October 22, 2020 Update – Remote Learning

October 22, 2020

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.

Good evening, CMCSS families,

We have a few important updates to the district calendar for traditional students. CMCSS will be implementing five pre-planned, district-wide remote learning days for traditional students before Winter Break. With remote learning, students will not report to the school building as they will access learning via the laptops provided by the district. Schools will provide more information to families on how to access remote learning and meals, for those who need them, in the coming days. The following are the planned remote learning days:

• November 2 (day before Election Day)
• November 23-25 (3 days before Thanksgiving Break)
• December 21 (day before Winter Break)

The decision to implement these remote learning days was based on two factors. First, we received feedback from families after the calendar was revised in August regarding the shortening of Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. Implementing remote learning days will allow families to have that time together while still ensuring students are engaged in learning.  Secondly, these pre-planned remote days will allow our Technology Department to evaluate and repair any issues that could arise for students in the event that multiple schools or the entire district needed to transition to remote learning due to the circumstances of the pandemic. So far, the district has had around 2,500 of our almost 23,000 traditional students who have had to learn remotely for a period of time due to COVID-19 reasons since the first day of school.

CMCSS students, faculty, staff, and administrators have worked hard to implement the district’s reopening plan and to keep our school buildings open for those families that chose the traditional option. District leaders hope we can continue to keep our buildings open, but it is going to take the community working together to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in order to do so. The percent of COVID-19 in the community has doubled since the first week of October. Hospitalizations are up 50% in Tennessee, and there has been a surge of cases across the country.

Please follow the guidance of our local, state, and national public health experts. Wash your hands frequently, wear a mask when physical distancing cannot be maintained, and stay home if you are sick. The district will continue to do its best to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools, but we need everyone to do their part.