Dale County Schools plan to implement prevention and mitigation strategies to continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning through our reopening plan, procedures, and protocols. The District will plan and implement strategies to provide its students with the most appropriate and meaningful learning atmosphere possible. To ensure the quality of instruction and learning, administration, teachers, students, parents and community will share expectations and decisions will be driven in regards to what is best for the district and the community. The plan outlines screening protocols, health protocols, sanitizing and disinfecting, physical health and well-being, social and emotional wellbeing of students, child nutrition guidelines, a daily schedule to reflect suggestions from CDC and ADPH. Additionally, the plan includes guidance on health services, transportation, and other pertinent information for students to return to in-person learning. The plan also allows flexibility to adapt to the ever changing world of COVID that we live in today.   The Dale County School System will make decisions concerning social and physical distancing, mask-wearing, and contract tracing as data and information becomes available about COVID-19 cases from local public health officials, school nurses, and the ADPH.  The Superintendent and each school administrator will communicate any changes in the plan and protocols to teachers, students, families, and community members. 

Dale County Schools will ensure that all materials, strategies and services are evidenced-based. Interventions must meet the definition of high quality and be appropriate to address all academic, social emotional, and mental health needs for all students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All subgroup data will be analyzed to include subgroups from different ethnic backgrounds, children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English Learners, gender, migrant students, homeless students, and any child in foster care. Each individual school will conduct a Needs Assessment that will help identify the areas of academic, social emotional, and mental health needs of their students. Subgroup data will be disaggregated and individualized. Each schools ACIP will have goals, strategies and action steps to support the learning needs of identified areas and groups of concern. Each school will monitor progress through monthly data meetings that will work in conjunction with the Response To Intervention Process in place. Additional data components to be utilized will be survey data, school assessments, state assessments, individual student plans and status of health and operation of the community and families. 

Dale County Schools continues to plan, monitor and adjust to challenges and barriers created by COVID-19. It is the  goal of the District to utilize and maximize ESSER and GEER funding to create equal access of participation in activities and lessen barriers for all students, teachers, and other program beneficiaries with special needs. The District, pursuant of Board Policy 5.01,  will ensure that no student or teacher will be denied participation based on gender, race, national origin, color, disability or age in the participation of activities. · Cleaning schools and providing schools, classrooms, teachers and students with sanitizing solutions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. · The district will provide teleconferencing and classroom management software to teachers for virtual delivery in the event online learning is needed. · The Dale County School District has achieved a 1 to 1 device initiative The district will provide a program that addresses individual needs for language learning. · School embedded mental health services will be continued and expanded for families and teachers. · General classroom materials and supplies will be purchased by the District. · Professional Development will be provided for staff K-12 to address learning loss. · An assessment suite will be provided for grades K-8, 9-12 that illuminates student learning through research backed measures of performance, including an adaptive Diagnostic Growth Monitoring, and Standards Mastery.

The Federal Programs Coordinator and ESSER bookkeeper will review monthly expenditures with budget analysis reports. All purchase orders will be reviewed and approved by Federal Programs Coordinator and CSFO before approval. ESSER bookkeeper will monitor the expenditures and revenues posted to financials for accurate coding and expenditure amounts with guidance from the CSFO. All financials are posted to LEA website monthly for community access. 

The Dale County Schools will actively request input from the community and families within the district. The District acknowledges the importance of stakeholder input and understanding of the utilization of ARP ESSER and other relief funds. Parent and community input will be solicited through surveys and representation on school and district advisory committees. Initial plans, as well as amendments, for each funding source will be shared at public budget hearings, Federal Advisory Meetings, community organization meetings and publicly posted on the District’s website. Individual schools will gather input from their stakeholders during their quarterly ACIP meetings and other school-initiated connections between the school and the home.  In the event traditional channels of engagement are interrupted, the District will develop emerging best practices like connecting virtually, provide teaching toolkits, access to classroom management systems, and providing At-Risk aides to interact as home liaisons for troubleshooting and technical issues.