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FROM STAFF REPORTS

HOOVER – Hoover City Schools leaders are utilizing the Alabama State Department of Education’s Roadmap to Reopening Schools as guidance while they work on plans specific to schools in the district for the 2020-2021 school year.

“We continue steadfast work as we craft a thoughtful plan that takes into account all of the information available to us from a variety of authorities,” read a June 26 news release on the HCS website. “We will share our plan with students, employees, parents and others in the coming days.”

The ALSDE Roadmap to Reopening Schools starts by answering two significant questions: 1) Will campuses reopen for in-person instruction and remain open safely? and 2) Are the Roadmap recommendations mandatory?

According to the ALSDE, local boards of education, upon the recommendation of their superintendents and in consultation with the Alabama Department of Public Health and local public health officials, will determine whether and how campuses can reopen safely for the school year based on the status of the virus in their local community.

Regarding the Roadmap recommendations, school systems may choose to implement the recommended strategies to protect the health of staff and students and minimize the spread of COVID-19.

“ALSDE recognizes that all recommended guidance will not be possible in all settings and should be amended based on the needs of each school system and school as appropriate,” the document read.

The Roadmap to Reopening Schools document is not intended to answer all questions and cannot anticipate all questions that will arise.

“This document will, however, assist educators, school leaders, support staff and health professionals in planning for the upcoming school year,” the document read. “It is the culmination of the ideas, research, experience and expertise of dozens of educators, healthcare professionals and logistics specialists. It is also the result of candid and thoughtful discussion and even debate. While we have done all that we can to pull together these pieces into a consolidated Roadmap to Reopening Schools, it is still a living document that will require updates and revisions throughout the school year.”

For more information or to view the Roadmap to Reopening Schools document in its entirety, visit Hoovercityschools.net and click on the “Roadmap to Reopening Schools” title under HCS News.