Atoosa Reaser, Vice Chair, Loudoun County School Board

05/10/2020

Algonkian Resident Feedback

❓Do you prefer to end school early or avoid another change?
❓Do you have a child entering K-2 next year?
❓Class rank no change, change in grouping or elimination?
Algonkian residents, please give your input on these topics at link below, plus your Weekly Work-Up of Loudoun County Public Schools School Board Meetings

📅Tuesday, May 12
3:00P Virtual Finance & Facilities Committee
4:00P Virtual 2nd Tuesday School Board Meeting

✳️continue emergency pay to LCPS staff?
✳️annual review of walk zones
✳️equity committee motions to remove John Beatty
✳️COVID-19 related matters
✳️contingency plan

📅Thursday, May 14
5:30P Virtual Equity Committee Meeting

05/06/2020

MEETING RECAP
✳️ Class Rank
Staff presented options for calculating class rank given the new grading policies for this school year. Options include using all three quarters, using only the first semester, or eliminating class rank.

✳️ End of School
Based on earlier board member inquiries, staff presented options for ending school early.

✳️ K-2 Learning Devices
LCPS will be sending a survey to K-2 teachers and K-2 parents regarding devices, in preparation for the next school year.

‼️While our decisions impact the entire school division, when you email the board, it is helpful to know the school to which you are “attached” or if you are a constituent‼️

05/06/2020

If you are interested in participating in the planning process for school in the fall, please send me an email ([email protected]) no later than Wed, May 6, at 5pm.

Please indicate why you would be a good representative for the Algonkian District, your commitment to the schedule described below, and whether you are available for a telephone conversation Thursday morning.

As you may know, LCPS is in the process of planning for three potential scenarios as it relates to what education in LCPS will look like beginning this fall.

We are expanding stakeholder engagement and broadening the scope to ensure that representatives of the LCPS community are engaging in this work with us.

The commitment for this phase is up to five meetings (approximately two hours each) with the possibility of some prep work. Currently your commitment is needed for sprint two (May 11 through May 22), but there will likely be opportunities for continued and additional participant engagement in sprint three and beyond.

For your consideration and personal planning, a summary of the meeting schedule is as follows:


Date: Monday, May 11 Time: 11:00-12:30PM
Purpose: Orientation for new participants

Date: Tuesday, May 12 Time: TBD*
Purpose: Overview of Sprint 2 and desired Outcomes

Date: Thursday, May 14 Time: TBD*
Purpose: Develop Prototypes and/or Provide Feedback and Research

Date: Tuesday, May 19 Time: TBD*
Purpose: Develop Prototypes and/or Provide Feedback and Research

Date: Thursday, May 21 Time: TBD*
Purpose: Collective share-out of all prototypes and plan for Sprint 3

04/24/2020

School Board / School Board

‼️New Live Public Comment Procedure‼️

During the present state of emergency, live public comments will be accepted virtually and aired in real time during School Board meetings at the direction of the Chair.

Registrations on Tuesday will not be accepted.

To make comments at the April 28, 2020, School Board meeting, please register here:
https://tinyurl.com/yb7e36so

More info here:
https://www.lcps.org/Page/226240

Search all LCPS sites OR focus search using the radio buttons below. Click the Search Tips link for how to enhance search experience.Search Tips

04/16/2020

April 14 SB Meeting Highlight:

❇️ our board will need to reduce the FY 21 budget by about $73 million (this amount may change) due to the following:

1. a gap of $3.7 million in local appropriations
2. $60 million to be reserved by the county for potential future release to LCPS
3. circa $9.3 million based on the governor's budget amendments (to reduce $1.2 million for school counselor staffing ratios and $8.1 million meant for discretionary spending including over 5 million meant for teacher salary increases)

❇️ staff advised us that expenditures not related to enrollment growth, including staffing standards and salary enhancements, total approximately $74.6 million

🗓 budget work session & public hearings scheduled for May

04/15/2020

Briefing with Senator Mark Warner this morning:

📚free college credits thanks to Northern Virginia Community College
📚up to two free online classes this summer
📚up to six credits to jump start college
📚available to current and rising seniors
📚includes cloud computing with Amazon

Register at: https://www.nvcc.edu/jumpstart

⚕️PCR testing coming via Janelia & partners
⚕️making face shields for INOVA (potential to produce up to 2K a week if needed)
⚕️Senator Jennifer B. Boysko and the Commonwealth are working with a donor from China to donate up to 50K to INOVA and 50K pieces of PPE to the Commonwealth

04/05/2020

15 Minute Meeting - Atoosa R. Reaser

Virtual Office Hours and your Weekly Work-Up:

☎ Chat about what's working and what's not? Sign up for a call during my office hours: https://calendly.com/atoosareaser/15min
🗓 Tue, 4/7 4Pm - School Board Meeting
✅Continuity of Education Plan issues:
1. use of Q4 grades to improve overall grade
2. info re classes that are only second semester
3. info re senior only classes with no new material after April
4. confirm P/F for 2nd semester in AP class no GPA bump
5. same for DE?
6. same for honors?
5. can use P/F for the year or just 2nd semester w/o GPA effect?
6. are departments coordinating as teams to teach?
7. list of consistent communication expectations for each principal, department, class?
8. potential for weekly cross-category messages aimed at each grade level (e.g. Seniors - top 3 things you need to know this week, etc.)
9. Will the SOL waiver be considered as fulfilling requirements for an ADVANCED diploma (e.g. in math)?

