Kent County Public Schools is devoted to staying firmly anchored in excellence. We remain deeply committed to ensuring that every child receives a quality education that promotes equity, rigorous and engaging curriculum, and offers a safe and nurturing learning environment. Kent County Public Schools has taken careful consideration in developing the reopening plan for our district. The instructional models will depend on which Phase of Reopening is permitted. 

Each model has been thoroughly reviewed and has included input from stakeholder groups and then reviewed by taskforce groups to ensure the following:

• Promoting the safety, welfare, and health of students, employees, and families.

• Mitigate educational inequities by creating structures and supports that respond to challenges faced by various populations as informed by data

• Providing high quality teaching and learning to all students. 

• Prioritizing the social-emotional well-being of students and staff.

Will teach students synchronously and work their normal contract hours either remotely or in the building if deemed safe.

 

Will assist in virtual classroom and breakout rooms to support student needs during synchronous instruction either remotely or in the building if deemed safe.

 

Will work with teachers and building principals to provide student supports either remotely or in the building if deemed safe.

 

Other Service Providers

Will provide services virtually and work their normal hours either remotely or in the building if deemed safe by their supervisor.

 

Will carry out normal duties remotely or in the building if deemed safe.

 

Custodians and Maintenance Personnel

Will work normal contract hours working on projects in the buildings they serve as directed by their supervisor.

 

Will work their normal hours preparing meals for delivery.

 

Will work with the supervisor of transportation for schedules to deliver meals to different parts of the county.

 

Will work their normal hours either remotely or in the building if deemed safe by their supervisor.

Each day, elementary students will have an opportunity to:  

• Receive live, remote instruction from their teachers, five days weekly

• Join their classmates for class meetings and social-emotional learning experiences.  

• Engage in small groups for instruction as needed.  

• Work independently on assignments and projects.  

• Take movement breaks and screen breaks throughout the day.  

• Have lunch and playtime independently and with family.  

• Participate in special area class instruction in art, music, library, and physical education. 

 

Each day, middle and high school students will have an opportunity to:  

• Receive live, remote instruction in all of their courses for a minimum of four hours each day, five days each week.  

• Engage in small groups for instruction as needed.  

• Request individual support from their school counselor. Work independently on assignments and projects.  

• Take movement, lunch, and screen breaks throughout the day.

 

The safety of students and staff is KCPS’ first priority. KCPS hopes the school system will return to normal operation as soon as possible because five days of in school face-to-face schooling is the most effective option for students. 

 

The Fully Remote option will require students utilize the Learning Management System (LMS) Schoology to participate in remote assignments and activities, view videos for learning, submit assignments for feedback and grading, engage with digital tools and software, and attend teacher-led synchronous sessions.

 

The delivery structure or instructional interval for the hours of live instruction will vary based upon the developmental age of the students, research on effective models for online instruction, and course enrollment. Student attendance will be recorded daily and teachers will follow traditional grading and reporting procedures for student work and assignments. Special education and related services will be provided in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

 

The school-based Fully Remote option ensures:

• Relationships are valued.

• Maryland College and Career Ready Standards will serve as the foundation for instruction.

• Emphasis will be placed on moving from maintenance of skills to fully engaging students in the approved curriculum.

• Learning options and supports are provided through staff at the building level.

• Change is minimized when students transition from fully remote to face-to-face.

As part of the Fully Remote option, staff will provide academic instruction to students Monday through Friday by engaging with students in Schoology, responding to work submitted in the platform or via phone or email. Office hours, email communication, and additional supports such as screencasts and recorded examples will be available daily.

 

Independent assignments will be provided each Friday. This time will be dedicated to staff to provide some small group and/or individual synchronous instruction and support to student equity. It will also allow for continued professional learning opportunities to increase proficiency with remote learning tools. Teaching teams will meet on Fridays to continue to plan and coordinate instruction.

 

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards (MDCCRS) prekindergarten through 12th grade will be taught in all content areas and the State Frameworks are followed for each content.

 

In the event of a prolonged state of emergency, KCPS will use the prioritized key standards identified by the Maryland State Department of Education. Grade level and curriculum teams will design lessons and resources to support standard specific instruction which focus less on the entire scope and sequence and more on the key standards essential for the next grade level or course. Future planning will ensure that all MDCCRS from pre-k through grade 12 are taught in all areas and that the frameworks for each content are followed. KCPS administrators will continue working with teacher leaders to streamline curriculum to prioritize content for each KCPS course. Curriculum, instruction, and assessment will align with MDCCRS as well as Physical Education and Health curriculum K-12 and World Language in middle and high school. Course offering guides have not changed and articulate course requirements and expectations to families and students.  

