On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, the USD 456 Board of Education reviewed and approved the district's Continuous Learning Plan for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, by a 7-0 vote. In the document submitted to the Kansas Department of Education, the district was required to show the evidence related to waiving the district's statutory requirements for attendance hours and commit to assurances related to the guidelines set by the Continuous Learning Task Force, enrollment procedures, health and safety of students, staff, and family, and employee compensation. Additionally, the document detailed responses to questions posed by KSDE and how the district plans on meeting the demands set forth by the Continuous Learning Task Force. In approving the document, the USD 456 Board of Education agreed to submit the document to the Kansas State Board of Education for final approval. On Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the Kansas State Board of Education reviewed and approved school districts' Continuous Learning Plans in alphabetical groups, with Marais des Cygnes Valley's group passing by a 9-1 vote.
The school district is pleased to clear this final hurdle, fully establishing the plans that have been created and implemented over the course of this past month. Although this is not exactly an ideal scenario for learning, Marais des Cygnes Valley is proud to stand in solidarity with the school districts of Kansas in developing and implementing a response for learning as our communities attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way. From students and parents providing feedback during the development phase, to teaching staff developing plans for how they can provide education remotely, to kitchen staff committing to continue to provide food service to our community, to our maintenance staff diligently disinfecting our facilities, to our office support staff continuing to help manage our buildings and district, to our paraeducator staff committing to support our students and teachers in any way possible, and to our transportation staff pledging to serve in roles they may be unfamiliar - we are looking forward to continuing our work in the education and support of your students and families and finishing the year on a good note.
For more information on the guidance of the Continuous Learning Task Force: https://sites.google.com/ksde....
For more information on the district waiver application: https://5il.co/f48n