The rest of the agenda for Tuesday's meeting includes:
✅stimulus funds
✅stipends for FY20
✅special education
✅and more, see: http://tiny.cc/2020April07SB

04/02/2020

Update on DE and AP

✅ Dual Enrollment
- a message will be sent to families of students enrolled in DE courses regarding grading and instruction platforms

✅ Advanced Placement Classes

Students are now able to access the on-demand classes using their Chromebooks through the AP YouTube Channel at youtube.com/advancedplacement

More information regarding this year’s AP exams will be announced by the College Board on April 3.

Additionally, the College Board is hosting a live presentation tonight, exclusively for AP educators. The College Board will provide details about exam dates and times, exam tasks and the rationale behind them, and more. Information covered during the presentation will be released broadly to the AP community on Friday, April 3.

03/30/2020

Email me at [email protected] and let me know:
How did the first day of “Distance Learning” go?
If you write, include your student's school.

I'm asking for emails so I can consolidate concerns offline, get answers or fixes, and then post responsive information later in the week for everyone.

03/26/2020

Additional Info (updated on Fri 3/27)
on Distance Learning (to start Mon 3/30):

K-2- Up to 60 minutes per day
3-5 - Up to 90 minutes per day
6-8 - Up to 30 minutes per class
9-12 - Up to 30 minutes per class
AP/Dual Enrollment - aligned to course expectations

___________
Original Post
Starting Mon 3/30 - Distance Learning

Communication
👥Grades 3 to 12 - teachers will be using Google Classroom to communicate with students
🗣️Grades K to 2 - teachers may use Google Classroom but also other mechanism best fit for their students

Instruction
👩‍🏫Elementary - 60 to 90 min of learning experience on content they have already been exposed to and no grades (this may change)
👨‍🏫MS and HS - up to 30 min per class of learning experience on content they have already been exposed to and no grades (this may change)

Technology
💻Chromebook distribution rolling out now to be completed in 7 to 10 days for students in grades 3 to 12
📲Hot spots rolling out for students who request them (form on LCPS web page)

Mental Health
🤝In an effort to connect LCPS families with the Unified Mental Health Team (UMHT) staff members from their schools, Pupil Services established an email address that is unique to each school’s UMHT. Find contact information on the “Mental Health & Wellness Resources and Student & Family Services” link that is located on the LCPS Continuity of Education web page.

If an LCPS parent/guardian is uncertain about the best approach for supporting their student’s mental health needs during the time, they can email the school-based mental health professional at their student’s school to ask questions.

The UMHT staff is expected to respond within 24 hours on workdays (not including weekends, holidays, or non-work days). This resource is not to be used for urgent situations as families should contact emergency services or their mental health professional. We are continuing to build additional resources into this website.

03/25/2020

Common themes of input from families (which I fully support and for which I will advocate):

🎓no need to cancel graduations now and
💯maximum flexibility in allowing students to take a letter grade OR a pass/fail in each course, as they choose

Regarding the Commonwealth's recommendations, the Virginia Department of Education - VDOE published guidance on the following:

✳️graduation requirements
✳️awarding of credits
✳️continuity of learning
✳️assessment and grading

More specifically, the guidance includes considerations for assessment and grading, providing continuity of education throughout the school closure, and specific flexibility for school divisions with regard to graduation requirements.

Loudoun County Public Schools is in the process of reviewing the guidance and determining the most appropriate next steps to meet the needs of all 84,000 students. I will share specifics as I have them.

*a student who was on a trajectory toward earning a diploma should be able to graduate, as should a student who was on a path to grade advancement*

03/23/2020

NOTE: Dr. Williams via video circa 8:30 p.m at: https://vimeo.com/400079603

The Governor announced today that all VA schools will remain closed through the remainder of this school year. LCPS will provide more information as it becomes available, including plans to begin distance learning (digital and non-digital) on Monday, March 30.

