INSTRUCTIONAL& OPERATIONALCONTINUITY BRIEFING, Vol. 2(Updated April 20, 2020)

Emergency School & Facility Closure Information

INSTRUCTIONAL & OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY | Governance Team

Henry County Schools is on an ambitious pursuit to be the fastest-improving and highest-achieving school district in the metro-Atlanta area while prioritizing student connectivity and belief in the capability of all children.

Ambitious Pursuit

Unified GovernanceAn system for educating, led by the Henry County Board of Education

The Henry County Board of Education will unify our team of professionals and our community with the purpose of providing every opportunity for our students to progress in their learning and growth while ensuringthe safety of both students and sta�.

Committed to Learning Continuity

Dr. Pam NuttDistrict 1

Josh HintonDistrict 2 - Chair

Holly CobbDistrict 3 - Vice Chair

Sophe PopeDistrict 4

Annette EdwardsDistrict 5

Mary Elizabeth Davis, PhDSuperintendent

Learning & Performance

Technology/Information Systems

Operations

Family & Student Services

Finance

Essential Spending

School Leadership

Human Resources

Communications & Public Relations

Policy, Planning & Systems Improvement

Legal Compliance

Positive & Inspiring Headlines

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INSTRUCTIONAL & OPERATIONAL CONTINUITY | Table of Contents

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Learning & Performance In light of the Governor’s mandate to close school facilities for the duration of the 19-20 school year, clarification and direction was provided to our HCS community on how we would approach remote learning for the final five weeks. It is broken into three sections: Academic Administrative Decisions, Summer Learning Recovery Options and School Year Recovery Opportunities. Academic Administrative Decisions - Class Rank, Valedictorian/Salutatorian and Latin Honors Calculations Graduating Class of 2020: Valedictorian/Salutatorian and Class Rank calculation for 2019-20 school year will be determined using the cumulative weighted numeric average (CWNA) earned at the end of Semester 1 in December 2019. Final Grade Calculations for All Levels: 12th grade: Teachers will utilize the higher grade after evaluating both options:

• Use Quarter 3 grade as the semester grade. • Accept & grade remote learning work and use to calculate Quarter 4 grades. Use Q3 & Q4 grades to calculate semester

grade as would normally occur. • Any student who has a failing grade in both scenarios articulated above will receive an Incomplete (I). Summer

opportunities will be provided for the student to attempt grade recovery in order to be a summer graduate. If the student is unable to successfully complete grade recovery before the start of the 2020-21 school year he/she will be classified as a retained 12th grade student.

9th -11th grade (and students taking HS courses in MS): Teachers will utilize the higher grade after evaluating both options: • Use Quarter 3 grade as the semester grade. • Accept & grade remote learning work and use to calculate Quarter 4 grades. Use Q3 & Q4 grades to calculate semester

grade as would normally occur. • Any student who would earn an F as the semester grade will be given an Incomplete (I) rather than an F and will be provided

options during the Summer and/or the school year for unit recovery. • A student has until the conclusion of Semester 1, December 2020, to recover units and earn a grade. In the event this

does not happen, a student will receive his/her grade as calculated at the end of Quarter 4 with missing grades calculated into the average.

K-8th grade: Teachers utilize the higher grade after evaluating both options: • Use Quarter 3 grade as the semester grade. • Accept & grade remote learning work and use to calculate Quarter 4 grades. Use Q3 & Q4 grades to calculate semester

grade as would normally occur. • Any student who would earn an F as the semester grade will be given an Incomplete (I) rather than an F and will be provided

options during the Summer and/or the school year for unit and learning recovery.

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Retention Only a student who has been on a school’s academic concern list during Quarter 3 or before can be considered for retention. As such, no new student can be added as a retention candidate, so absence from school or inability to participate in remote learning experience will not impact retention. Students who are recommended for retention will be offered a face to face summer learning program in July (see dates in summer learning opportunity section). Students who attend will be re-evaluated at the end of the summer learning program to determine if they meet the criteria to move on to the next grade level. For ESE students, an IEP team can make decisions in the best interest of students. In the event a parent requests retention, a committee comprising the child’s teacher(s), parents, and administrator will be brought together to evaluate the child’s progress and present levels, the parent’s concern, and make a decision based on the recommendation of the majority of the committee. Summer Learning Recovery Opportunities Elementary and Middle School - Face to Face Summer Programming All students who end the school year with an Incomplete, or are recommended for retention, will be invited to participate in the Henry County Schools 3 week, face to face summer learning program in July. Operations:

• Monday-Thursday, 8:00am - 2:30pm • July 6 - July 23 • Transportation will be offered • Breakfast and lunch will be offered through Summer Meals program

An individual learning plan for Quarter 4 unit recovery will be provided by the student’s teacher in the course denoted as an Incomplete based on units needed for recovery, and the retention plan provided by the school committee will determine the plan for students who have been retained.