 

Kent County Public Schools will establish a system for tracking attendance when students are engaged in fully remote learning.

 

Attendance in learning is integral to students’ academic growth and success. KCPS recognizes the need for consistent attendance; however, our procedures will not fail a student for attendance but every effort will be made to contact families if the student’s presence is unclear. Mental health and community service staff will help support families in order to encourage and promote consistent attendance. 

 

While under unique learning circumstances during a prolonged state of emergency, students will be accountable for their attendance. KCPS will return to the attendance policy and procedures with exception to the loss of grades due to attendance. Students not in attendance will be monitored by the truancy office and held accountable.  

To provide equitable opportunities for all students the documentation of attendance when students are not in a school building will consider the following:

• A student should be counted as present for the day in Powerschool if they engaged in some type of school activity. Teachers will engage with students on a daily basis..

•Schoology will be another tool used to help track student attendance/engagement history.  While we recognize that this will work for the majority of students, we will not use this method solely.  Instead we will also consider those who are unable to log in consistently due to outside constraints. 

• Barriers may occur from completing activities during school hours.  Students must still meet requirements for engagement/attendance each academic day.

• Clear and consistent communication regarding attendance and engagement are vital.  KCPS will utilize all resources to promote student attendance and support families during the prolonged state of emergency.

 

Among those students whose needs demand equity are our students who are disproportionately impacted by structural inequities, students with disabilities, English learners, and students who are living in and experiencing poverty. Additional consideration may also be given to students at the transitional grade levels: Kindergarten, Grade 6, and Grade 9 as well as gifted and talented students.

 

Subcommittees will work to make sure that the following are kept in mind: 

• Providing every student with equitable access to the educational rigor, resources and support

• Academic success

• Social-emotional well-being

• Eliminating any obstacles students may have to access educational opportunities

• Applying an equity lens as we develop every aspect of our transition plan

• Identifying and addressing the impact on all students with strategic focus on marginalized student groups.

 

Additional small group instruction/support sessions will be provided to identified students in order to meet their need for additional academic or social-emotional support. Moreover, each school will provide additional learning opportunities based on needs as identified by the schools. These extended learning opportunities may include one-on-one and/or small group instructional support from teachers and instructional assistants, either remotely or site based.  

Kent County Public Schools will follow the established Special Education protocols.

 

During a prolonged state of emergency, Kent County Public Schools and the Kent County Infants and Toddlers program will provide services to all families through a virtual platform. In light of the circumstances, IEPs and IFSPs with parental input will be amended to provide services. All services will be provided virtually to help ensure the health and safety of staff, families, and children.

 

Some students can receive FAPE by accessing their special education and/or related services through a virtual means as determined by the IEP team. Those students may access their special education and/or related services using Schoology or other virtual platforms where they will receive their specially designed instruction designed by the special educator to make progress in the general education curriculum. These schedules will vary based upon the individual needs of the students as outlined in the child’s IEP and consist of utilizing the specially designed instruction the child needs to access and make progress in the curriculum. This may include:

• Break out rooms in small groups provided by a special education teacher or instructional assistant.

• Individually meeting with a special education teacher or instructional assistant.

• Teaching specific goals from the amended IEP that are foundational to the student’s mastery of the general content.

• Assisting students to organize their projects and assignments.

• Working through a student’s anxiety.

• Pre-teaching a concept that will be covered in the general content in the coming days utilizing SDI the child needs to access and make progress in the curriculum.

• Re-teaching a concept that was recently covered in the general content that proves difficult for the student.

 

General education and special education teachers will co-plan, co-teach, and co-assess students through the virtual platform used for instruction in the general education classroom. Instructional assistants and or special education teachers will support students with disabilities in these virtual classrooms and breakout rooms. KCPS will continue to follow the existing protocol for the implementation and referral process of 504s, which is in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

At the time of the prolonged state of emergency, KCPS staff will administer benchmark assessments at the beginning and the end of the prolonged state of emergency to determine where their students are instructionally, identify the learning gaps, and prepare a path for instructional success and recovery.

