July 2020 News

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. The district has made several updates to its health and safety protocols for the traditional model. There are updates in the following categories: Cafeteria/Child Nutrition Cleaning/Sanitizing/Facility Operations Continuum of Learning – Moving from Traditional to Remote Updated metrics and criteria for moving from traditional to remote COVID-19 Exposure Response Plan New CMCSS Return to Work/School Flowchart Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Monitoring Equipment & Personal Hygiene Supplies Face Masks (now required for elementary students; updated guidance for all students and employees) Please click here to review the full health and safety overview. Parents/guardians who have already submitted their responses for traditional vs. CMCSS K-12 Virtual should contact their child(ren)’s enrolled school no later than Friday, July 31, if they need to change their choice(s) after reviewing the update. The front offices at schools are open M-F from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Next week, school-based personnel will be reaching out via telephone to parents/guardians from whom we have not received responses to ensure all families have the opportunity. Families choosing traditional for their child(ren) should make preparations throughout the year in the event that school buildings are closed and remote learning must take place for all students. For families who selected CMCSS K-12 Virtual for their child(ren), counselors and administrators will begin the process of case reviews next week. Counselors and administrators will only reach out to parents/guardians of students for which there are concerns or necessary course changes. Counselors and administrators will not reach out if there are no course changes or concerns. All parents/guardians of students who have selected CMCSS K-12 Virtual will receive additional communications in the coming weeks with more information about Learning Mentor trainings, laptops, etc.

In the traditional model, students are physically present in their zoned schools. While the traditional model will provide some normalcy during the pandemic, there will be several district-wide and school-specific precautions and modifications in place to mitigate, not eliminate, risk of COVID-19.

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. Dr. Rosalyn Evans has been selected as the Director of High Schools, replacing Dr. Mason Bellamy who was named Chief of Academics and Schools for Metro Nashville Public schools. Dr. Evans has over 35 years of experience in education, previously serving 22 of those years in CMCSS. Since 2018, Evans has served as the Director on Special Assignment of AVID in San Diego, CA after spending four years leading strategic school improvement initiatives for the Region 13 Education Service Center in Austin, TX. Evans served as the CMCSS Director of Secondary Schools from 2004-2014, supervising middle and high school principals and leading instruction and curriculum improvements across the district. She also has served in CMCSS as the principal of Kenwood Middle School, an assistant principal at Clarksville High School, and a middle school science teacher. Before joining CMCSS in 1992, Evans had 12 years of teaching experience in Texas and Germany. Evans received her Ed.D in Curriculum and Instruction from Tennessee State University, M.S. in Educational Leadership from Trevecca Nazarene University, and B.S. in Education from Texas College. “Dr. Evan’s leadership has had a dynamic impact on the schools she has lead, the leaders she has helped grow, and the communities that has served over her career,” stated Dr. Sean Impeartrice Chief Academic Officer. “I am thrilled to have Dr. Evans back in CMCSS, making a positive impact on our schools and community.” Melissa Johnson has been selected as the principal of Liberty Elementary School, replacing Sherry Baker who was named the principal of Sango Elementary School. Johnson has served as the assistant principal of Liberty Elementary School since 2014. She has […]

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. Free and Reduced Meal Applications The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System is now accepting applications for free and reduced meal applications for the 2020-2021 school year. Families can apply through SchoolCafé, now through the beginning of the school year. Applications must be submitted and approved each school year regardless of a family’s previous eligibility. Parents/guardians who feel their household may be eligible for free or reduced meal benefits should apply online at www.schoolcafe.com. The online application allows for a contact-free, secure application environment. Free and reduced meals are available for students choosing either traditional or CMCSS K-12 Virtual. Eligibility requirements include, but are not limited to: All children in households receiving benefits from SNAP, FDPIR, or TANF Foster children that are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court Children participating in their schools’ Head Start program Children who meet the definition of homeless, runaway, or migrant Children may receive free or reduced-price meals if the household’s income is within the limits on the Federal Income Eligibility Guidelines. For more information, click here for a flyer from the Child Nutrition Department on free and reduced meal applications and SchoolCafé.  Meal Prepayment All CMCSS families who wish to use the cafeteria this year are encouraged to pre-pay their student’s cafeteria account via SchoolCafé. The safe and convenient online system allows parents to make payments, track meal balances and purchases, and monitor their student’s account. Prior to the start of the school year, CMCSS families have an additional option for food assistance: Free Meals for Children CMCSS will continue offering free meals to children in Clarksville-Montgomery County through Fri., Aug. 28 on […]

