Many families accept that learning losses can be recovered, but death and chronic illness cannot. gap for marginalized and atypical learners, and the return of that investment is poor. Skip To Navigation; Skip To Content; Skip To Footer; Sign in. In addition to only a four days’ notice, the plan’s deadline for choice fell on a Sunday, the last day before the holiday break. This commitment to not only uphold, but advance academic achievement/college readiness, is further reiterated by their statement that, “A continuous improvement cycle must be used in all aspects of the district to ensure the highest quality of education is maintained over time.” Experts in mental health and even the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges that when we are in a state of survival, such as a global pandemic, we should be lowering expectations of one another. Students in pre-K through second grade, in addition to sixth and ninth grades, can resume face-to-face learning on Jan. 19 as the district begins phasing in students. Under the guise of academic achievement, CSD invests in a model that serves only the highest achieving students, at the neglect of closing the achievement gap for marginalized and atypical learners, and the return of that investment is poor. Parents and teachers protest the City Schools of Decatur plan to reopen in-person learning by gathering in front of the school’s headquarters in downtown Decatur … Editor’s note: Prior to the publication of this letter, Decaturish asked Superintendent David Dude to respond to claims made by the author. CSD needs leadership that truly prioritizes equity and demands that equity is the guiding principle for every decision that is made. DECATUR, Ga. - Teachers from the Decatur City School District rallied silently in front of the school board headquarters Tuesday to express their concerns about the new plan … The global pandemic of COVID-19 has only magnified the flaws and inequities of most institutions, especially healthcare and education. Naturally, these District achievements have had a drastic impact on the city of Decatur at large. Copyright © 2019 Decaturish - Locally sourced news. Despite a commitment to addressing equity concerns by incorporating equity initiatives into its strategic plan and establishing an. Share . Everyone has an equal opportunity to submit a letter to the editor. The Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights, a group that advoca... tes on behalf of Black residents and students in Decatur, on Friday released its official position on City Schools of Decatur’s school reopening plan. A Decatur teacher holding a sign simply reading, "No". An equitable plan would return students based on the highest needs, starting with high needs kids whose parents do not have the financial resources to mitigate learning losses or developmental regressions caused by a virtual learning model. Above all, the CSD Board of Education needs to change our district leadership. U.S News and World Report lists Decatur High School as #20 in it’s ranking of top high schools in Georgia. Your support keeps our content free for everyone. Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Decatur High School students test in all categories well above the state averages and 95% of them graduate. The gentrification of the city compromised its racial and socio-economic diversity by sky-rocketing housing costs and property taxes, thus resulting in a community that has now become unaffordable for the average middle class family. [adsanity id=”56022″ align=”aligncenter” /], [adsanity id=”59106″ align=”alignleft” /]  [adsanity id=”52166″ align=”alignright” /], To advertise with Decaturish, click here or email advertise@decaturish.com. As a former Head Start family member and volunteer for the Beacon Hill, I reached out to the Decatur Education Foundation, to help find emergency childcare placement for these families and try to connect the displaced teachers with the job opportunities as CSD Pod Facilitators. In summary, after 4 years, a staggering 51.3% of 2014 DHS graduates had not earned nor were they working towards a post-secondary credential. CSD plans to bring Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students back for in person learning on Jan. 19, though students and families can opt to remain virtual. If a family opted for virtual learning, they would have to remain in virtual learning for the remainder of the year. What was most concerning of all, is the original make up of the committee lacked any representation from our Black community and their advocate organizations. Updated 2021-2022 Decatur City Schools Calendar. Families who do not have the resources to mitigate learning loss or developmental regressions tend to also lack the resources to mitigate the financial devastation a COVID infection could bring their family. CSD made no effort to reach out to its partner organizations like the CSD Black Parent Alliance (CSD BPA) , Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights (Beacon Hill), or the Special Education PTA (SEPTA) to bring their voices to the conversation. Many children with special needs are also burdened with co-morbidities of health that make COVID a greater risk for them. Parents can choose to continue virtual learning or return for in-person instruction; however, this reopening plan is contingent upon coronavirus data and the level of community spread. By all standard measurements to that end, CSD has undoubtedly succeeded. The makeup of the committee was disproportionately represented by parents who had organized for a Face to Face choice for all and it pitted experts against experts in outlining details of the plan, that included two separate recommendations for whether metrics like community spread and hospital capacity should be considered or not. “One size does not fit all. Over the past 10 years, CSD has seen. DORCHESTER CO., Md. Any person working with low-income families, knows that email is the LEAST reliable way to reach these parents. Both plans include staggered in-person schedules and hybrid learning models. Theinitial plan was to begin a phased return for in-person instruction by mid-October, but after several protests, teacher resignations and new public health data, district officials reversed their assessment. CSD also recognizes that Students learn best alongside peers with a teacher in the room with them.”. Describe contingency plans for a second wave or reoccurring waves of COVID-19 infections. Those partner organizations also pointed out that many members of the Black and disability communities would elect to remain in virtual learning due to increased risk of adverse consequence from COVID-19 for those communities and requested that the CSPC include a subcommittee to address improving virtual learning. Learning experiences must be designed to meet the needs of individual students, while challenging each student to reach the next level of success. Decatur, GA — About 50 parents and teachers gathered outside the City Schools of Decatur’s central offices on Sept. 22 to protest the announcement that in-person schooling would resume in phases beginning October 12. Baltimore City Council members ask schools chief to reconsider reopening plan Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun 17 hrs ago Ohio provider suspended for mishandling, spoiling Covid vaccine doses Write a letter of your own. CSD originally offered a reopening plan that was loosely based on student needs, prioritizing mandatory evaluations and assessments for special education, 504, etc., conducted 1-on-1. Instead, these members had to appeal to Dr. Dude to be added to the committee after the deadline. Virtual learning will take place for all grade levels within CSD from Jan. 5 - 15, according to a CSD newsletter. Decatur City Schools is excited to be partnering with the Amazon Future Engineer program, which is going to fund computer science professional development. Morgan County and Decatur City Schools both included mask requirements in their reopening plans, with some exceptions for younger students and … This choice for reopening by ethnicity has followed a similar pattern in. Dr. Dude abruptly cancelled the scheduled Superintendent Town Hall, which meant that parents and school principals only had two days’ time to ask and answer questions before parents had to make a choice with incomplete information from the district. Photo by Alex Brown . Naturally, these District achievements have had a drastic impact on the city of Decatur at large. 26.9% were unaccounted for, meaning they were either not employed in the state of Georgia and they were not enrolled in or earned any post-secondary credential from any college or university in the US. In-Person schedules and hybrid learning models decision that is made way to these. Grandchildren for years, CSD is offering two completely different and inequitable learning environments were enrolled. It ’ s offering to its families Hartselle, Morgan Co. Schools defend Fall 2020 reopening plans ( ). Only magnified the flaws and inequities of most institutions, especially experience serving special needs.. 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