How long might the campuses of public schools in Greenwood and Leflore County remain closed? Perhaps until April 30.
The topic’s expected to be on the agenda Tuesday when the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District’s board meets.
Superintendent Mary Brown recently recommended that the board extend closure past April 17 to April 30, almost two weeks longer than the date set by Gov. Tate Reeves. The latter date reflects President Donald Trump’s guidelines for the country. The district serves 4,700 students.
Although the campuses have not been open, school has been in session — mainly via the internet. Through it, students have been completing assignments online or by downloading assignments and printing them. Some schools have been providing assignments on paper for students who, for whatever reason, don’t have access. Mostly, the students have Chromebooks and hot-spot packs, which provide internet access, said Margaret Dean, the district’s communications director.
“We have been getting good participation,” she said Monday.
Kelvin Pulley, board attorney, said the board has an official policy that allows the board to decide to close schools for reasons of safety during emergencies, including epidemics.
“These can be weather, any natural disasters and any type of hazardous threat to faculty and students,” he explained.
Also, he said, the district is not obligated to provide the standard 180-day school year. The Mississippi State Board of Education voted on March 19 to forgo the requirement.
Campuses have been closed since March 9, which is when spring break began. Before they could reopen the next week, the governor closed them statewide.
Tuesday’s meeting can be viewed on the district’s website, www.glcsd.org.
Pick the button “district” at the top of the page and follow a dropdown menu to “district live stream” to watch the meeting, starting at 5 p.m. Afterward, it can be seen on YouTube.
•Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