• K-5 Summer School is only available for learning recovery/retention support in Math and ELA. • The 6-8 Summer Learning Program is only available for learning recovery/retention support in Math, ELA, Science, and

Social Studies. Virtual Unit Recovery Virtual modules will be available for specific units of instruction to complete unit recovery from Quarter 4, as needed for students to complete credits. This will be available to students who earned an Incomplete because they were unable to complete assignments during remote learning. Technology learning labs will be made available on-site at the face to face summer school locations for student access to technology if needed. Additional Support for Students Served by ESE Any additional support needed, such as Extended School Year Services, will be determined by the IEP team.

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High School - Face-to-Face Unit Recovery All students who end the school year with an Incomplete will be invited to participate in one or more weeks of the Henry County Schools 4 week, face-to-face summer learning program in late June-July.

• Monday - Thursday for students identified as needing unit/grade recovery in the last term (Quarter 4), 8:00am-2:30pm • June 29 - July 23 • Transportation will be offered • Breakfast and lunch will be offered through Summer Meals program

Unit Recovery from Quarter 4 will be provided in the following content areas. A student will be able to recover units for one course area in a given week.

• Week One: Social Studies/Health & PE • Week Two: ELA/CTAE (selected broad offerings based on school data and student need) • Week Three: Math/Fine Arts • Week Four: Science/World Languages

Virtual Unit Recovery Virtual modules will be available for specific units of instruction to complete unit recovery from Quarter 4, as needed for students to complete credits. This will be available to students who earned an Incomplete because they were unable to complete assignments during remote learning. Technology learning labs will be made available on-site at the face to face summer school locations for student access to technology if needed. Impact Summer School Available for any student in need of full course recovery or initial credit. Additional Support for Students Served by ESE Any additional support needed, such as Extended School Year Services, will be determined by the IEP team. School Year Learning Recovery Opportunities Elementary School (1-5*) - Classroom Instruction for All Students For the first two weeks of the school year (Aug 3-14) teachers will provide a review of Essential Quarter 4 standards and skills from the previous grade focused on ELA and Math. Teachers will use existing assessments (F&P, MAP, District Formatives, etc.) to determine student-specific gaps in standards mastery and skills development. Unit Planning Guides will be revised to include a “Pre-Requisite Skills/Standards” section calling out those building-block standards and skills that will need to be intentionally planned for to address potential gaps specific to Quarter 4 of the previous year. Progressions will be adjusted to allocate additional time, as needed, for the prerequisite skills/standards, as well as to pace the grade-level content starting August 17th. *Kindergarten will proceed as usual.

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Additional Support Time for Students with Remaining Learning Gaps from Quarter 4 Schools will provide additional support to students who were unable to attend face-to-face summer school, or are in need of additional learning recovery. This additional support will be provided through: Extended school day

• After School student support 2:30-4:30 • Utilization of EIP teachers placed on a flexible 8:30-4:30 schedule • Individual learning plans for students based on identified learning recovery needs from Quarter 4

Tutoring/Saturday Classes/Intersession • Before/after school tutoring; and/or • Saturday school; and/or • Fall Break

Additional Support for Students Served by ESE/504 ESE and 504 students will participate in all learning opportunities listed above. Any additional supports needed will be determined by the IEP or 504 teams. Middle School - Classroom Instruction for All Students For the first two weeks of the school year (Aug 3-14) teachers will provide a review of Essential Quarter 4 standards and skills from the previous grade in ELA, Math and as applicable to Science and Social Studies. If not applicable to Science and Social Studies, no review is necessary.

• Teacher will use existing assessments (MAP, District Formatives, etc.) to determine student-specific gaps in standards mastery and skills development.

• Unit Planning Guides will be revised to include a “Pre-Requisite Skills/Standards” section calling out those building-block standards and skills that will need to be intentionally planned for to address potential gaps specific to Quarter 4 of the previous year.

