We are now a month into the second semester. Third quarter Progress Reports will be sent home with students next week and all teachers are now turning their attention to the upcoming testing season. I know that the last month was difficult for some as we dealt with a rise in COVID cases and related absences. Many parents chose to keep their children home during this time, and OCPS worked to accommodate this decision by excusing absences of this nature provided work was completed. Last week, our Superintendent, Dr. Jenkins, announced that OCPS would no longer be excusing such absences once the calendar turned to February. Because of this, many of you received phone calls in the last week urging you to return your child to school and resume face-to-face learning. I am writing to once again implore you to do this.  

Nearly 60 students have missed nearly all of the second semester thus far. Many others have missed a considerable chunk of instruction over the same period of time. Teachers have reported that although work has been provided, very few students have been turning that work in. Having gone through these types of scenarios multiple times in the last couple years, I have grave concerns about the effect these absences will have on student learning. Once back, I also want to encourage parents of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students who have been out to inquire about tutoring opportunities with your child’s teacher, if only to help him or her catch up on instruction that was missed. I look forward to seeing all of our students back on campus this week.  

I also want to comment on student arrival in the morning. Our doors open at 8:00, and while we do not have a major problem with traffic, any backups that do exist can be avoided by arriving early. Over the past couple weeks, we have had a disproportionate amount of student tardiness, particularly from students whose parents drive them to school.