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. We appreciate your continued support, patience, and understanding. As of this morning, the district has received electronic forms for 80% of our 36,000 students, with 40% opting for CMCSS K-12 Virtual and 60% choosing the traditional model. Of those selecting the traditional model, around 55% have selected CMCSS transportation. At 11:59 p.m. on Wed., July 22, families will no longer be able to access the electronic form. Parents/guardians who have not received a form, still need to make their selections, need to update their contact information, or require any other changes/corrections should contact their child’s enrolled school beginning Fri., July 24. The front offices at schools will be open M-F from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please note: the district previously planned to open front offices on July 23, but is providing an extra day for front office personnel to be trained on the new processes. Those who have already reached out to [email protected] do not need to submit another request. Teams are still working through these requests and will respond to families as soon as possible. For families who selected CMCSS K-12 Virtual for their child(ren), counselors and administrators will begin the process of case reviews next week. Counselors and administrators will only reach out to parents/guardians of students for which there are concerns or necessary course changes. Counselors and administrators will not reach out if there are no course changes or concerns. All parents/guardians of students who have selected CMCSS K-12 Virtual will receive additional communications in the coming weeks with more information about Learning Mentor trainings, laptops, etc. At any point during the academic year, which begins on August […]

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. CMCSS understands that some families have received the electronic form to select between traditional or CMCSS K-12 Virtual via text/email with incorrect information OR have not received a form at all. Parents/guardians, please email [email protected] if you have these issues and have not already reached out so that we can update information in PowerSchool and resend the link. If you have already emailed [email protected], please know that we will get to your request as soon as possible. Due to high email volumes and the need to verify custodial parent/guardian information for each request, we are experiencing longer response times. The district has a team of individuals working through the requests to update contact information and resend links. Additionally, we have teams working through student-specific questions (IEP, 504, EL, focused electives, etc.). We will respond as soon as possible. In many instances, we are finding that our communications via SchoolMessenger are being blocked by a parent’s cell phone or email server. If parents/guardians have a cell number on file and are not receiving text messages, text “Y” to 67587 to opt-in to messages. For email, please be sure to check your spam folder and whitelist [email protected]. Over the weekend, the links will automatically be sent to families from whom we have not received a response. Please know that we will continue working with families in these situations to ensure they can make the best choice for their children and families even after July 19. However, it is important for families who have received the electronic form with correct information and are not awaiting answers to student-specific questions to please submit the form no later than July 19 so […]

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. After reviewing feedback, questions, and concerns about students who are enrolled in the high school Academies of CMCSS and their options with CMCSS K-12 Virtual, the district has made modifications to its plan. If you feel that CMCSS K-12 Virtual is the best option for your child and family, please register for that option. The district will do everything it can to accommodate the course load for which a student had originally registered, to include CTE courses that are part of the Academy pathway. After all families across the district have made a choice between CMCSS K-12 Virtual or traditional, counselors will reach out to individual families regarding specific course requests and nontraditional options for which the district may be able enroll students in those courses with CMCSS K-12 Virtual. After reviewing this update, if you have already selected the traditional option for your Academy student and would like to change your selection to CMCSS K-12 Virtual, please email [email protected].