• Progressions will be adjusted to allocate additional time, as needed, for the prerequisite skills/standards, as well as to pace the grade-level content starting August 17th.

Additional Support Time for Students with Remaining Learning Gaps from Quarter 4 Schools will provide additional support to students who were unable to attend face to face summer school, or are in need of additional learning recovery. This additional support will be provided through: Tutoring/Saturday Classes/Intersession

• Before/after school tutoring; and/or • Saturday school; and/or • Fall Break

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Instructional Focus (IF) Students in need of learning recovery will be intentionally grouped into IF sections for support in the applicable content area (Math, ELA, Science or Social Studies). Unit recovery modules will be utilized to direct the learning on appropriate standards from Quarter 4. Additional Support for Students Served by ESE/504

• ESE students will also focus on the mastery of IEP goals and objectives. • Instructional Focus (IF) support time is in addition to “Connections” classes, not in lieu of “Connections.” • ESE and 504 students will participate in all learning opportunities listed above. Any additional supports needed will be

determined by the IEP or 504 teams. High School - Classroom Instruction Courses dependent on building block standards from the previous year’s content (i.e. some Math, CTAE, World Language and ELA etc.) will be addressed as follows. All other High School courses will remain as-is. Teachers will use existing assessments (MAP, District Formatives etc. as applicable) to identify student-specific gaps in standards mastery and skills development. Unit Planning Guides for each HS course will be revised to include a “Pre-Requisite Skills/Standards” section calling out those building-block standards and skills that will need to be intentionally planned for to address potential gaps specific to Quarter 4 of the previous course. Additional attention will be given to 9th grade courses to ensure understanding of 8th grade standards that spiral and provide a foundation for learning, particularly in Algebra I and 9th Grade Literature. Progressions will be adjusted to allocate additional time, as needed, for the prerequisite skills/standards, as well as to pace the grade-level content starting August 17th. Students who received an Incomplete will be expected to recover units during summer time (face to face or virtual), or during one of the times outlined below. All unit recovery is from Quarter 4 of the 2019-20 school year. Additional Support Time for Students Schools will provide additional support to students who were unable to attend face to face summer school, or are in need of additional learning recovery. This additional support will be provided through: Tutoring/Saturday Classes/Intersession

• Before/after school tutoring; and/or • Saturday school; and/or • Fall Break

Unit recovery modules will be utilized to direct the learning on appropriate standards from Quarter 4. Instructional Focus (IF) Students in need of unit recovery will be intentionally grouped in sections for support in the applicable content area for the IF period (Math, ELA, Science or Social Studies). Unit recovery modules will be utilized to direct the learning on appropriate standards from Quarter 4.

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Additional Support for Students Served by ESE/504 ESE students will also focus on the mastery of IEP goals and objectives. ESE and 504 students will participate in all learning opportunities listed above. Any additional supports needed will be determined by the IEP or 504 teams. The Art of Hope Digital Art Exhibition & Henry Moves Family Fitness Challenge HCS has launched two student and family initiatives in an effort to promote social connectivity, creative expression and physical activity. The Art of Hope Digital Art Exhibition provides students an opportunity to submit art work, visual, video, musical, etc., that shows how they are inspired to be hopeful for Henry as we navigate this unprecedented time. Student’s art work will be shared via the HCS website and social media. Also launched is the Henry Moves campaign which includes a family Fitness Challenge. Students and families are challenged to get moving through games, exercise and fun activities that promote physical activity. For both initiatives, students submit videos and pictures that will be shared via social media using the hashtag: #HenryMoves. Technology/Information Services Technology operations and information systems continue to be stable and functioning well during our time of remote learning and remote business continuity. The HCS board-adopted core instructional resources continue to play an important role is supporting instruction and student learning. The district is providing continued technical support to ensure our teachers and students are getting the assistance needed to continue teaching and learning. We continue to provide support office hours for teachers and administrators to assist in the delivery of instruction and to help with access to resources for teaching and learning. We are also holding weekly professional learning sessions for teachers to aid in their efforts at distance teaching and learning. Our Help Desk also continues to support teachers and staff with more technical issues that may arise including device issues, password resets, and similar considerations. We have expanded virtual access to the HCS network in support of specified critical business functions that require such access. Virtual access remains stable and highly secure. The Google learning environment has been updated to provide enhanced features to give teachers better control of the online learning environment and more powerful ways to connect with students. Feature enhancements include:

