State superintendent lays out plan for reopening schools

During a press conference Friday, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Eric Mackey outlined the road map to reopening Alabama schools.

In regard to what school will look like in fall, Mackey said campuses will open and there will be an opportunity for in person instruction for every child in the state whose parent chooses to send them to school along with remote learning options for those who do not. 

“We cannot predict the year, but schools will be physically open and remain open all year long,” he said. “There will be remote learning options.”

Parents around the state were polled, and Mackey said about 15% said they were not comfortable sending students back to school and wanted a remote learning option. 

Each school system will look different, and local boards of education will work under the recommendations of their superintendent. 

“Communities are going to be different based on the setup of that school, resources, community needs and spread of the virus," he said. "Things are always subject to change and Gov. Ivey retains authority if we get in a situation where [closing schools] needs to happen."

The state came up with a 50 page document that is available on the department’s website, which is intended more for superintendents and principals, but also a parent guide that addresses the most specific and important things for parents to know.

Mackey’s presentation condensed the information into about 10 slides. The information is intended to be a guidance document, not an ALSDE mandate. It’s based on expertise and experience and not intended to be an exhaustive list for every school system. It is designed to help, but is not the answer to everything, he said.  

“We partnered with a group to help us pull together the best research as we navigate the future and figure out the best ways to move forward,” Mackey said. “The Alabama Department of Education has a lot of responsibility to make sure we have the right things in the place.”

Areas addressed included healthcare, nursing, transportation, students with medical conditions and special needs, child nutrition, attendance and how to spend federal and state funds. About $200 million has distributed to local schools and Mackey aid more money will be coming. 

Mackey stressed the importance of the teacher and student relationships. 

“We have thousands of teachers who will be returning to classrooms to take care of their physical, emotional and educational needs this fall,” he said. “Nothing is more important than a teacher working with children either in a classroom or virtual setting.”

The road map featured three distinct sections: wellness, operations and facilities and instruction and technology. The ALSDE recommendations are divided by essential, guidance and considerations.

Essential recommendations are those required by law, policy or governmental order or are a critical practice. Guidance recommendations are very important and highly recommended. Considerations include additional best practices.

As for remote learning options, the state has used about $18 million that was allocated to spend to support students during the coronavirus pandemic. They chose to spend the vast majority of that to buy learning equipment, which will be available to every school in the state from PreK to 12th grade.

“As an educator and parent, it's much more difficult to put a 16-year-old on remote learning than a 6-year-old,” he said. “We made sure to get the best resources for our teachers. We have bought a package of high utility remote lessons teachers can deliver without having to do hours of research at night.”

Mackey said this will be the most difficult school year we have ever faced, but are determined to do it, not because it's easy, but because we have students who are counting on us. We have to do it and we will.”

As for when schools will start, there is no specific date yet. Some plan to start as early as Aug. 4 and others have moved their start date back to later in August. 

“What we see is parents have really missed school and children have missed school,” Harris said. “What we are hearing overwhelmingly from students and parents is they want to be back at school.”

For more information, visit alsde.edu.