Please click here for a range of questions and answers concerning Covid-19 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There may be significant unbudgeted costs to prepare the district for Fall 2020, including masks/face shields, plexiglass, and additional cleaning products. While state funding has been addressed for 2020-21, subsequent funding could be impacted. Future budgets could also be impacted if a number of residents remove school-aged children from private schools and enroll them in district schools.  

Due to the passage of the 2020-21 budget, the possibility of freezing pay rates does not appear to be an issue. Employees are covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements, which include salary increases for future years. Should there be a need to make changes to previously agreed-upon salary increases, these bargaining units would need to agree to reopen the contracts. 

It is possible the most significant funding losses could be realized in corporate center businesses failing to rent properties within the township and permanently transitioning to tele-business. Reduction in collected real estate taxes and transfer tax reductions could also impact the budget. While minimal options exist to offset loss of funding, reductions in expenditures could be identified to offset loss of revenues. 

Should employees have concerns regarding their benefits, they are welcome to contact the district’s Human Resources Office for assistance.

Funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, will be used to offset Spring 2020 technology purchases necessary for pandemic online learning. 

Communication has been ongoing since the Spring 2020 via a variety of channels and will continue to be a priority. The School Board will be discussing/approving the return-to-school plan at two meetings on July 21 and July 28. Communications will be prepared to review return-to-school plan(s) once passed. 

The district will use the Summer Health and Safety Plan passed at the June 2020 School Board meeting as a baseline and will enhance and modify as necessary. 

Parents and staff were surveyed from June 19 through July 1. Results can be found here. 

The district is not renting facilities to outside groups this summer, but is piloting a return to school with the Extended School Year program, RHS Summer School, and voluntary athletic workouts at RHS. 

Regular, clear and concise communication with staff is important. Quality over quantity is critical for parents, students and employees. 

Yes.

The district utilizes various means to keep community members engaged and informed, including surveys, an email newsletter, a dedicated webpage for reopening, and stakeholder meetings to gather feedback from the community, among others. 

On July 28, 2020, the RTSD School Board approved a modified in-school schedule to start the 2020-21 school year, where students would not be attending a full week of school. A fully online educational option was also approved for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

A plan has been created to address professional development (PD) needs for teachers. K-12 teachers completed a technology skills inventory on the last teacher day of the 2019-20 school year. This helped inform PD sessions over summer. Teachers will begin working on PD on July 20 and will have six weeks to complete five in-service days. The PD sessions will be targeted by level and area of need and is framed in three areas: Digital Tools, Instructional Design, and Online Course Development. The PD is differentiated according to teacher-learner needs based on a self-assessment, survey feedback, preparation for any instructional scenario, and next generation teaching and learning. Special education teachers and paraprofessionals will receive additional training on online platforms and programs, including possibly virtual progress monitoring.

The summer professional development and student instruction on digital learning skills provide opportunities to learn strategies and tools for equitable access. Social workers, Special Education teachers, and counsellors will continue to monitor and support students in each school. The Special Education department will also continue to provide additional support in the areas of mental health and well-being, as well as outside referrals for “high” needs students. 

An important component for remote learning is infrastructure related. The district may need some technology upgrades/replacements to ensure capacity and reliability of the network and systems. Since the district will be live-streaming and/or recording classrooms at the secondary level, the district will work with the district’s solicitor to provide ample notification to our parents/students. Summer professional development aims at creating future ready classrooms, so that all skills and strategies are applicable in a brick-and-mortar and online learning environment. Students receiving Special Education services will continue to utilize both in-person and virtual methods. This concept ties into the “opt out” scenario, which allows teachers to continue virtual teaching while having “in person” instruction. More information will be forth coming. 

The district is investigating what the opening week of school might look like for employees prior to students arriving to ensure that trainings are provided on hygiene, building operations, etc. Parent informational sessions to assist with navigating Schoology may be created. The Technology Department is working with district’s Parent-Teacher Organizations in addition to preparing parent resources and guides, as well as revising on-demand family support services. Students will be given a tour of their virtual classroom at the start of the school year. A video recording of this tour can be made available to parents. K-5 teachers are using a common template for designing online courses and students will be offered instruction on digital learning skills. Videos for parents have and will continue to be provided in the area of special education and mental health, along with the new social skills instruction. 