• The Google Meet webinar tool is now integrated into Google Classroom • The teacher can now close an online session at its conclusion • Teachers can set up a session so that only the teacher can mute another participant regardless of whether the device is

an HCS Chromebook or personal device • A session can be designed so that only the teacher can accept an external user from entering a session • Disruptive students can be removed from a session by the teacher

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Our student user account access rate has remained very high overall approaching 46,000 student and teacher users accessing our digital learning environment. While we are pleased with such a high connection rate, we also recognize that some of our students may be struggling with a learning device or charger that needs repair, replacement, or may have been left at school. For these students, we have executed a plan to assist these students by shipping devices to their current residence. This student assistance process is outlined as follows:

• Student engagement reports were created and students who had not logged on for at least one week were filtered for consideration.

• Emails and phone messages were sent to approximately 500 parents inviting them to take a brief survey regarding their student(s) device\peripheral needs.

o Prioritization considerations included: Number of working devices in household. Number of children in grades 3-12 in the same household.

• Receipt of requests from school administrators regarding students needing devices. o Ongoing process with devices deployed daily.

• Our existing warehouse Chromebook inventory was picked up by our vendor partner and taken to their facility for processing and deployment to student residences.

• Steps include: o Administrative Console device enrollment o Device updates downloaded and installed

• As requests for equipment are verified, the vendor ships the device and/or power supply to the corresponding mailing address.

• Inventory control system tickets are created, and secondary devices are assigned to students. • Phone and email support for this process is provided by the school’s technician and instructional technology

paraprofessional.

Operations The Operations team continues to manage construction projects. These projects include:

• The new Performance Art Center (PAC), multi-purpose facility additions at ELHS, HHS, and SHS, and multi-purpose and strings room additions at LGHS.

• Pre-construction services also continue for the PAC, Renovations, Modifications, and Additions (RMA) and Distribution Center projects.

• Essential Facilities & Maintenance employees have returned to perform maintenance in regards to grounds and electrical work. This is also true for Transportation, as a limited number of essential employees have begun regular maintenance for buses, which includes retrieving buses from school locations.

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• Operations personnel continue to monitor physical plant conditions remotely for all schools, as well as remain on call to handle any issues that might arise at any of the facilities. Facilities & Maintenance personnel are performing regular checks of all campuses.

Family & Student Support Services Family and Student Services is committed to providing educational continuity for all students. Our partnership with parents is critical to the success of every student, now more than ever. We are in unprecedented times and engaging in learning in new ways. We realize that there may be situations arising that we may not have been anticipated, but be assured that we have highly competent and resourceful teams at every level that is committed to serving our students and families as we navigate this remote learning experience together. During this experience, we will continue connecting with our students and families to provide the best conditions for learning and wellbeing. Exceptional Student Education The Exceptional Student Education Department has continued to provide ongoing support to students, teachers, and parents over the past month through cross-divisional collaboration to provide stability during Remote Learning. A focus has been placed on providing support to meet the unique needs of our students and staff. The ESE Department has:

• Assisted building principals with virtual interviews and FY21 planning to fill vacancies with top candidates and prepare for the first day of school.

• Created online Professional Learning Communities to provide instructional planning support to ESE teachers and service providers. Each PLC is focused on a particular group of ESE teachers and service providers to ensure that their unique needs are met.

• Developed lesson plans and instructional resources for ESE teachers and service providers to use to support student learning. These resources were added to the NSL website, and another set of resources were added after spring break.

• Developed print instructional packets aligned to the HCS adaptive curriculum model for ESE students who have significant cognitive disabilities. These materials will be printed and distributed to families who cannot access online instructional resources.

• Provided ongoing professional development for ESE teachers on how to use various online instructional resources to meet the needs of students. These professional development opportunities are led by our Assistive Technology team and SLP Lead Coaches.

• Conduct weekly/ bi-weekly virtual support meetings with SSFs and ESE Department chairs to provide ongoing support with school-related ESE needs, as well as FTE and State Student Data reporting support.

• Established instructional support office hours every day for ESE teachers and service providers to get assistance navigating remote learning, collaborate with ESE coordinators and directors, as well as connect with other ESE teachers across the county to problem-solve and generate new ideas on how to engage students.

