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MHPS Ready For Learning FAQ
MHPS Ready For Learning FAQ
Question Answer
What day does school start? Thursday, August 13, 2020
What instructional delivery method options MHPS will offer two instructional delivery
will be available to our children next year? methods for the 2020-2021 school year:
BLENDED LEARNING: Students who are
classified as blended learning students will
primarily attend school on-site in our
buildings. Blended learning students may be
required to become remote learners due to an
outbreak of illness or other event (including
inclement weather and other school-related
emergencies). Blended learning students will
use our online learning management system,
Canvas, consistently during on-site
instruction so that they will be familiar with
the system in the event that they must
transition to remote learning. Blended
learning students might also be scheduled in
some on-site classes and some off-site classes
if they have transportation available to and
from school during their scheduled periods.
REMOTE LEARNING: Students enrolled in our
Bomber Virtual Academy (BVA) will be MHPS
students who access all their learning
remotely. That means that they will not
attend classes on our campuses. They will be
enrolled in classes taught by MHPS teachers
Ready For Learning
2020-2021 School Year
Frequently Asked Questions
through our online learning management
system, Canvas. These students will be
taught the same standards with the same
curriculum as our on-site students.
When will we select our child(ren)’s delivery A survey will go live the week of July 6 that
method, and can we change our minds after will ask parents/guardians to indicate which
we have made the decision? learning model they plan to select for their
child(ren). This is not a commitment to a
specific model, but it will allow us to follow
up with parents who are potentially
interested in enrolling their children in BVA.
By July 31, parents/guardians who are
interested in the BVA option will be asked to
make a formal commitment to their
child(ren) enrolling in BVA. After a
commitment is made, students will only be
able to transition back to on-site schooling at
the end of a quarter unless the Director of
Student Services deems it necessary.
Students who do not begin the year in BVA
will not be allowed to transition to BVA until
the end of a quarter unless the Director of
Student Services deems it necessary.
What if I want my child to participate in Yes, the blended learning model will allow for
on-site instruction, but the child or someone students to work from home when
in my household is immunocompromised and extenuating circumstances arise. Building
a local outbreak occurs? Can I keep my child administration must approve the temporary
home for a period of time and then send move to remote work.
him/her back to school?
Can my child mix and match virtual and Yes. A blended learning student may register
on-site classes? for some classes on campus and some off
campus in a consistent schedule format.
Parents of these students will be required to
provide transportation to and from school
during these transitions.
Will students be required to stay inside all No. Some aspects of the regular school day
day without breaks outside the classroom? will look different with student safety in
mind. However, our goal is to have the most
“normal” school day possible. This includes
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2020-2021 School Year
Frequently Asked Questions
younger students still attending special
classes and recess.
If my child attends school on campus, will No, your child will not be required to wear a
he/she have to wear a face mask? face mask at school, but the use of face
masks for students 10 and older is highly
recommended.
New information is emerging every day on
how the coronavirus spreads and the best
ways to protect against COVID-19. The most
effective protections include good hand
hygiene and practicing physical distancing.
However, wearing cloth face coverings in
public when physical distancing can’t be
maintained offers an additional layer of
protection against the spread of COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and the
Arkansas Department of Health are advising
the use of cloth face coverings to slow the
spread of the virus. It is strongly
recommended that adults and students age
10 and up wear face coverings when physical
distancing cannot be achieved (6 feet apart
or less).
Keep in mind: we will follow guidance given
to us by ADH and DESE, which means that if
their directives for us change, so will this
procedure.
What will bus transportation be like? Will my MHPS will continue to offer standard bus
child be required to wear a mask on the bus? routes for students.
All students age 10 and over are strongly
recommended to wear a face covering at all
times while on the bus. It is recommended
that students under the age 10 wear a face
covering where practical, due to the bus
being a confined area where physical
distancing is not feasible. This does not imply
that students should be denied
transportation due to not having a face
covering. There may be exceptions for
Ready For Learning
2020-2021 School Year
Frequently Asked Questions
students with health, sensory, or other
conditions. This should be addressed on a
case-by-case basis.
