The schools in the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District could remain closed through April 30, and Superintendent Mary Brown said Wednesday that graduation will be held when it is safe to do so.
Brown has recommended that the district extend the closure of the schools in accordance with President Donald Trump’s social distancing recommendation in response to the coronavirus outbreak. That is almost two weeks longer than the date previously set by Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.
The school board is expected to vote on the recommendation next Tuesday.
The school board held Wednesday's monthly work session remotely via YouTube Live in order to practice social distancing.
The Mississippi State Board of Education has suspended all federal and state assessment tests for the 2019-2020 school year, meaning students will not need to pass them in order to graduate.
“We’re just going to plan for our kids’ graduation,” Brown said. “It may not be the day they’re scheduled, but it just depends on how this virus and school closures are progressing, but when it’s safe to have graduation, we will have a graduation ceremony for our seniors.”
The district has implemented distance learning by publishing instructional packets so students can remain engaged. Brown said that she didn’t think it was fair to fail students given the circumstances but that it was still important to ensure that they were learning and remaining involved with school.
She added that she wants to make sure that students and parents know that teachers are looking at their students’ work.
“If school does not resume, we may just have to get our bus drivers to go to the bus stops and collect the packets,” Brown said.
She said the top priority is to keep everyone safe.
Kathryn Lucas, a third-year medical student at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, along with a group of her friends, took over the school district’s Grab-N-Go lunch program and began delivering meals to students’ homes two weeks ago. However, they are no longer able to provide that service.
The district has been corresponding with the Meals-to-You program to continue feeding students.
If it partners with this program, food will be mailed to students’ homes, and they will be able to prepare it on their own.
“We are concerned about students eating, but we’re also concerned about our community keeping safe,” Brown said.
Two weeks after students enroll in the program, they will begin to receive their meals.
The board also brought up the possibility of a bond issue to renovate current school buildings or erect new ones.
“I think a bond issue would be imperative to place our students not only in better but safer schools,” said Charles Johnson, assistant superintendent.
•Contact Kerrigan Herret at 581-7233 or kherret@gwcommonwealth.com.
The original version of this article incorrectly reported that the school board voted to close schools until April 30. That vote has not been taken. Under its own policy, the board is not allowed to vote on recommendations during a work session.
