Plan B
Under Plan B, due to CDC social distancing requirements, as well as the state's StrongSchoolsNC guidelines, it is not possible to return all students in grades Kindergarten-12th to school; therefore, grades K-12 will follow a hybrid model which includes both face-to-face instruction and remote work from home on designated days. Approximately one third of the student population will be in the building at a given time.
We recognize health conditions may prohibit students and staff from returning to school under Plan B; therefore, MGSD will offer an option for K-12 students to attend the MGSD Online Academy (MOA), where students will work with MGSD certified staff in a synchronous (live online) and asynchronous classroom with other online learners.
The MGSD Online Academy is a separate opportunity that is intended to support learners who are committed to learning online for the long term (at least August through December 2020) and prefer a virtual learning experience to a physical school building experience. The MOA will operate whether the district follows Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C. Electives will be very limited in the MOA and may not include some Arts, Band/Theater/Chorus, Advanced, Advanced Placement, or Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.
The MOA is available for students in Kindergarten-12th grade and will be available for the 2020-2021 school year and beyond. For 2020-21, the MOA will require a semester-long commitment for students in grades 9-12. For Kindergarten-8th grade students, it will require a year-long commitment. Please note that at semester end (December 2020), your child's teacher may change; furthermore, for Kindergarten-8th grade students, we will give consideration to families who request to opt-out of the MOA and return to in-person learning at the semester end (December 2020). Decisions will be based on staffing and availability.
Instruction under Plan B
PreK (NCPreK & STARS)
We are waiting on additional guidance from the Iredell County Partnership for Young Children and the State of North Carolina to determine how we will be able to implement these programs.
K-12
K-12 students will be in a Hybrid Model: Face-to-Face (F2F) instruction in the classroom one day a week, independent remote work four days a week, and additional student support provided mid-week.
Face-to-Face Instruction
Students are divided into three cohorts based on the students' last names.
One cohort will attend F2F on Monday, one cohort will attend on Wednesday, and one cohort will attend on Friday.
Cohort A (students with last names beginning with the letter A through F): Will attend live in-person instruction on Monday, with remote learning occurring on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Cohort B (students with last names beginning with the letter G through N): Will will attend live in-person instruction on Wednesday, with remote learning occurring on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Cohort C (students with last names beginning with the letter O through Z): Will attend live in-person instruction on Friday, with remote learning occurring on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
(We will work with those families who may have students living in the same household with different last names).
Independent Remote Work
The four days of remote learning will include recorded lessons, independent work, and other independent practice activities.
Student Support
In addition, on Tuesday and Thursday of the remote learning days, we will offer midweek check-ins, social emotional support, and personalized learning for students.
Some students will receive invitations from teachers to attend additional, individualized, small-group instruction for personalized learning. This will be optional and may be conducted virtually or in-person.
Students who do not attend invitation-only sessions will have additional time to explore enrichment activities, catch up on assignments, turn in work, and/or contact teachers for additional support.
Special populations (Students with IEPs, 504s, ESL, etc.) will attend school consistent with their peers. District staff will work on individualized plans to account for our hybrid learning environment.
Safety Requirements under Plan B
MGSD will follow all requirements from the state regarding social distancing, sanitizing, cloth facial masks, and minimizing exposure as outlined in the StrongSchoolsNC document. Please understand that while we will work diligently to follow all safety requirements, some situations are beyond our control.
Per the state’s decision, cloth facial masks are required:
For all MGSD staff
For all MGSD students grades K - 12 (Five cloth facial masks will be provided for each student)
For all parents/visitors
Students, staff, and parents/visitors will be temperature and symptom screened before boarding the bus or before entering the building at designated checkpoints. Students who exhibit symptoms or a fever will need to return home.
School Nutrition under Plan B
All meals served at school will be picked up by the students in the cafeteria and eaten in the classrooms.
Students may bring their lunch from home, but they must bring it with them to school. Parents will not be allowed to drop off food during the day and will not be allowed to eat lunch with their child.
There will be a meal pick up service available at each school for students who are not at school for the Face-to-Face days.
Transportation Under Plan B
Due to the need for social distancing on buses, we may have to stagger start and end times for our students in order to make the necessary amount of trips needed for all students requiring transportation. We will release more information as to school day start and end times for the face-to-face instruction days as we learn more.
Cloth face masks must be worn by bus drivers and all students while on the bus.
No more than one passenger can be seated per school bus seat (family/household members can share one seat).
We encourage you to provide your own transportation (if possible) so we can reserve seats for students without alternative transportation.
MGSD will strictly follow G.S. 115C-246 which deals with school bus transportation. Each public school bus shall be routed so that the bus passes within one mile of the residence of each pupil assigned to that bus. As a result, your stop may be up to one mile away from your residence.
Students must submit a bus stop request form for the 2020-2021 school year. Only one bus stop will be assigned per student. Multiple stops will not be assigned.
Parents must be at the bus stop for AM pick-up and PM drop-off for K-3 students. Students 4-12 will return home from the bus stop if they exhibit symptoms at screening.
Before and After School Program (BASP) Under Plan B
Space is very limited for our BASP program.
Priority will be given to MGSD staff who need childcare to return to work. If there are additional spots available, we will open spots to the general community.
Extracurricular, Athletic, and other After School Activities Under Plan B
Athletics and Marching Band will operate under the NCHSAA guidelines which limits the number of students and coaches/staff working together. At this point, it is uncertain if athletic competitions will be allowed under state guidelines.
Extracurricular clubs and after school activities cannot meet face-to-face during Plan B.
EC Services
All students with IEPs will have a Remote Learning Contingency Plan (RLCP) or IEP addendum developed with the IEP team to address instruction that happens during school closure. This applies to the MOA, Plan B, or Plan C.
The Exceptional Children’s team will work with families to ensure that the student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is addressed in a way that reflects the appropriate modifications and/or accommodations in order to meet the requirement for a free and appropriate education (FAPE) during school closure.
For students with an IEP or 504 plan who enroll in MOA, specific services and accommodations will be reviewed as a team prior to the start of classes.
Students will continue to receive special services from current MGSD specialists. These services include but are not limited to AIG, ESL, Intervention and 504 services.