The district passed its Summer Health and Safety Plan at the June 2020 School Board meeting. Special Education has been providing updates regularly on the Extended School Year pilot program, which started July 13.   

The Reopening Radnor Task Force was created is to provide feedback and guidance to district administration, which will ultimately make a reopening recommendation based on the work of the task force to the School Board. The task force includes volunteer parents/community members and staff members from all grade levels (click here to view all members) and met three times in July 2020.   

The district’s social workers have continued to update a special mental health resource webpage on the district website with resources on outside agencies and information on telehealth. 

The Radnor K-5 Cyber program was designed for fully-remote online learning using the Schoology Learning Management System. The courses were written by Radnor teachers with support from instructional coaches, technology specialists, and curriculum directors. The courses were constructed over the summer to include English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies content taught during the first twelve weeks of the school year. Each grade-level course includes instructional features to guide students in accessing directions, materials, support, videos, assignments, and assessments. The courses include the content to be facilitated by the cyber teachers through recorded video and live format lessons. As the cyber program is implemented, teachers will continue to build onto the first twelve weeks of content within the structure and design of the program. The K-5 cyber program and content is based on the Radnor curriculum and programming and will be taught by Radnor Township teachers.

All K-5 teachers and students will utilize the same online platform and course content as the cyber program. The courses were built to support students through the standalone cyber program, in-class supplemental instruction, and for fully remote instruction if we are forced to restrict or close our buildings. All students will access the courses and be taught how to navigate the instructional features (directions, videos, materials, content, and assessments) to be prepared for any reality that we may face.

The elementary cyber platform is built from the PA Common Core Standards and Radnor Township S.D. board-approved curriculum and programming. The curriculum and scope-and-sequence of the content is the same for those receiving in-person instruction. The programs were built to support the learning and growth of our students in two different formats, and one program will not cover more or less content and standards than another.

K-5 Cyber Program: The cyber program sample schedule is based on a full-day program. Through a balance of asynchronous (self-paced) and synchronous (live) instructional sessions, a school day will span 9:00 to 3:30, but include several intermittent offline periods such as independent practice activities, lunch/recess breaks, and specials (art, music, library, physical education, and wellness).

Phase 1 In-person Instruction: In-person instruction in Phase 1 will be very similar to the cyber program schedule. The Phase 1 schedule would follow a traditional full-day format that includes time for all subject areas as well as the typical intermittent periods (transitions, lunch, recess, specials, etc.)

Phase 2 in-person Instruction: The Phase 2 (AM/PM Cohort) format would be scheduled in 2.5 hour sessions (AM: 9:00 to 11:30 am and PM: 1:10 to 3:40 pm). The AM/PM format will include a high concentration of English-Language Arts and Mathematics instruction during the in-person sessions. With small AM/PM class size cohorts, teachers should be able to differentiate, personalize, and support student learning at a very high level. During the second half of the day, students will engage in remote Science and Social Studies content on the Schoology LMS.

Phase 3 fully-remote instruction: The Phase 3 format would mirror the cyber program schedule. All students in phase 1 or 2 (based on circumstances) would transition to the fully remote Schoology LMS course that they have become familiar with while in-person. Teachers would remain with their class sections and shift their instruction to fully online.

Students in the same family will be assigned to the same cohort (AM or PM). Student cohorts will be determined in the most efficient way to meet the needs of our students and families. The AM/PM cohorts help us to mitigate social interactions, support health and safety of all students and staff, and allow students to return to the classroom setting every day. We cannot guarantee parent requests for AM or PM.

The district class size guidelines are 21 students per class section for K-3 and 25 students per class section for 4-5.

In-person: Based on cyber registrations, we anticipate that class sizes in the AM and PM cohorts will be 12 or less per session.
Cyber: Based on cyber registration, the district plans to maintain the class size guidelines to the greatest degree possible.

Q: Who will teach the Radnor cyber program?