 

KCPS recognizes that despite our best efforts to engage all students during the pandemic, many students experienced challenges that took a toll on their learning progress. We know this loss of learning was most critical for those who were already experiencing learning gaps prior to the closure of schools, but we also recognize significant learning gaps for students who were on grade level. Assessments will be provided by teachers in order to understand the most critical skills and content knowledge necessary for bridging learning gaps. Intervention strategies and remediation will be redesigned to accelerate student learning in order to engage in grade level standards. Teachers will engage in professional development to learn how to best address learning gaps through best practices, differentiated instruction, grade level standards, and respond to the social, emotional, and cultural needs of our student body. We will scaffold instruction based on data in order to determine standards, and implement the best model for curriculum development.

 

• Diagnostic tasks administered to determine unfinished student learning

• Local systemic reading assessments will be provided to students in kindergarten through grade 8 to determine students’ independent reading ability. 

• Content supervisors and coordinators will work with teachers to determine appropriate assessments to identify student learning gaps and how to address any gaps. This may occur through formative assessment strategies such as observations of students, remote representations, student feedback, summaries, self-assessment, or short quizzes. 

• In many courses, students will complete a benchmark, unit, topic, or performance-based assessment that will inform the teacher of the student’s mastery of the standards measured.

 

KCPS will utilize assessment data to frequently monitor and adjust instruction and attend to learning gaps to provide equitable access to rigorous learning experiences.

The KCPS Superintendent, is the communication officer. The Superintendent works in collaboration with the Central Management Team (CMT) and principals to direct public communications, and address inquiries from parents, media, and the general public. We believe the KCPS plan will be better supported if communications are integrated from the outset. 

 

The Kent County Public School System is committed to open, honest, and ongoing communication. This communications plan is an outline for clear communication efforts. We believe it is critical to use every tool possible to communicate key messages with our school community promoting public awareness, understanding, and support of the district and its initiatives while simultaneously creating new lines of communications forming pro-active partnerships that facilitate student achievement. We hope this plan serves as an effective way of doing things that expresses to the students, parents, staff members and community that our district is dedicated to serving the educational needs of the community to the highest degree possible. The plan is a working document that will be reviewed every six months allowing KCPS to monitor and adjust actions and communications based on evolving needs to support the district’s direction, purpose, and beliefs. 

 

• We have the responsibility to communicate effectively with our stakeholders 

• Meaningful public engagement supports the district’s goals  

• Effective communication is a two-way process involving both internal/external publics  

• Comprehensive communication increases student achievement.  

• Communication is the responsibility of every employee in this district. 

 

Through the implementation of this plan the following desired behaviors and attitudes are the focus:

 

Students, faculty, staff, administrators, volunteers, and members of the Board of Education

• Keep informed on key issues affecting the district and students

• Work as a high-performing organization whose employees respect and value each other as well as customer feedback

• Exhibit district values of caring, integrity, and collaboration

Parents, Parent-Teacher Organizations, Business Leaders, Faith-based Groups, Civic Groups, Community Partners, Elected Officials, Media, First Responders, and other members of the Kent County Community

• Support KCPS through active participation

• Feel engaged and involved in KCPS

• Exhibit community pride and trust in our schools and district

 

We hope our students, parents, staff members and community will connect with us through the following channels:

• District (http://www.kent.k12.md.us/) and school websites 

• Automated calls/text messages/emails 

• Social media (Facebook, Instagram)

• KCPS Mobile App

• Media press releases 

• KCHS Radio Station- 90.5 WKHS (http://www.wkhsradio.org/) 

• Two-way communication email tool ([email protected])

• PowerSchool

• Schoology

• Interim reports and report cards

• Communication/agenda books, weekly folders

• Conferences 

• Building newsletters 

• Specialty mailings (annual reports, individual student assessment reports) 

• Outdoor signage

• PTSA/Booster meetings 

• Focus groups

• School board meetings

• BoardDocs

 

Every effort will be made to offer all communication with families in their native language.

 

Goals are listed in no particular order and should be recognized as integrated activities for achieving long-term success.

• Develop and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders to strengthen support for KCPS.

• Enhance the image and public opinion of KCPS.

• Establish an effective employee communication plan to improve internal communication and employee engagement.

• Utilize a variety of media to maximize awareness and support of the district’s goals, objectives, and programs.