How will the district provide special Our special education department will work
education services to students who are with students and their families to develop a
learning remotely? plan for remote learning that best fits the
needs of the individual student. Parents are
encouraged to contact the MHPS Special
Services Department at 425-1247 for
additional information.
Will the district provide interventions Yes, interventions will be provided through
(including Dyslexia interventions) to my our remote platform.
child if he/she enrolls in BVA?
Can my child participate in BVA if we do not No. Adequate internet access will be essential
have adequate internet access? in the homes of students participating in
BVA.
Will the district provide my child with a Yes, the district will provide your child with a
digital device (Chromebook) and other Chromebook and standard school supplies.
supplies if he/she enrolls in BVA?
Will children in on-site classes be required to We do not have specifics on lunch schedules
eat lunch in their classrooms each day? yet, but our intention is to allow students to
eat lunch in the cafeteria while maintaining
appropriate social distancing. We’re looking
into additional lunch shifts, alternating days
that classes go to the cafeteria, etc.
I already enrolled in FlexPath and Yes, our FlexPath students who already have
on-campus schooling. Is that still allowed? set schedules will continue to follow those.
Will parents be provided with any digital Yes. BVA parents and guardians will be
learning training? provided with specific training for how to
assist their children with online learning.
Parents of blended learning students will
also have training opportunities where they
can learn more about the Canvas learning
management system and the features
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available.
If my child enrolls in BVA, will he/she have to Yes. BVA students will be required to come to
come to school for state-mandated testing? campus a few times during the school year to
take state-mandated testing. More
information about those testing
requirements will be shared later.
Will my elementary-aged child still have the Yes. Our elementary students will still
opportunity to participate in special classes participate in special classes with additional
(music, art, PE, library skills, guidance, safety measures in place.
STEM, computer lab, etc.)?
Is physical spacing required between No, however our educators will adjust their
students in the classroom? classroom layouts to provide more physical
distancing when possible.
Will visitors (like parents who want to eat In an effort to lessen exposure to the virus,
lunch with their children) be allowed on MHPS will not allow visitors on campus when
campus? school starts in August. It is our goal to allow
visitors to return to our campuses as soon as
we believe it is safe for our students,
employees, and their visitors.
Will contracted workers who work at Yes, but each of those workers will be
multiple places (i.e. speech therapists, etc.) be prescreened in the front office before being
allowed in our buildings? allowed to enter the schools.
What is the school district’s procedure if In the event an individual tests positive, we
someone on campus tests positive for will follow the latest guidance from the ADH.
COVID-19? We will be in direct contact with ADH. This
could result in a brief closure of a single
school within the district to provide time for
additional cleaning and sanitation.
What daily cleaning procedures will be In addition to normal daily cleaning duties,
added to help prevent the spread of during COVID-19 and flu, both day and night
COVID-19? custodial staff will be required to clean and
disinfect the following items and areas at
least daily:
1. Restrooms/Bathrooms:
a. Door Knobs or handles
b. Light switches and cover plates
c. Paper towel dispenser knobs or handles
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d. Faucet handles
e. Toilet and urinal flush levers
f. Toilet and urinal partitions, doors
(including knobs, levers or slides)
2. Lunchrooms/Cafeteria after breakfast
and lunch:
a. Table tops
b. Door Knobs or handles
c. Light switches and cover plates
d. Vending machine buttons
e. Drinking fountain
3. Locker room:
a. Door Knobs or handles
b. Light switches and cover plates
c. Other items identified locally
d. Outside of lockers
4. Classroom and office space:
a. Door Knobs or handles
b. Light switches and cover plates
c. Telephones
d. Desks and seating
e. Pencil sharpener
5. Other locations:
a. Elevator call and operating buttons
b. Stairway handrails, doorknobs, light
switches
c. Hallway door knobs, handles, drinking
fountain faucets
d. Hallway lockers
For areas requiring deep cleaning, a bleach
and water will be used, with a 10-minute
contact time.
Aerosol foggers will also be used when
needed.
Custodians will also be required to make
daily checks, and refills when necessary, to
all hand sanitizers.