A: The cyber program will be taught by current Radnor Township teachers. The district issued an interest survey to K-5 teachers and will work through a selection process to assign teachers based on cyber program needs.

Q: Will cyber teachers be from the student's home school?

A: Based on registrations and teacher interest in the cyber program, the district may or may not be able to assign school-specific personnel to students from the same school.

Q: What staffing implications are expected as a result of the Phase plans?

A: Facilitating a standalone cyber program will require additional staff. The district has interest from current teachers to instruct the cyber program and will select and assign them based on needs. The district will need to hire in-person teachers to replace those that teach online.

Cyber class sections will be based on the total number of registrations. It is likely that class sections may include students from more than one elementary building. For example, if first grade cyber registrations reflect 8 students from IES, 6 students from RES, and 7 students from WES, the district would group the students into a single first grade section at 21 total students. If cyber registrations include higher percentages of students by school, the district will organize students by school to the greatest degree possible. The district cannot honor parent placement requests.

Although the time between fully in-person, partial in-person/partial-remote, and fully remote vary, the scope of content and expectations will be the same.

>Phase 1 (In-person full-day program): 9:07 am – 3:40 pm (traditional schedule)
>Phase 2 (AM / PM program):
>>AM Cohort: 9:07 – 11:37 AM in-person; 1:10 – 3:40 PM remote (Sci/SS/Specials)
>>PM Cohort: 9:07 – 11:37 AM remote (Sci/SS/Specials); 1:10 – 3:40 PM in-person
>>Remote time will include offline self-paced activities/enrichment continuing and extending the in-person instruction
>Phase 3 (Fully-remote): 9:07 am – 3:40 pm

The district has requested that parents make a commitment of at least one trimester for students to be in-person or fully online through the K-5 cyber program. This request is to support student program consistency, possible staffing implications, and social-distancing parameters. A parent can request a change for their child to transition to a cyber or in-person program at any time, but the district requires 1-2 weeks to adequately prepare for the transition.

The Radnor before/after/extended day provider, Right at School will be offering childcare and communication will be sent from them to register your child.

Lunch will not be served at school during Phase 1 or 2 of the reopening plan. Families in need of food assistance will be provided with support. Students will be permitted to bring a snack to eat but sharing or trading snacks will not be permitted.

Logistical concerns, such as taking temperatures, are being worked through via summer voluntary workouts. Transportation for extracurricular activities would follow the transportation protocols created to transport students to and from school. 

The district plans to have a uniform protocol for athletics that can be applied to sports at RHS and RMS. 

The district created a plan for summer voluntary workouts that was approved by the Board at the June 2020 Business meeting. 

The summer voluntary workout plan was posted on the district’s website, sent to student-athletes and their parents, and a signed waiver was required. 

Safety concerns specific to Food Service are being identified and vetted prior to the start of school. Safety concerns that may arise ocn school begins will be conveyed to the building principal, pandemic coordinators, and business manager. 

The implementation of additional measures are in progress as the district ensures adherence to CDC guidelines in the fall. Additional plexiglass dividers will be added to the serving lines and cashier stations. All food on the serving lines will be prepackaged and served by “grab-and-go.” The salad bar and self-serve items will be discontinued until CDC guidelines allow. Students will have access to hand-sanitizing stations prior to entering serving lines. All food service staff will be required to wear a mask and gloves and tables will be sanitized after breakfast and between lunch periods.

The district will be serving a variety of cold and hot prepacked meals as “grab and go” during the first few weeks of school. Condiments for sandwiches will be included with the meal. All food items will be in a closed container. Silverware will also be wrapped and include a napkin. Breakfast will also be available.

The district will offer milk and drinks in accordance with the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program. Snacks will not be offered initially, but are planned for availability after the first few weeks of school. 

Cold options will include a variety of homemade salads. Condiments will be prepacked and distributed by a server wearing a face mask and gloves. There will be no open serving containers in the cafeteria in the fall.

The district will install plexiglass or plastic shields at high traffic areas throughout each building, including cashier stations in cafeterias. Reduction of money handling is important. At many levels, students enter their ID number on a keypad to purchase lunch. The district is currently examining an iPad option or a scannable ID card to reduce the need for students to touch shared surfaces as well as an ordering app at Radnor High School. 

