FLORENCE-Florence City Schools (FCS) will be making a revision to the districts 2020 Back to School Guidance Plan released on July 30th. This change only affects traditional school students of Florence Middle School, Florence Freshman Center, and Florence High School.
Beginning on August 20th, FCS students in grades 7-12 will participate in Silver and Blue Remote Learning. This alternating schedule will place half of our student body on campus during any given school day. Students with the last name beginning with “A” through “K” will be assigned to the Silver team, while students with the last names beginning with “L” through “Z” will be assigned to the Blue team.
*Silver team members will attend traditional classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and participate in remote learning on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
*Blue team students will attend traditional classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and participate in remote learning on Mondays and Wednesdays.
On Friday of each week, teachers will conduct online class meetings for all students, no matter which team they are. Students will be expected to participate in these meetings scheduled for each class period. The teacher will provide links to the online classes before the meeting.
The decision to implement the Silver and Blue Remote Learning Plan came from revised guidance by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) released on August 4, 2020. ADPH revised their definition for “direct contact”, while also including additional information on COVID-19 symptoms which would lead to close contacts and isolation. The daily schedule of a student in grades K-6 allows them to remain in their classrooms, except for intentional movements during the day. Whereas students in grades 7-12 must change classes eight times per day. This makes limited contact impossible. Therefore, FCS will implement remote learning in 7-12.
Florence City Schools stands committed to ensuring our students are taken care of, even while they are asked to participate in remote learning. With that, meals will be made available each day to students who are not on campus but wish to receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch. Meals must be picked up at the school in which the student attends. Students will have to be present at the time of meal pick-up and give their student identification number to a Child Nutrition Program employee. FCS will not provide transportation to and from campus for students to pick-up meals on remote learning days. Meal distribution will begin on Monday, August 24th, and take place each day from 12:15-1:15 P.M. in an outside area of the school designated by the principal.
FCS will continue to offer eligible students bus transportation to and from campus on their designated traditional school days. Schedules will be provided to participating parents and students as soon as possible. Bus schedules can be found at www.florencek12.org/transportation.
The leadership of Florence City Schools made this decision with the best interest of students, teachers, and staff in mind. We realize this may serve as an inconvenience to some, and we apologize ahead of time for this. Our plan is for the Silver and Blue Remote Learning Days to conclude at the end of the first grading period on October 9th. However, we will remain open to future changes as the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to evolve around us.
Media Release/Carter Watkins
Communications Coordinator Florence City Schools