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. Tonight, the district is providing more information on the CMCSS K-12 Virtual option and the safety and health protocols for the traditional model. Click here for an overview of the CMCSS K-12 Virtual option, including an FAQ. Click here for a brief video developed by the district’s Technology Integration Coaches to share more information about the SchoolsPLP learning management system that will be utilized for CMCSS K-12 Virtual. Click here for additional information on the district’s health and safety protocols for reopening schools in the traditional model. Beginning tomorrow, Wed., July 15, the district will send to parents/guardians an electronic form (email/text) to make the choice between traditional or CMCSS K-12 Virtual. Families will have the ability to select different options for each of the children in their household.  Parents choosing the traditional option will also be asked to confirm if their child(ren) will be riding CMCSS bus transportation. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages alternative modes of transportation for students who have other options.  At this time, the district will be asking families to complete the form by Sun., July 19 to give the district time to balance staffing, develop bus routes, and make other important operational decisions. We thank families for their continued patience and understanding. The district has received hundreds of questions from families. District leaders are working diligently to address those questions via FAQs and updates. Questions that are specific to an individual student’s needs are being routed to the appropriate CMCSS personnel and will be answered as soon as possible.

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. THIS INFORMATION WAS PUBLISHED JULY 2020. FOR CURRENT INFORMATION REGARDING REGISTRATION, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHILD’S ZONED/ENROLLED SCHOOL OR THE ENROLLMENT CENTER AT 931-542-5078. Yesterday evening, all kindergarten through 9th-grade students who are new to CMCSS for the 2020-21 school year whose parents/guardians had already pre-enrolled on parents.cmcss.net were automatically moved into CMCSS’ student information system (PowerSchool). This transition allows families to begin receiving phone, email, and text notifications from the district. Additionally, this move allows parents/guardians of new-to-CMCSS kindergarten through 9th-grade students to begin receiving the electronic form to choose between traditional (in-person) classes and CMCSS K-12 Virtual for each of their children, beginning this Wednesday. Due to TN Ready Graduate requirements, parents/guardians of new-to-CMCSS students in grades 10-12 will need to turn in all necessary registration documents and the district will need to receive student records from the child’s previous school in order to complete the registration process (see below for more information). For parents/guardians pre-enrolling K-9th grade students after Wednesday, please allow up to 48 hours for the electronic form to arrive after completing the process at parents.cmcss.net. We encourage all parents/guardians of incoming kindergarteners and students who are new to CMCSS for the 2020-21 school year to please complete pre-enrollment at parents.cmcss.net/enrollees/enroll ASAP. Families should review all of the information on cmcss.net/reopening before making decisions between traditional and CMCSS K-12 Virtual. Typically, the district does not move students from the pre-enrollment system into PowerSchool until all necessary registration paperwork is submitted. However, it is important for new families to receive timely updates and make their choices for returning to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents/guardians still will need to […]

Please note: This article was originally posted during a previous school year. Information and/or dates from past events may be not be relevant for the current school year. Beginning Wednesday, July 15, the district will be sending to parents/guardians an electronic form (email/text) to make the choice between traditional or CMCSS K-12 Virtual. Families will have the ability to select different options for each of the children in their household. Parents choosing the traditional option will also be asked to confirm if their child(ren) will be riding CMCSS bus transportation. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages alternative modes of transportation for students who have other options. In response to the questions received over the weekend about CMCSS K-12 Virtual, the district is compiling an FAQ and an overview document that will be shared tomorrow. On Wednesday, the district will share a comprehensive CMCSS K-12 Virtual Handbook. We encourage parents/guardians to continue providing feedback and asking questions here or by visiting cmcss.net/reopening. The district understands how important it is for families to have all of the information they need to make these important decisions for the 2020-21 school year. We want to reinforce the following points: CMCSS K-12 Virtual… is a full-time, virtual learning environment follows the same traditional CMCSS calendar is staffed by CMCSS teachers who are certified by the Tennessee Department of Education provides technology devices for enrolled students provides internet service (hotspots) to enrolled students whose families are in need will include case reviews to determine if the virtual option will need to be supported by additional methods to meet the individual student’s needs offers core content (English-language arts, math, science, and social studies) in grades K-8 offers high school courses that closely mimic the offerings in the traditional setting To the greatest extent possible, Honors, AP, and […]