Cafeteria staff work closely with building administration, guidance counselor, nurses and staff to ensure they understand and are responsive to student needs.

At the secondary level, teachers may be able to monitor students as they eat in the classroom. However, since teachers are entitled to a duty-free lunch, monitoring lunch would constitute a duty for a teacher, thus eliminating the ability for a teacher to manage a study hall, help out at the Math Center, etc. Additional obstacles at the secondary level would prevent students from eating in classrooms without significant changes to the bell schedule. While this might be a possibility at the elementary level, supervision would still need to be considered and arranged as elementary teachers are also entitled to a duty-free lunch. 

Staff will be asked to take their temperature at home prior to coming to work each day. Any staff member who shows specified symptoms will be directed to stay home.

The district is currently not planning on a full in-person schedule for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

According to the RTSD Health and Safety Plan for Reopening Schools in 2020-21, use of lockers at RMS and RHS will be prohibited to improve traffic flow in hallways.

The district is planning on creating informational materials to help illustrate this experience for parents as well as other related scenarios.

Students and staff who are sick will be advised to stay home. Each students and staff member will be required to take his/her temperature each day before coming to school. Personal protective equipment will be provided to employees. Some areas of buildings will also have plexiglass installed. 

Students may elect to stay home for online learning online if they have underlying health conditions. Homebound and instruction in the home is discussed in previous answers, as well as “opt out” procedures for students receiving Special Education services. For medically excused students, the same homebound procedures will be followed. 

Personal Care Assistants (PCAs) should wear gloves, and the district’s preference is face shields instead masks to assist with visual learners who require prompting, and addition procedures for hand washing, transitioning, etc. 

The Special Education department is creating social skills videos and webinars for assistance with hygiene and safety.

Visitors will be limited to parents, guardians or legal caregivers. All visitors must wear masks and will only be permitted in the main office of the school for emergencies and/or child pick up. All meetings between school personnel and parents/guardians will be conducted via phone or virtually via Zoom. 

If a staff member indicates he/she cannot work in person, the request will be treated as a request for an accommodation and handled accordingly following district policy through the Human Resources department. 

The district will assess the efficacy of the procedures outlined in the Summer School/Extended School Year Health and Safety Plan and make modifications as necessary. The current procedure is as follows: 

• The building principal and on duty nurse will be contacted.  

• Every effort will be made to isolate the ill individual from others, until the student or staff member can leave the school.  

• An isolation room in each building will be identified to temporarily house sick students. This room will not be the Nurses Office.   

• If the individual is a student, the parent/guardian will be contacted immediately, and arrangements will be made for the student to be picked up.  

• The ill individual will be asked to contact their physician or appropriate healthcare professional for direction.

• Immediately close areas of the building that the symptomatic individual was present.  

• Notification of Custodial Services Supervisor who will enact disinfecting protocols.  

• Notification of Human Resources Director.   

Plexiglass or dividers will be installed for high-traffic areas. Employees will be provided face shields and/or masks and encouraged to socially distance when possible. The district will also provide employees reminders regarding healthy hygiene practices. 

Recruiting, on-boarding and training will be adjusted as mandates are issued or revised. 

Employment opportunities within the district will continue to be posted online. Interviews will be conducted via Flipgrid, Zoom, or other virtual avenues. 

The district will continue to attempt to attract the most qualified applicants regardless of the medium or venue used. 

District onboarding will continue with adjustments made per mandates 

The district currently has electronic systems that will continue to be used where applicable. 

Mandated trainings in the district are already conducted via an online provider. 

The district will continue to follow federal guidelines. 

The district will continue to follow federal guidelines. 

The district will continue to follow the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and is currently not aware of any changes. 

The employee should follow the usual submission process and the vendor will make the determination if an employee is eligible for worker’s compensation. 

If an employee exhausts FFCRA/EFMLA, other available paid time off may be used. The employee could also apply for an uncompensated leave per School Board policy. The district will also follow all state guidelines. 