• Support members of the Board of Education in their efforts to engage the community around district issues and initiatives.

• Maintain an effective Emergency Operations Plan and Building Handbook policy and procedures that ensures the public and staff are informed, safeguards student and staff privacy, maintains safety and protects the educational process.

 

KCPS will support families and staff in planning for remote learning through both traditional and new outreach strategies. Staff will reach out to families using multiple and ongoing strategies including automated messages, informational events, and by providing practical tips through emails, Facebook, and through parent networks. These supports will include remote learning tips, access to learning materials including technology, tech support, and family health education (e.g., mental health). 

 

Communication with ML students and families can be challenging, but KCPS has made ample use of interpreters and translators to reach non-English speaking families; 99% of the non-English speaking families speak Spanish. Via Jeenie, an interpreter app, KCPS staff will be able to reach all families to keep the line of communication open.

 

In order to ensure equitable learning for all students, whether face-to-face or remote, KCPS has increased Wifi Hotspots at all school building parking lots as well as added mobile hotspots to school buses which can travel to locations as needed. KCPS is 1:1, pre-k through grade 12, with devices and in partnership with the local government’s IT department has extended the existing fiber network, offered additional hotspots throughout the county, and identified high need areas.  

 

In the event connectivity is still an issue, KCPS will work with community partners to provide learning hubs county-wide in order for students to access internet connections and adult support. Families may choose to transport students to these geographically located hubs. 

 

Through Schoology, teachers will be able to utilize resources to engage students and customize learning for students and families. KCPS has also implemented Pear Assessment to support formative assessment and to identify critical areas in math and reading.

 

KCPS has recently shifted to a single digital platform for grades pre-k through 12. The  Schoology Learning Management System (LMS) will be utilized by all staff, students, and families. This LMS allows for digital teaching, grading, communication, and remote learning on one platform. KCPS plans to continue the use of Schoology for the foreseeable future and during inclement weather virtual days.

• Individually plated meals will be served in “clamshell” containers.

• For community distribution, cooler bags will be used to store meals and buses will deliver to students at bus stops at designated times. A bus attendant may be assigned to a bus in order to account for meal distribution.

• Food service items (e.g., utensils, dishes) will be disposable 

• Pre-packaged condiments will be provided with all meals.

• Enhanced sanitation measures will be implemented regarding student meal service in the meal preparation and food distribution.

• For students in the building, meals will be packed in cooler bags and served in classrooms instead of in the cafeteria, while ensuring the safety of students with allergies

 

Kent County Public Schools will continue their partnership with Choptank Community Health System and the Kent County Health Department to continue to provide high-quality, convenient healthcare and dental services at their school-based health center.  

 

The Coordinator of Mental Health and School Safety and the Supervisor of Student Services will work with families to help connect families with different health services available in our area.

The well-being and safety of students, educators, and staff is KCPS’s number one priority.  To rapidly return to in-person learning when it is safe to do so KCPS will consider the following:

 

Work closely with health experts and authorities to determine when it's safe to return to in-person learning. Follow their guidance on protocols and procedures.

Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the school environment. Identify potential risks and develop strategies to mitigate them.

Develop a clear communication plan to keep all stakeholders informed about the plans for returning to in-person learning. Transparency and frequent updates are key.

Implement robust health and safety protocols, including regular sanitation, physical distancing measures, mandatory mask-wearing, and screening procedures according to CDC or the local Health Department Guidelines.

Assessing learning gaps created by virtual learning to tailor instruction.

Providing targeted support for students who fell behind during remote learning.

Integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to help students adjust back to the classroom environment.

Recognize that some students and families may not be ready to return to in-person learning immediately. Provide flexible learning options, such as hybrid models to accommodate diverse needs.

Provide training and support for educators and staff on implementing health and safety protocols effectively. Ensure they have the resources and guidance they need to navigate the transition back to in-person learning.

Recognize that students, educators, and staff may have concerns or anxieties about returning to in-person learning. Offer emotional support resources, such as counseling services, to address these concerns.

Ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have access to the support they need to succeed in the in-person setting.

Continuously monitor the situation and be prepared to adapt plans as needed based on changing circumstances or new information.

 

By prioritizing safety, addressing learning gaps, and fostering open communication, schools can develop plans for a rapid and successful return to in-person learning when the public health situation allows.