LSMSA Spring '21 Reopening Plan--Update for Parents (11.29.20)

Good Afternoon Eagle Parents:

I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving break and were able to enjoy some much needed time with your immediate families. 

LSMSA returns to its regular schedule tomorrow—offices open at 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and we are closed Fridays for sanitizing and building maintenance.

Over the break we heard from Governor Edwards regarding the current situation involving Covid-19 and how it has affected the state in terms of hospital admissions, positive cases, and recovery rates.  As of last Wednesday, the state returned to an Enhanced Phase II, which does have a significant impact on many functions of the state.  Here’s how his proclamation affects LSMSA:

1. LSMSA, by state statute, is not governed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) or the Department of Education (DOE).  Though we do receive MFP funding, most of our funding comes directly from the Governor’s Office via the Division of Administration.  Thus, his statement that school districts will be given the autonomy to make their own decisions regarding best practices for Phase II, does not affect LSMSA.  Since we are a state agency that reports to the Governor, we are required by law to follow the Proclamation as presented.
   
   
2. HOWEVER, know that our plan for return in the spring, which was approved by our Governing Board of Directors, meets every minimum requirement for Enhanced Phase II, so we are still good to go!  Had our plan included an all-campus return that included two to a room/hallway baths/suitemates/suitemate baths, we would not be in compliance and would have been forced to withdraw our plan to return because we could not meet room/building occupancy requirements set forth by the Proclamation.  We also barely meet Phase II guidelines for indoor and outdoor facility use (classrooms included).  SO, outside of some tweaking of a few campus functions (such as dining hall use), we will be ready to receive our first cohort as scheduled in early January. 

Remember that by Tuesday, December 1, at 4:30 p.m., we need to know your decision whether you plan to return to campus during your assigned cohort period—or if you would rather remain online at home the entire semester.  Though we will be using a synchronous model for instruction, those at home will be afforded the same opportunities as in the fall (book/supplies pickup, for example).  This week we will work out all the details regarding the returning of books and supplies used for the Fall semester and let you know immediately.  Remember that the cohorts will be assigned based on class schedules/availability, classroom availability, and residence hall availability.  Due to these restraints, particularly now that we have Phase II restrictions, we unfortunately cannot entertain specific requests for cohort placements.   We will announce BLUE and GOLD cohort groups as soon as we can.

If you have not already, please go to the School's Return to Campus webpage, which includes specific details regarding dates, cohorts, processes and protocols for our return.  Also, you will find a comprehensive Question and Answer section that has been updated throughout the week from responses we've received since last Friday.
 
Tomorrow (Monday), we will host four, 45-minute Zoom sessions for the purpose of answering questions regarding the reopening plan that are not already answered on the Q&A section of the web page.    Please sign up for a Zoom session using the following links no later than one hour prior to the session you are requesting.  We will issue Zoom invites to the email address you provided.  Each session will be limited in size, so you may not get your first choice.  So sign up early. 

These sessions are for information purposes only and do not require parental attendance.

Later in the week we will begin to communicate directly with your students regarding the reopening so that they can begin planning for the return.  In the meantime, our focus for them will be to get them through the last days of the fall semester so that they can end this term with as little stress as possible.  So, tomorrow’s Zoom sessions are planned specifically for our Eagle parents.

Thank you again for being so supportive of our ongoing situation.  Your positive comments throughout this week have validated our concerns (as well as our Governing Board’s concerns) for our student body being able to return in a safe, healthy environment that will at least give our students a chance to enjoy a limited on-campus experience.  We all hope for some sense of normalcy during these times, and I am confident that next year we will be able to return to a typical LSMSA semester—albeit in a new residential facility!

Enjoy your week!