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• Providing continuity of service to families is a goal for the Family and Student services team. To ensure that all students who need to be enrolled during remote learning are able to do so, the Family Services department implemented emergency remote enrollment procedures. Over 40 students have been successfully enrolled since March 15.

• School counselors, social workers, and graduation coaches have been delivering remote advisement and social and emotional development lessons, and leading senior virtual sessions to students across the district.

• A Section 504 FAQ for remote learning has been developed and communicated out to the building 504 administrators for virtual meeting and remote learning procedures.

• The Kids in Transition Team is identifying and enrolling new McKinney-Families while providing ongoing resources and support to the 900+ homeless and foster care youth.

• The school psychologist team collaborated with the ESE Department to develop remote procedures to conduct virtual eligibility meetings.

• Family Services is actively serving 30 students in the General Ed HHB program. This includes an addition of two students (one local and one CHOA inpatient) to the HHB program during remote learning. HHB tutors are providing virtual support to their students via approved platforms. HHB tutors are closely monitoring student engagement and providing district and community interventions.

• School social workers have identified families in need of items and used a delivery protocol to connect families to resources including laptop chargers, food boxes, Wi-Fi hotspots, and instructional packets.

• In cross-divisional collaboration with Information Services and Leadership Services, all middle and high school counselors are engaging in remote master schedule training and infinite campus procedures for ensuring that data from student course requests are accurate and ready for master schedule processes.

• The Student Services team developed and implemented remote processes for individual student and family mental health assessment along with a resource list of agencies who are providing tele-mental health services during remote learning.

• Language services are being provided to schools and families during remote through approved platforms, telephone consultation, and email. Language Services has provided over 200 interpretation or translation services during remote learning.

• Family and Student Services has engaged a robust group of community partners who have provided enormous community response to a host of identified needs. The following is not an exhaustive list of the incredible community action that has taken place, but these are a few examples:

• Raise Me Up Foundation – partnering with local hotels to offer a deeply reduced rate for our families who have lost income and/or housing due to Covid-19

• Faith-based community – providing meals, gas cards, and clothing to families in need • Sprint IMP Project – providing hot spots to high school students without internet access • Connecting Henry – telephone and resource support to families and our school social work team

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• Communities in Schools – Providing individualized support to students served at MHS and SHS including providing 15 devices to students for remote learning

Adult Education and Extended Learning The Department of Adult Education and Extended Learning, is continuing conversations concerning partnerships with technical colleges and other institutions; with a specific emphasis on Work Source readiness to provide vocational and educational resources for Henry County families. It is our hope that through strong partnerships we will provide direct referral services to employees and community at Henry County Learning and Support at Henry County Middle School’s site as well as additional locations. The Department of Adult Education and Extended Learning is cross-divisionally working to extended learning opportunities for students to engage in non-traditional learning beyond the traditional school day utilizing Henry County Schools’ Learning and Support Center, at Henry County Middle School. Additionally, the department is collaborating with our local RESA and universities on distance learning opportunities for employees to meet specific enrichment and development needs, to include endorsements and certifications. Federal Programs

• Schools are continuing to use their funding to provide ongoing above and beyond support to their students during remote learning. An example is through the use of online platforms and support staff. One of the platforms is a personalized Virtual 1:1 tutoring program that is connected to the classroom.

• On April 14, 2020, many Parent Involvement Professionals joined Mrs. Matthews to participate in weekly webinars on Invisible Engagement and their role in supporting their families.

• The Title I Instructional Lead Teachers are checking in with the Instructional Lead Teachers that they support to offer individualized assistance. They are also providing optional Meetings each Friday. These meetings are occurring weekly, which is a shift from the previous schedule of every other month. The meetings are approximately one hour and are offered multiple times throughout the day. Many of the ILTs have discussed their redelivery of part or all of these meetings and resources with their staff.

• Title I School Improvement Specialists continue to provide outreach with Title I principals during this remote learning time. Budgets, staffing, and CNAs/CSIPS review include a few of the ongoing supports being provided to facilitate summer learning as well as the upcoming FY21 school year.

