Minutes – 08/25/2020

Communication Advisory Team

1. Welcome and Introduction – Susan
2. Minutes from August 11 meeting
3. Group Roles
   1. Facilitator – Susan and Megan
   2. Note Taker – Megan

 

1. Open discussion: Feedback from last week’s town hall forums
   1. Question about kindergarten and how this will be run – parents wanted to know if children will start on the 14th
      1. Superintendent Swartz was able to address – screening for incoming K will be on 9/14…students will start on the 21st
      2. Swartz also indicated that protocols will be forthcoming this week from health and safety – this is for clarity of communication. This information may be coming to advisory groups as early as Saturday
   2. Parent asked how virtual will be run at the elementary level
      1. More information will be forthcoming – we are still working on this
   3. District will take down the older Q&A and replace with updated Q&A information
2. Draft letter to families: Help Us Keep Our Students & Teachers Safe
   1. Help Us Keep Our Students and Teachers Safe
   2. A letter to families asking families to help with essential hygiene, mask protocols, and keeping children home when ill
   3. Changes/comments back to the group by Monday morning – final copy will be shared at Tuesday’s meeting 
3. Draft Outline for Updates and Protocols Communicated to Families/Teachers:
   1. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tGxw87_3B75v7DF6SgYZClVPDN5yjrZgKcl83zIOooc/edit?usp=sharing 
   2. An outline calling out important updates for families and dedicated sections to be filled with information from the committees on protocols once these are shared with us
   3. Put as much of this information as possible on two websites being created by Liz Fawcett. This will help streamline information for families/teachers as a one stop shop.
   4. Not yet ready to address athletics and the Gov’s remarks about athletics. We are working on this as it pertains to coordination within the region.
   5. Seeking guidance from DOH and school physicians about what to do if children have a cold or seasonal allergies. More guidance will be forthcoming.
   6. For virtual only students – they will still participate in an orientation process to become acquainted with our tech platforms
   7. Parents would like to know how attendance will work in situations where children are ill/showing allergy symptoms but following the protocols to stay at home. Superintendent Swartz indicated our attendance policies are being reviewed and will be shared with families once we have understood how the state will request this information from schools.
      1. At the secondary level, the expectation may be for students to log in to the virtual component of their classes even when at home
      2. At the elementary level, the district is reviewing options. 
4. Questions / Comments / Housekeeping Items

Next Meeting – Tuesday, September 1 @ 5:30