These procedures are subject to change
based on ADH guidance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will water fountains be in use in the school No -- at least not when school begins. Parents
buildings? are encouraged to send their children to
school with bottled water. All of our
campuses have water bottle filling stations
that students may use to refill their bottles
throughout the day.
What do I do if my child tests positive for Parents should immediately contact their
COVID-19? child’s school building to inform them.
Parents should follow the guidance from
their physician and the Arkansas
Department of Health as to when to allow
their child to return to school.
New questions and answers added 7/2:
Will band and choir still be offered? We plan to offer choir and band in the fall,
although we will ultimately use state
guidance to make that decision. Our staff is
currently looking at plans and guidelines for
how to safely conduct these activities.
Will teachers and staff be required to wear Teachers and staff will wear masks when
masks? appropriate social distancing is not possible.
We will continue this practice until state
guidance indicates that it is safe to make
adjustments.
How will parents be trained in the new Parents who enroll their children in BVA will
Canvas learning management system? need more in-depth training than those who
have students in the blended model, but we
believe all families need some guidance in
this new system. Our Family and Community
Engagement representatives from each
building will work on plans for
parent/guardian training on Canvas. We are
also considering a parent/guardian training
opportunity during open house this year
with scheduled time slots to avoid having too
many people on campus at one time. As plans
for training opportunities are finalized, we
will share them publicly on various
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Frequently Asked Questions
platforms including the Ready For Learning
page on our website.
Even the blended learning path will require One reason we elected to adopt Canvas as
some access to the internet if we have to our learning management system was the
transition to off-site learning for any period offline feature. Canvas allows a student to
of time. What will families who do not have connect to the internet, download
access to the internet do in a situation like assignments and materials onto a device,
this? work offline, and then connect to the internet
again at a later date to upload those
assignments.
We will still have free WiFi areas available to
families in the event that we have to utilize
off-site learning, but having the capability
for students to download work and work
offline should prevent families from having
to spend hours at a time at a free WiFi site.
If I choose the BVA model of instruction for BVA students will interact with teachers
my child, what will his/her interaction with consistently, but the channels of
a teacher look like? Will parents be required communication will be different than a
to sign something saying they will monitor student who is attending class on campus.
their child’s progress weekly if they choose Depending on the grade level/subject area,
this model? students will communicate with their
teachers through video chats, emails, and
even phone calls (when necessary). Parental
involvement will be key for making BVA a
successful experience for students. Parents
of BVA students should expect consistent
contact with teachers and must commit to
maintaining consistent communication with
school personnel.
Will additional bus routes be added to We do not have complete plans for bus routes
decrease the number of students on the bus? at this time, but we will release those plans
as soon as they are finalized.
Will the blended model include students Although many options were discussed as we
rotating for on-campus instruction to limit began our Ready for Learning plan, we
the number of people in the buildings at one decided to offer the all-remote BVA plan for
time? Was an option like this considered? families who want to limit their child’s
exposure to others. Families who feel
comfortable sending their children to school
with larger groups of students will keep them
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Frequently Asked Questions
in the blended model.
Will there be packets available for students No. Packets will not be utilized in place of
in BVA or during a school closure for blended digital work for BVA students or for blended
students? students in the event of a closure. It is our
hope that additional parent training (which
we were not able to provide this past spring)
will help parents as they navigate the
challenging components of digital learning
with their children. Canvas has an excellent
parent portal area that provides lots of
valuable information to parents as they help
monitor their children’s progress from home.
Will new students who enroll after July 31 We will do our best to accommodate new
have the opportunity to enroll in BVA. students if they are interested in enrolling in
BVA. There is no guarantee for placement in
BVA after July 31, but we will certainly try to
make room for them.
If masks aren’t required in the classroom and We will continue to encourage students to
adequate physical spacing is not possible in wear masks in areas where physical
those classrooms, how do you plan to keep distancing is not possible.
students safe?
We will continue our enhanced daily
sanitizing measures.
We will reduce opportunities for students to
be in close contact with one another when
possible.
Ultimately there are no options that offer
zero risks, but we can and will work
diligently within the guidelines we have been
given to mitigate the risks when possible.