Despite the uncertainty we are all navigating, Henry County Schools is proud of the hundreds of educators, school leaders, and central office staff who have gone above and beyond to provide essential services and student learning support. Family Services is so thankful that in these unprecedented times, our district has so many helpers, from teachers, to parent involvement paraprofessionals, to administrators, to counselors, to social workers and more, we have people who care. And our community also cares, from parents, to students, to neighbors, and to our business partners. We all care about each other, our community,

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and most importantly, about the well-being of our students. As we continue this journey, let us remember to embrace love and compassion, let us embrace mindfulness and self-care, and let us embrace our common humanity so that we all can be better together. Finance Operations relating to account receivable, accounts payable, essential purchases and payroll continue during remote learning. Pay will not be interrupted for all permanent employees. We had a successful March 31, 2020 payday and the next pay date will be April 30, 2020. In a Special Called meeting on April 2, 2020, the Board approved a one-time emergency pay supplement of $200. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020 allocated funding to support school systems’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Henry County Schools has organized a cross-divisional CARES steering committee with these key priorities:

• Support prioritization of funding to district commitments (e.g. Summer and Intersession learning) • Develop financial and accountability processes, including budget and timeline estimates • Provide oversight of program and support accountability reporting needs

Afterschool Enrichment Program Developing plan to contact parents/guardians to refund prepaid ASEP payments for the time of remote learning due to COVID-19. Food & Nutrition Food and Nutrition started this Remote Learning model with four USDA approved sites for curbside meal pick-up on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, serving our students each day from 11am to 1pm. There has been an outpouring of cafeteria staff, administrators, and employees volunteering to rotate through the schedule of preparation and distribution. On Monday, March 23, 2020, the USDA approved an additional two sites for curbside meal pick up. Bringing our total to the following six locations:

• Hampton Middle School • Locust Grove Elementary • McDonough Middle School • Oakland Elementary School • Stockbridge Middle School • Wesley Lakes Elementary

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Returning from Spring Break on April 13, 2020, a Monday-Wednesday-Friday curbside meal pick-up schedule was introduced. On Mondays and Wednesdays our students receive two breakfasts and two lunches. On Friday, one lunch and one breakfast is received. Our school nutrition heroes are currently on a rotation to work a one week shift (three days) through the school year. Their safety and wellness are priority and masks have been made available with the new CDC recommendations.

In ten days or 20 hours, there have been over 66,000 meals served. Our school nutrition staff is the best in the nation! Essential Spending Pursuit to the Henry County Board of Education Emergency Resolution and Declaration adopted on April 2, 2020, any emergency expenditures incurred because of the COVID-19 crisis will be documented here.

• Printing K-2 Resources $11,123.75 • Chromebook Refurnishing $84,315.00

School Leadership At the start of this unprecedented situation we knew our school community would have many questions, as well as have a need for a platform that would keep them well informed. Leadership services convened a team that represented members from every district division. Their task was to anticipate the questions and concerns that could arise and how we would best address and meet the needs of our students and their families in these extraordinary circumstances. Their efforts resulted in our creation of the district FAQ’s for parents and staff. This team meets on a frequent basis to revise, update, and generate new questions that need to be addressed to ensure our students, families, and community stakeholders are kept abreast as this situation evolved. Their current work is centered on developing the processes and procedures for the end of our school year. To accomplish this the team divided into working groups to address specific topics. Some of the topics they are addressing include senior activities and graduation, refunds, elementary and middle school traditions, return of textbooks and materials along with locker clean out, and opportunities for teacher and staff to collect items left at their schools. The working groups include the voices of district leaders, principals, parents, and students. Their work is vital to ensure we keep our community well informed, safe, and healthy.