The district will address possible issues as they arise on a case-by-case basis while working with the leadership of the respective employee groups. 

The only reduction of staff in the 2020-21 budget were the elimination of five paraprofessional positions, which were vacant. These reductions will not impact services provided to students; the district had a number of unfilled paraprofessional vacancies during 2019-20 school year. 

Circumstances will be continually monitored in consultation with the district solicitor. 

The district will continue to follow the various collective bargaining agreements. 

Should it be necessary, the district will address this on an individual basis. 

Currently, no discussions have occurred regarding early retirement incentives. 

No. Employees will need to make accommodations to manage childcare as the district will not be providing childcare for employees.

The decision on whether to physically send a child to school or enroll in online-only learning is completely up to the parent. The district is prepared to accommodate whichever choice each parent makes depending on their family’s needs and circumstances.

Yes, RTSD is planning to support and provide for more synchronous (live) learning opportunities for students who elect the fully online educational option. 

Parent and student surveys conducted during Summer 2020 helped to provide valuable feedback and input will continue to be solicited from those learning online. Special education teachers will continue to provide communication and seek feedback regularly regarding pacing and provision of services, and adjust the workload for students as needed with input from IEP teams. 

Depending on how Fall 2020 progresses, RMS and RHS could begin to explore developing a cyber school program. Teachers used many online resources that were free during the closure but typically have associated fees. Based on teacher recommendations, an analysis is being done to determine which tools will should be considered for licensing during the 2020-21 school year. Special education has already expanded the use of virtual programs and will continue to do so. 

The Instructional Technology arm of the technology department will be developed to lead and support best practices in blended and distance learning as well as advance our vision for next generation teaching and learning at Radnor. An instructional design mindset is necessary as teachers design blended, online, and flexible learning opportunities. As part of the summer professional development, teachers will begin to strengthen their instructional design skills by examining their previous virtual classrooms through the eyes of a student. They will also be provided opportunities to partner with colleagues in critical conversations about instructional design. 

Teachers are expected to help students master the objectives for each course, aligned with Pennsylvania Core Standards and the Pennsylvania Academic Standards, identified in district curriculum documents. Courses also have common assessments and required texts that teachers are expected to use under normal circumstances. During remote learning, if common assessment cannot be administered because of test security concerns, alternative assessment materials should be used.

A flow chart is being created to assist IEP and GIEP teams in programming for students upon our return, as well to determine restoration services. The summer professional development and student instruction on digital learning skills provide opportunities for to learn strategies and tools for equitable access. 

The district is committed to using Schoology and Zoom as well as leveraging OneNote and Nearpod to enhance content delivery and instruction. Quality online content is also being developed by teachers during professional development and on an ongoing basis during the year, utilizing content providers such as Discovery Education.  

The district will be utilizing the instructional design team within the reorganized technology department to develop and support teachers. The district is also able to leverage its partnership with Microsoft should additional supports related to devices and Office tools be needed for teachers. Online resource have been curated to be available on demand for teachers within professional development modules to be released in July. 

The professional development plan that was created (“Ready, Set, Go”) will help build capacity in district teaching staff related to device use, Schoology efficacy, best practices for teaching online, software how-to’s, and more. On-demand teacher coaches will also be available during professional development in Summer 2020 as well as throughout the school year. 

How is the district providing ongoing support 

Teachers may need additional preparation time at the secondary level to simultaneously engage students both in-person and online. 

The district is hosting the Extended School Year program for eligible students, in which some sessions are held virtually and others in-person. The district continues to follow the COVID Emergency Plans for Special Education students. Upon reopening, students’ previously agreed upon IEP will be implemented immediately. IEP teams will be meeting in Fall 2020 to plan and adjust as needed. 

Any issues with instruction will be relayed to the building principal, who will notify the Teaching and Learning Department. Depending on the issue, the Teaching and Learning Department will involve other administrators to help address the issue. 

The Special Education Department is currently trialing an in-district transition service opportunity for students and will determine further availability in Fall 2020 based on needs. The district believes students receiving Special Education services should be provided the maximum amount of in-person instruction possible in order to best meet each IEP.

