you for your partnership.
Sincerely,
Dr. Nathan Hoven
View the Second Semester Enrollment Form.