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School leaders are continuing to work with students, families, and teachers to ensure Remote Learning and Operations remain productive. Our principals and assistant principals are utilizing technology to conduct administrative leadership and team meetings, virtually visiting and observing teacher led classes, and working to ensure all students are able to access learning opportunities. Principals continue to conduct virtual interviews to ensure they are fully staffed. Every principal has designed a type of Student Care team to partner support professionals with teachers and to provide direct contact with parents and students who have not connected to the Remote learning. Connectivity remains a top focus for our schools leaders. It is inspiring to see our school leaders virtually eat lunch with students, engage in brain breaks and exercise, read stories to classes, and continue school spirit days. Instructionally, every principal has continued to lead collaborative planning meetings with teacher teams, hold remote faculty meetings, and monitor teaching and learning. Every principal has monitored exact numbers of student participation and find ways to remove barriers and complications to accessing the learning environment. Our Leadership Services team continues to focus on coaching and supporting school principals and leadership teams in order to ensure that all leaders have clear and consistent guidance and can focus on our core business of student learning. The Leadership Services team spends 75% of their day providing support to school administrators through active participation in school administrative team meetings, teacher collaborative planning sessions, department/grade level meetings, and leadership team meetings at 100% of our schools. Since March 16th, Leadership Service leaders have engaged in nearly 450 meetings which is only a fraction of the powerful planning meetings occurring daily with teachers and administrators. Everything else you review in this communication is only possible because of the critical role our principals play leading schools and connecting to students, employees, and families during these unprecedented times. The principal team assembled in Henry County Schools has proved to be the most exceptional during this transition and the key to making the adjustments necessary to support student learning and meet student and family needs. Our principals are committed to keeping the work going during these uncertain times. Principal voice is pivotal in our planning and support process. To elicit their voice HCS has hosted multiple virtual principal meetings, all principals were in attendance to meet with Superintendent Davis, representatives from Learning and Performance, Human Resources, Technology, and Family and Student Supports. Conducting the meetings in this format allows principals to ask questions, clarify consistent practices, and receive instant support for all district divisions as information is evolving and changing. Assistant superintendents’ conduct check-ins with each principal at least once weekly. Additionally as we further develop our end of the year processes, Principals are included in working groups tasked with finding solutions to honor our traditions. Human Resources As of 4/15/20, Virtual Recruitment efforts have yielded over 475 new applicants for certified positions. During this period of closure, principals and other supervisors have made 158 certified new hire recommendations for FY21. We are currently sitting at 78 remaining certified vacancies for FY21, and the Human Resources staff continues to conduct virtual interviews, reference checks, and other pre-screening activities on a daily basis. For a point of reference, we had 140 vacancies at this time last year.

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Our Academy work continues as we reach out to principals and educators to recruit and select participants for the FY21 LEAD and ASPIRE academy cohorts. LEAD is the professional development opportunity for select Assistant Principals, and ASPIRE is the professional development opportunity for select teacher leaders. Our HEART teachers (first year teachers) continue to video-conference on a regular basis with Dr. Manross and their mentors to hone their skills, boost their instructional confidence, and receive real-time feedback on their lessons. The mentors provide valuable insight as they observe our 1st year teachers’ virtual classrooms and participate in action planning and improvement. Additional induction work continues as we collaborate with other divisions to investigate and secure grant funding for future teacher induction support and “paraprofessional to teacher” initiatives. And our connections with higher education remain steady as we work to place 97 college/university students slated to perform their student teaching or practicum experiences in our schools during the fall. HR processes such as FMLA case processing, TRS submissions, employment verifications (for loans), and Workers Compensation processing and check distribution continue without interruption. We are closely monitoring unemployment claims and associated matters, and complying with the Department of Labor’s requirements for filing. Chief of Staff Office Communications & Public Relations We have continued to provide updated information through our main source of distribution which is our website. The website has been redesigned since the last briefing to serve as a warehouse for information. There are multiple pages dedicated to such things as Remote Learning, Class of 2020, technology, community resources, meal distribution, FAQs, and guidance from national and state health experts, and a collection of all district communications to families.

• Infinite Campus continues to be our main platform along with broader distribution through our social media channels. Each time we send out messages through Infinite Campus, they go out to over 33,000 email addresses. Additionally, we keep our employees informed through email as well.

• Facebook and Twitter have been other avenues by which important information has reached the community. We can have upwards of 60,000 views on Facebook alone when certain messages are pushed. We continue to use a combination of written and some video messaging. Video features includes a new feature called the “Remarkable Remote Learning Rockstar”. This feature allows us to share the good work of our students and staff.

• We are sharing positive stories and timely updates with the media to help get our message out to the community. • Developed Briefing Update and End of Year Process Guide • Built teleconference BOE meeting platform, live streaming via YouTube Channel, and archiving process.

