MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The selection process is open.
Shelby County School parents can now choose between in class learning or virtual learning.
Parents have until July 18th to make their decision and SCS wants you to stick to it once you’ve chosen.
Local 24 News’ Nextdoor Reporter, Brittani Moncrease, asked neighbors what they’re plans are for the fall semester.
Our neighbors on Nextdoor are a mixed group of people.
Some are teachers, parents and students. Thus, many are impacted by Shelby County Schools’ upcoming school semester.
Local 24 News did a poll with our friends on Nextdoor. It was simple.
Are you choosing in-school instructions or virtual learning?
Forty-nine percent said in-school and 51% said virtual learning.
“Our teachers have already been a part of the training throughout the year, but with this Microsoft Teams focus platform that we’ll be using for the classrooms, the virtual classrooms, we just want to make sure that everyone has the training that they need throughout the summer and ongoing into the fall,” said Jerica Phillips, SCS Communications Lead.
While most on our Nextdoor poll are steering toward virtual classes, there are still some questions.
For instance, one neighbor asked how elective classes such as art and music will be taught and how will teachers be impacted.
“We’re definitely looking at and exploring how we can support the arts during the pandemic. We know that even before the summer, some teachers were really creative and even last school year, they were really creative in connecting with their students,” said Phillips.
That creativity will definitely have to kick in again.
“What we know right now is we have some really tech savvy teachers who really lead the way in virtual learning. We’re building some virtual teams at each school within the district. For those teachers, they can help other teachers who need training,” said Phillips.
There is also concern for after school programs.
“There are some aspirations on how we support athletics and how we support the arts during this pandemic. It will need to be a priority around safety and just make sure we are following all of the guidelines from the health department before we have any student and teachers and others participate in any extracurricular or arts projects,” said Phillips.
In all, things are up in the air at the moment.
They are changing as health officials learn more about the virus.
There is one thing for certain. It is safety first.
“We were the first district in the state to close down before we saw the spread of the virus across the country. It was so important for us to take that step and lead during that time when there was not much guidance on whether or not we should close or not,” said Phillips. “We know that there are unique challenges with every family, with every teacher and household...We want to ask for grace and patience from the community, from our parents and our families so that they understand this is a fluid situation.”
Shelby County School District's full S.A.F.E. Entry plan launched Monday.