The district’s professional development and instructional design model is based upon best practices in blended learning. This unique framework centers on four areas: structure, engagement, interaction, and differentiation. Within “interaction,” the district is focused on areas of student-teacher interaction, student-student interaction, student-content interaction, and teacher-family interaction based on the work of Moore (2013). Regarding student-teacher interaction specifically, best practices include: dynamic discourse, feedback (timely and high quality), questioning and reflection, personal communications, performance monitoring, awareness of desire for autonomy, and instructor presence (routines/regularity, engagement). Regular student-teacher interaction helps reduce ‘transactional distance’ (Moore, 1980; Keegan,1993; Moore & Kearsley, 2012), which is the psychological distance perceived and potential learner misunderstandings in remote learning versus face-to-face. 

Yes, RTSD has investigated and will continue to investigate novel solutions for classroom learning under social distancing, including the use of tents and other outdoor venues.

Safety concerns will be addressed as they typically would, with Acting Director of Operations Bill Dolan addressing specific concerns that cannot be resolved by other Operations staff members. The Operations Department will work directly with the Teaching and Learning departments as necessary for concerns that may extend beyond Operations. 

Staff will be requested to take their own temperatures prior to coming to work. 

Plexiglass will be installed in high-traffic areas such as the cafeteria, front office spaces, and the nurses’ offices.

All logistical concerns will be handled at the building/department level with support from the district’s pandemic coordinators. Entrances will not be limited for staff. Hallways will not be marked for social distance, however classrooms will have markings for desks and other areas to indict safe social distancing.

The district will continue to use the cold and flu season protocols for enhanced cleaning.

Physical changes requiring construction are limited to the installation of plexiglass. The district does not anticipate the need to frame out new classrooms. Large areas may need to be reclaimed to provide ample spacing for students during lunch, however. Specific spaces are unique to each building.

There will be no additional cleaning requirements placed upon non-custodial employees. Transportation employees currently clean their own buses, a practice that will be increased.

The district has installed a number of hand sanitizer dispensers and will continue to add these as necessary throughout the buildings. 

The district has worked with a group of teachers to plan for instruction and administrators have been working in a separate group to plan for Fall 2020. 

RHS and RMS have looked closely at simple tallies to address class size needs. Electives may be cut to reduce core class sizes in certain disciplines. 

The district is currently not planning on hosting large gatherings of students for assemblies and similar events. 

The district will continue to use and expand on existing communication mediums such as Schoology, the SchoolMessenger phone, email and text alert system, the Radnor Reader weekly e-newsletter, the district’s website (www.RTSD.org).

Students in grades 10-12 will return with their devices. Ninth-graders will receive devices during Freshman FUNdamentals on August 13 and their 8th-grade Chromebooks will also be collected at that time. Students in grades 7-8 will return to school with their devices. Sixth-graders will receive the collected devices during the first weeks of school after middle school expectations are established. Students in grades K-5 will be assigned devices upon their return to school when devices will be collected. Students not returning to school will retain their device used during the Spring 2020 closure or will be provided a district device if they were previously using a home device. 

The current RHS Summer School program is acting as a pilot to help the district identify best practices to enhance student engagement in Fall 2020. 

Safety concerns will be addressed as they typically would, with Director of Technology Dr. Scott Hand addressing specific concerns that cannot be resolved by other Technology staff members. The Technology Department will work directly with the Facilities and Teaching and Learning departments as necessary for concerns that may extend beyond Technology. A grade-appropriate set of guidelines will also be developed regarding handling and cleaning of devices.  

The technology department staff will continue to handle all repairs for student and staff devices. Service stations will maintain social distancing and remote learners will have opportunities for device repair and/or exchange. Technicians will handle devices with safety measures in place such as gloves and disinfectant. 

The following remote learning opportunities will be available for students whose parents are not comfortable returning them to school:

• In grades K-5, students will take part in a “Virtual Learning Academy” where they will be placed in an online section and be assigned a teacher to teach the class remotely. There will be no mixing of students attending in-person classes and those attending online at the elementary level.  

• In grades 6-12, students who participate in online learning at home will livestream classes or view recorded sessions if live streaming is not possible.