03/22/2020

Loudoun County Public Schools Community Meal Service App

Your Weekly Work-Up re:Loudoun County Public Schools

🗓 Mon 3/23 2PM
Governor's Press Conference
-to include next steps for public schools

🗓 Monday to Friday
8AM - 5PM
Online Access
-if you know of LCPS families who don't have internet access, have them call the Tech Support Center at 571-252-2112 or help them submit a request online at:
https://t.co/nq5vkO2lfp?amp=1

🗓 Monday to Friday
10AM - 1PM
Meal Service
-note change in schools that are open for meals (see list)
-note expanding meal stops for the school bus fleet (see link)

• Briar Woods High School
• Broad Run High School
• John Champe High School
• Dominion High School
• Frederick Douglass Elementary
• Freedom High School
• Guilford Elementary
• Harper Park Middle School
• Heritage High School
• Hutchison Farm Elementary
• Independence High School
• Leesburg Elementary
• Loudoun County High School
• Loudoun Valley High School
• Lovettsville Elementary
• Park View High School
• Potomac Falls High School
• Riverside High School
• Rock Ridge High School
• Rolling Ridge Elementary
• Round Hill Elementary
• Sterling Elementary
• Sterling Middle School
• Stone Bridge High School
• Sugarland Elementary
• Sully Elementary
• Tuscarora High School
• Woodgrove High School

Use this app to find the closest LCPS Community Meal Service Stop

03/21/2020

✳️re-opening: it is UNLIKELY that school will restart on 4/13

✳️grades - while schools are closed under order of Governor Northam, no new content will be taught and no grading will occur without equitable access and the ability to give a Free Appropriate Public Education to ALL students

✳️3rd quarter grades - on hold until have a better idea of if/when school can recommence

✳️access to online learning
- mobile hot spots are available through LCPS so there can be equitable access for new content to be taught through distance learning, once it can start (see earlier post regarding hot spots)
-Chromebooks will be delivered curbside for those students in grades 3-12 who do not yet have them

✳️dual enrollment - guidance has been given to HS principals so grades can be reported to the college; dual enrollment can continue since it is through the college

✳️special education - guidance is being sought on delivery of special education services

✳️graduation - honoring our seniors is front-of-mind for Dr. Williams and we can offer more information after the crisis passes since it is impossible to tell when community spread will end

✳️SOL testing - the federal government is waiving requirements and the Commonwealth is in the process of responding to that announcement

✳️AP classes - the College Board is implementing online testing (please see earlier post)

✳️courses for next year - virtual counseling appointments will be made for course selection

✳️teaching lost content - once the extent of the closing is established, plans will be made regarding lost content

✳️paying FT and PT employees - full-time hourly and salaried employees have no interruption of pay; there is an income replacement program for part-time employees (including long-term substitutes)

✳️budget - we voted unanimously to amend our budget to add money from the state for teachers, specifying that it goes to teacher salaries and not the general operating fund, which we have always said would be the action we would take if the funding came through. ‬

While I realize that the Board of Supervisors may feel they need to reduce our local appropriations for future needs the county may have, our teachers and staff will also have unknown needs due to the current crisis. We heard from many of them that they work second and third jobs in consumer industries that are being hit hard. As a School Board member, I feel my first priority is the students and staff at LCPS. If we need to reconcile the budget, I will support other cuts instead. I know that our counterparts on the BOS are also working hard to make the best decisions in this unprecedented situation.

⭐Have no doubt that we are all aligned in the goal of taking care of our community.⭐

03/21/2020

Dr. Williams has shared that the Loudoun County Health Department (LCHD) informed us today that two additional LCPS staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. This brings us to a current total of three staff members who have tested positive so far.

Dr. Williams has notified the Waxpool Elementary School community that the health department has informed us that a second member of the Waxpool Elementary School staff has tested positive for COVID-19. The second staff member is currently not experiencing symptoms and is self-quarantined at home.

The health department is conducting an investigation and is in the process of calling each individual identified as having had close contact with the second staff member who tested positive. They have reached every individual who was identified as having close contact with the first staff member who tested positive.

The health department is aware that several other members of the Waxpool Elementary School community are symptomatic and have test results pending.

The health department has also informed us that a staff member who is associated with Liberty Elementary School and Pinebrook Elementary School tested positive for the COVID-19. The staff member is receiving medical care and we wish them a complete recovery. The health department is conducting a contact investigation related to this individual, as well, and plans to provide additional information on this topic to the school community as the investigation progresses.

Recognizing that the health department presumes that community transmission of COVID-19 is occurring, community members may wish to stay home, even if they feel fine, except for essential trips. Essential trips might include trips to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores, banks, and gas stations.

The Loudoun County Health Department can be reached at 703-737-8300 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Saturday and Sunday, and 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM Monday through Friday for questions.

03/21/2020

We just adjourned our special School Board meeting. I will post an update tomorrow regarding the topics we covered, including:

✳️paying FT and PT employees
✳️teaching lost content
✳️teaching new content
✳️access to online learning
✳️dual enrollment
✳️special education
✳️grades
✳️graduation
✳️SOL testing
✳️AP classes
✳️courses for next year

‪AND we voted unanimously to amend our budget to add money from the state for teachers, specifying that it goes to teacher salaries and not the general operating fund. ‬