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 meeting on Monday, Aug. 17.
During a board meeting Monday, Superintendent Monique Mawhinney said the district had planned for students to return on Aug. 27, a Thursday. In the revised calendar, students would start on Aug. 28, while 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 group attending classes in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the other on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Under the proposed calendar, the first in-person day for students in “Group A” would be Monday Aug. 31, while the first in-person day for students in “Group B” would be Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Mawhinney said families have been notified which groups their children are in.
The calendar calls for schools to be closed for Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, 27 and 30. The winter holiday break is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Jan. 1. Around Easter, schools are scheduled to be 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 Thursday, June 3.
Parents: Read district’s laptop agreement
At its meeting on Monday, Aug. 17, the school board also is 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, kindergarten and first grade would be getting iPads, while students in second through 12th grades would be getting Chromebooks.
The policies include language on both student and parent responsibilities, use and care, and replacement costs. The replacement cost of an iPad would be $295, while it would be $235 for a Chromebook.
The district would be offering an insurance program for the devices. The regular cost would be $50 per device, or $25 for families who qualify for free or reduced lunches. 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 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.”
