Highlands considering 1-day change to start of school year - TribLIVE

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Highlands School District is considering a one-day delay to the start of the school year, resulting in all students beginning remotely.

The school board is expected to vote on a revised 2020-21 school calendar at its Aug. 17 meeting.

During a board meeting Monday, Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said the district originally had students returning on Thursday, Aug. 27. In the revised calendar, students would start on Friday, Aug. 28; Aug. 27 would become a professional development day for teachers.

Under the district’s “hybrid” plan, all students will work remotely on Fridays. For the rest of the week, students will be divided into two groups, with one attending classes in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

According to the proposed calendar, the first in-person day for students in “Group A” will be Aug. 31, while the first in-person day for students in “Group B” will be Sept. 2.

Mawhinney said families have been notified of which groups their children are in.

Under the calendar, schools will be closed for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, 27 and 30. The holiday break is scheduled for Dec. 24-31 and Jan. 1. Around Easter, schools are closed April 1, 2 and 5, with April 1 and 5 marked as makeup days.

The last day of school and graduation are set for June 3.

At its Aug. 17 meeting, the school board is also expected to vote on loan agreements for the iPads and Chromebooks that students will be using. Mawhinney called it “critical” that parents read the agreements before the district starts handing out devices to the district’s 1,400 families.

Students in pre-kindergarten, first and second grades will be getting iPads, while students in second through 12th grades will be getting Chromebooks.

The policies both include language on student and parent responsibilities, use and care, incident assessment charts, and replacement parts cost lists. The entire replacement cost of an iPad will be $295; it’s $235 for a Chromebook.

The district will be offering an insurance program for the devices. The regular cost will be $50 per device, or $25 for families who qualify for free or reduced lunches.

While the district gets a grant that allows it to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, Mawhinney said about 56% of the district’s students qualify for free and reduced lunches, and they are the ones who will be eligible for the half-priced insurance.

Getting the insurance is strictly voluntary, Mawhinney said.

“If they don’t choose the insurance, parents will be 100% responsible for any damage, loss, stolen device or equipment pieces that come with the devices,” she said. “We think this is a very reasonable price to insure the devices.”

Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@triblive.com or via Twitter .

Categories: Local | Valley News Dispatch