James M. Bennett High
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Statement of Intent for 2021-2022 School Year
Good evening, Wicomico school families. This is Chief Academic Officer Rick Briggs with an update on plans for next school year, and a link for parents and guardians to provide us with a Statement of Intent for the instructional plan for each student in their family.
During this school year, some students have been hybrid with both in-person and virtual learning, while other students have been all virtual. Almost all teachers have had the challenge of teaching students in the room and online at the same time. It has been a necessary arrangement but a difficult one, and it will not continue. We anticipate that with the continuation of recommended health and safety precautions in our schools and community, next school year will feel very much like a traditional school year. Our classrooms will no longer have students in person and virtual at the same time.
Face-to-face instruction in the classroom is the best possible model for students to learn and achieve, and we are pleased to share that In September, Wicomico Schools plan to welcome back to the classroom almost all of our close to 15,000 students with in-person instruction five days a week. The full array of classes – including Advanced Placement, special subjects, and specialty programs such as Career & Technical Education, Visual and Performing Arts, JROTC, elementary and middle school TAD, NexGen STEM Academy and elementary band and strings – will only be provided as part of in-person instruction.
While we anticipate almost every student returning to in-person instruction for next school year, we recognize that some students and families may have unique concerns that could lead to a preference for an all-virtual option. While Wicomico Schools will provide a virtual option to help address any unique concerns, students and families should understand that it will be a basic, core academic program that will likely not include the full menu of classes, including those listed for in-person instruction.
Students will be eligible for dual enrollment and extracurricular activities, including athletics, regardless of whether the student attends in person or virtually.
To allow for necessary planning, Wicomico Schools need to hear from parents and guardians about the preferred instructional model for each student for next school year. We will ask for those responses in a two-step process, starting with a nonbinding Statement of Intent for 2021-2022 School Year by April 30th. Then, within a month or two (after the sharing of additional information), parents and guardians will complete a binding Commitment to Education Plan for 2021-2022 School Year.
Thank you in advance for taking care of this important task. Have a good night.