What will next school year look like?
The 2019-2020 school year has come to an end but we continue working diligently to plan for what the new school year will look like. Today, the only certainty about our reopening is that the 2020-2021 school year will begin on August 11, 2020 for College Connection Academy and August 17, 2020 for the remainder of the schools in our District. While there is still uncertainty as to how the Public Health Department will allow us to reopen schools we have begun the planning process . This planning process will require thoughtful, intentional, and deliberate efforts to create the conditions for schools to reopen safely. During the process, we will use the following guiding principles and timeline to provide the foundation for our planning. 
Guiding Principles
  • Protect the Safety and Health of Students, Staff, and Families
  • Plans Must Work to Ensure Equity, Access, and Inclusion
  • Eliminate Opportunity Gaps, Address Learning Loss, and Accelerate Achievement
  • Promote Innovative High Quality Teaching and Learning Across All Environments
  • Engage Stakeholders in Transparent, Collaborative, and Compassionate Decision Making
Advisory Work Groups
Advisory work groups will develop plans in alignment with the guidance received from the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. To ensure we provide high quality learning experiences in the new school year, advisory work groups are exploring various models and best practices. The determined reopening model is a local decision following the guidance from public health. The three considerations commonly being referred to are:

  1. Full Online Learning Model: Led by a credentialed teacher, students would continue learning remotely using a digital learning platform. This option will be available to all students next school year.
  2. Hybrid Learning Model: School will start with a combination of some face-to-face contact and some digital learning.
  3. Full Reopening Model: All students and staff would be on campus with ratios and social distancing guidelines in place that are in alignment with Public Health, the County Office of Education, and Centers for Disease Control.
Grab-N-Go Meals
Grab-N-Go Meals will continue throughout the summer break from June 17th through July 31st. Meals will be available for pick up Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11am to 1pm at select locations. Click here for the full list of schools. 
Town Hall Meetings
Part of our planning process includes stakeholder input via surveys and Town Hall meetings. There are three upcoming opportunities for Parent Town Hall meetings on June 18th. Click here to RSVP to participate in the English , Spanish , or Vietnamese facilitated meetings. We also hosted two Staff Town Hall Meetings this week. The Town Hall Meetings are being recorded and posted to our website. Additionally, an FAQ will be put together from the discussion and questions raised at these meetings to share with our community. 
In Closing
Throughout the summer we will continue sharing updates about the learning options for the 2020-2021 school year given the Health Department’s guidelines. We understand that these last few months have been difficult for each and every one of you as we have responded to the global pandemic. I want to thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work on our reopening plans to ensure we are living up to our vision of creating equitable outcomes and learning experiences for all students while keeping our community safe. By working together, we will ensure our students continue learning, feel supported, and are prepared to thrive. 

Sincerely, 

Juan Cruz
Superintendent
Franklin-McKinley School District | www.fmsd.org