CPS Digital Academy Parent Survey Information — Please Complete By June 15

Message from Supt. Dr. Tony Thurman:

We would like to thank all students, parents, and guardians for their efforts in continuing the education of our students from March 13th to the end of the 2nd semester. It has been a challenging time for all and we know our AMI process was not without its issues. Our staff and faculty are certainly ready to get our students back to school on August 13th!

There are still many questions regarding the return to school in August. You may have noticed postings on social media with guidelines, but the fact of the matter is that school districts in Arkansas have not received any directives for the opening of school specific to social distancing requirements, facial coverings, and related information. It is important to keep in mind that simply because one state has certain guidelines or directives, that may not be the case for Arkansas. 

My assurance is that once we receive guidelines specific to our state and our local school district, we will share this information with you. 

Now, the one directive that was given by state officials this past week to school districts is to develop a blended learning plan for the upcoming year. Blended learning plans provide a blueprint or framework for the district on how to most effectively pivot between traditional, classroom instruction and online instruction as needed. It goes without saying that we'd like to return to and stay with traditional, onsite classroom instruction.  It's also a smart move to be fully prepared in the event we need to pivot to online instruction at any point during the upcoming school year.  

Reflecting on last spring, our teachers and staff learned valuable lessons in how instruction can be offered via distance learning. We also know that there are some families that may not be comfortable with returning to traditional, on-site learning in the fall, but we want to make sure that students in our community have the option to receive a high quality education offered by the best instructors.

Therefore, the Cabot Public School District is exploring the option of offering completely digital learning for students in kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2020-2021 school year. It is important to note that the instruction in this program would not be offered via television or worksheet packets being sent home to students. Instead, there would be direct instruction provided via Google Classroom with Google Meet or recorded videos being a key component. In addition, students and parents need to know that the expectation is that students will be actively engaged and fully participate in educational activities for a majority of the regular school week. Grades will be given regularly and participation/assignments will be evaluated to the same level as if students were enrolled in on-site education. In-school instruction will still be available to those who do not wish to participate in such programming.

Before we can make a decision on whether a fully online program would be viable for our district, we need to gauge the level of interest of our parents. We are asking that you complete this survey (it is also being emailed to parents) so that we can better grasp the level of interest in a fully online learning experience through the Cabot School District. The information we collect will help us develop a strong educational delivery method that will allow for students in our district to continue to thrive, regardless of their being on-site for instruction.

Once we better understand the level of interest in a fully online program, we will be able to make final decisions in regard to programming for the fall. We ask that you please complete the survey by the end of the day Monday, June 15th.

I know you still have a lot of questions that we cannot answer right now, but I want to assure you we are preparing and exploring all options. As always, when we have a plan, we will communicate it with you. Let me reiterate that as of today, we have not received directives from the state regarding social distancing requirements, alternative classroom configurations, flexible scheduling, or the requirement for facial coverings.

One thing is absolutely certain though; we will always do what is best for your children. “It's about Kids!” and we will make sure they are safe, loved, and receive an outstanding education no matter the circumstance.