• Students receiving special education services whose families plan to opt out of in-person instruction will be provided an “Interim COVID-19 Plan” on a case-by-case basis. A procedure is in place through the Special Education department.  

• For students who provide a medical note, homebound and online instruction in the home will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.   

• Professional development for teachers will take into account online, blended, and flexible learning environments. 

Logistical issues will be relayed to the district’s Director of Technology, who will keep the Teaching and Learning Department apprised. Currently, RHS Summer School is being used as a trial environment for flexible learning to determine camera placement, audio concerns, and sharing of materials. 

Distribution and collection of technology in a socially distanced fashion is a significant undertaking that requires thorough planning and clear, concise communication. The district will use the Spring 2020 technology distribution and collection as a baseline for ways to streamline and enhance this process. The district is working to ensure device orders are placed, received, and prepared for student distribution to enable a smooth start in September 2020. 

The Technology Department has a list of all system adjustments and accommodations where implementations can be readjusted once returning to fully in-person schooling. 

K-8 devices have already been obtained and have been prepared for student usage and distribution. Ninth-grade devices are on order and will be ready to distribute at Freshman FUNdamentals on August 13. If the Freshman FUNdamentals program occurs virtually, the RHS team and technology department will distribute devices either during the first days of school or in a curbside pick similar to the Spring 2020 technology distribution. 

Cybersecurity will continue to be monitored as in the past. With an existing one-to-one (1:1) take-home program at RHS, all student systems have appropriate protections in place. The Technology Department is also currently reviewing our Cyber Security Insurance Policy to ensure appropriate coverage in the event of a cyber incident. 

Continuity of services and disaster recovery is built into the district’s existing infrastructure and designed independent of on-campus or remote learning. Both on-campus and off-campus backups, hosted by the Delaware County Intermediate Unit, are in place and able to be restored within hours. Cloud-hosted vendor partners all have similar disaster recovery and redundancy with Service Level Agreements for maximum uptime. 

All technological security measures were previously designed for both on campus and remote usage. 

The district’s current system is based in the cloud and does not impact campus resources. It is designed for both on-campus and off-campus usage and has a proven use case, with content filtering in place prior to and during the Spring 2020 closure. 

The district will be transitioning from Big Blue Button (BBB) video recording and streaming to Zoom, which will result in a 50% increase in cost. Both a software assessment of needed providers and an assessment of additional technology to improve infrastructure and facilitate live streaming has begun. The RHS Summer School program is providing an opportunity to test out plans. Teachers used many free online resources during the Spring 2020 closure but typically have associated fees. Based on teacher recommendations, an analysis is being done to determine which tools will be considered for licensing during the 2020-21 school year. The Technology Department also has a detailed plan for upgrades and monitoring that supports both remote learning during Fall 2020 and ensures the district is ready upon full return.  

The district is determining how many mobile hotspots were distributed that require collection once students return to school in Fall 2020. These can then be redistributed as needed. 

Our teachers using the district’s learning management system, Schoology, to deliver a majority of content for both in-person as well as remote learners. Beginning the 20109-20 school year. our registration and back-to-school forms have been digitized to be completed online. Summer professional development aims to create future-ready classrooms to ensure all skills and strategies are applicable in an blended in-person and online learning environment. 

Safety concerns will be addressed as they typically would, with Director of Transportation John Hearn addressing specific concerns that cannot be resolved by other Transporation staff members. The Transporation Department will work directly with the Facilities and Teaching and Learning departments as necessary for concerns that may extend beyond Transportation.

To assist the district with increased social distancing on our buses, parents/guardians who are able to drive their child(ren) to school are encouraged to do so. Safe carpools with families are also encouraged. Drop-off times at each school will be extended to accommodate the anticipated increase in drivers.

The district is not currently anticipating the need to stagger start times.

Personal protection equipment and hygiene products such as hand sanitizer will be provided to all bus drivers. 

All buses will be disinfected after the morning bus runs as well as after the afternoon bus runs

The district is exploring the possibility of asking families to choose whether they will transport their child(ren). More information to come.