Health assessment data shared by the Alabama Department of Public Health, local healthcare agencies, and school nurses' input will determine the schools on-ongoing need for sanitation equipment, sanitation supplies, and PPE. Guntersville City Schools are committed to continuing increased sanitation protocols by using electrostatic sprayers and air scrubbers throughout the school day in shared common spaces, classrooms, and on buses. Sanitation supplies such as disinfectant wipes and sprays will be provided to all classrooms. Signage will be posted throughout all campuses and on buses to maintain social distancing and encourage proper hand-washing and hygiene. Additionally, a needs assessment was conducted and determined the need to upgrade 75 HVAC units, window replacement, and roofing repairs to improve air quality.

A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted by a team of stakeholders to determine the total number of disrupted learning days due to COVID-19. Students who remained virtual and who did not consistently participate were identified as a targeted group for in school interventions, credit recovery, after school tutoring, and summer learning opportunities. These students will be invited to attend after school tutoring and summer camps. Guntersville City Schools will partner with the local YMCA to offer high interest learning programs after school and during the summer months. During the 2021-2022 school year, Guntersville City Schools will provide in school tutoring to high school students who are behind in credits due to interrupted instruction due to Covid quarantines and school closures. A part time intervention teacher will be employed to provide instruction to those at-risk students and to monitor credit recovery programs for those students. Additionally, during the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school year the high school will provide ACT bootcamps to 11th and 12th grade students to help those students achieve a benchmark score on the ACT. ARP ESSER state reserve funds will be used to host after school programs during the 2021-2022, 2022-2023 school years to provide after school tutoring services to students who demonstrate a consistent reading deficiency according to the Alabama Literacy Act. We will utilize our existing online subscriptions to Edgenuity, IXL, LanguageLive, iSpire, BrainPop, ReadingEggs, and Math Seeds. These platforms will create learning and practice opportunities in both literacy and mathematics. 

To target the most vulnerable student populations and those students who are entering from remote learning from the 2020-2021 school year, paraprofessionals will be employed to help serve special needs students, English learners, elementary grades, along with a part-time interventionist to serve the intermediate school. A home visitation program is being established to provide support to families needing additional support in academics, social emotional well being, and basic necessities. Additionally, a mental health coordinator will be hired to build an effective social emotional learning program/curriculum to provide support for students and families. The school system also recognizes that there are many aspects to providing an equitable education, including equitable access to a well-rounded education, which includes music and the arts. Arts Education (Dance, Music, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts) is essential for our students as it not only provides them key building blocks of creativity and social emotional learning (SEL), but has been proven in countless studies to improve performance in other academic subjects as well. A part-time arts instructor will be employed to support the arts education program. 

Furthermore, the district recognizes the need to develop employability skills in grades K-12 and will expand CTE opportunities with an addition of agriscience, STEM, and career exploration courses at the middle grades and additional CTE pathways at the high school grades. For this expansion, 3 part time CTE instructors and 0.25 career tech coordinator will be employed.

 

 

Guntersville City Schools will ensure equitable participation in opportunities to close academic achievement gaps for all students. Is is the policy of Guntersville City Schools that no student be excluded from participation in, to denied the benefits of or subjected to discrimination in any program or activity, on the basis of sex, race, age, disability, religion, belief, national origin, or color. By using achievement data, the selection of students will be fair and will not create barriers based on gender, race, color, national origin, disability, or age. The at-risk counselor, homeless liaison, and home visitation employees will regularly check and monitor the progress of students who had interrupted educational experience during the 2020-2021 school year due to quarantines, isolation, and illness. All parents will receive information as wells as invitations to participate in after school programs and summer programs in a language they can understand. Our district also recognizes that many families do not have the resources to support early elementary students as they learn to read and apply reading skills to text. Chromebooks have been provided for all K-12th grade students and internet connectively will be provided with community based hotspots in underserved communities. 

The federal program director will monitor all ARP ESSER purchases by approving all purchase orders, employee schedules, and timesheets. The director will monitor monthly budget analysis reports and collect appropriate data. Information will be shared periodically at public board of education meetings.

Guntersville City Schools will work closely with partner organizations (local YMCA and the faith based) to address community needs. Strategies to address those needs will include summer programming, after school programming, food and nutrition programs, tutoring, mentoring, mental and physical health services, COVID-19 vaccine access, and family engagement strategies. The mission of Guntersville City Schools will be to provide an integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement in effort to lead to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities with the addition of the mental health coordinator, at risk counselor, and home visitation staff.