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Policy, Planning & Systems Improvement • Work continues with the Comprehension Policy Review • Ongoing monitoring of the FY21 Enrollment Forecast • Continued virtual meetings with Leadership Asst. Superintendents, ESE, and HR • Combination of support to curbside meal sites • Preparation for the Cognia (formerly Advance Ed.) March 2021 visit • Conducting frequent checks of the public comments email account and responding to the individual comments

Legal Compliance

During this district operational closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Legal Compliance has continued to provide consultation, advice, and assistance to divisions, departments, principals, and various employees regarding essential business functions, legal, and policy matters. Namely, Legal Compliance works on the following during this time: • Disseminating key compliance issues identified by the US Department of Education, the Office of Civil Rights for the US

Department of Education • Tracking federal, state, and local executive orders and guidance from public health agencies • Making and consolidating recommendations for Board action on state and local waivers for flexibility • Advising on compliance with Henry County Board of Education’s emergency resolution • Problem-solving with principals on contractual obligations given COVID-19 pandemic • Facilitating investigations • Reviewing policies for action by the Board of Education as part of the public comprehensive policy review process • Responding to external organizations and individuals on record requests • Advising on an active internal procurement • Revising District’s K-12 Student and Parent Handbook for School Year 2020-21 • Reviewing and corresponding on updates to existing districtwide vendor agreements

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Positive & Inspiring Headlines The Art of Hope Digital Art Exhibition Fox 5 Atlanta ran a story on the Art of Hope Digital Art Exhibition, specifically sharing the submission of a 9th grade student from Ola High School, Sophia Bobo. They interviewed the Sophia, as well as Courtney Jones, the Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning and Innovative Practice whose team is leading the Art of Hope Exhibition. The full story is available here. Weather Channel Kid Scientist Claire Robinson, a 1st grader at Timber Ridge Elementary School, is the Weather Channel’s Kid Scientist. She is hosting a series of how-to videos for the Weather Channel for students to conduct at home science experiments during remote learning. Here is her video on “How to Make Magic Snow”, but she has a series including “How to Make S’mores in a Solar Oven” and “How to Make Rain in a Jar”, among others, that can all be viewed on the Weather Channel’s website. Ed Week Magazine The National Education Magazine, Ed Week, reached out to interview the team at HCS because they had seen online that we had been identified nationally as a district that was well handling the transition to remote learning. The magazine interviewed Brian Blanton, Chief Information Officer, and Melissa Morse, Chief Learning and Performance Officer about that transition. Click here for the article: “How Much Home Teaching Is Too Much? Schools Differ in Demands on Parents” by Christina Samuels. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/04/02/how-much-home-teaching-is-too-much.html Shaq Visits w/ 1st Graders A remote learning class got a whole lot better for some 1st graders in Georgia when Shaquille O'Neal popped in their video lesson to say hi. https://www.tmz.com/2020/03/19/shaquille-oneal-first-grade-class-video-chat/ Virtual Job Fair Featured Please open the link below to read how Henry County was featured in an article printed by Industry Dive, an on-line publication dedicated to reporting on various industries throughout the nation. https://www.educationdive.com/news/hiring-teachers-remotely-recruiters-share-5-lessons-from-virtual-job-fairs/575071/ McDonough Middle Teacher Melanie Kellum Raps Class Lesson On Twitter, a McDonough Middle School student shared a video of a rap she made about Jimmy Carter and challenged her students to do the same. https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/teacher-challenges-students-home-create-jimmy-carter-rap/CWRvOzfYNe1fgTxqOqBniI/ Unity Grove Teacher Kathryn Wilson Sings Quarantine Song Henry County teacher writes song about teaching from home. A fifth grade teacher wrote an original song about home quarantine and teaching remotely. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/video/670243

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Operation Lunchbox Learning and Connectivity never stops in Henry County Schools. We had a full demonstration of this through the coordination of a generous donation from the Chris Tucker Foundation to support the hands-on work of Operation Lunchbox feeding Henry County Students over Spring Break. Operation Lunchbox partnered with several businesses and 400+ volunteers in our community to include Marco’s Pizza, Papa John’s, Southern Belle Farms, Sonic, and others to make certain that our students received meals- lunch and breakfast each day at our six designated feeding sites. I am proud to say that through the Chris Tucker Foundation, community partnerships, volunteers and Operation Lunchbox, 10,601 meals were served to Henry County students during the break. Words cannot express our appreciation for their service. We are also thankful to Nicole McDowell, HCS Director of Family Services for enlisting and coordinating the services of Operation Lunchbox. Spring Break totals from the School Meal Sites provided by Operation Lunchbox:

o Stockbridge 2550 o Oakland- 500 o Hampton-1500 o Locust Grove- 1025 o McDonough Middle- 2589 o Wesley Lakes- 2437

Click here for the article: https://www.henryherald.com/news/operation-lunchbox-helping-children-in-need-across-henry-county/article_0cfcd60c-5a41-11ea-9d7a-778fc4a2e36a.html