August 16, 2020
RE: Students Enrolled in our Distance Learning Option
Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,
In the past, we have utilized Odysseyware as an instructional tool for credit recovery and in other limited situations. While we have confidence in the instructional program, utilizing it for approximately 31% of our students may be challenging at times. It is our desire to work with you as we strive for a successful school year. Before we begin, I wanted to provide you with some helpful information.
Devices: If needed, we are in a position to provide chromebooks for students in grade 6 – grade 12. If you have a need for a device and your child is in Kindergarten – 5th grade, please make us aware of your need. We are hopeful that we will be able to provide chromebooks to other grade levels in the near future.
Internet: If the internet is an issue, we are working to find solutions. Currently, you can access the internet in the parking lot of the public library in Butler and Reynolds. After school hours, you should be able to use the internet in the school parking lot areas. In the next few days, we will provide more information about which school parking lots to use. We are scheduled to receive 8 devices from the State that we will put at various locations throughout the county. These devices will allow multiple users to access the internet in a certain radius from the device. We are working with county officials about locations for these devices. We will be able to provide more information in the near future. We are contracting with T-Mobile to provide hotspots for households. These will be equipped with internet filtering. Parents and guardians will be required to pay $20 a month to the District for the use of the hotspot. We will expect $40 upfront. If this option interests you, please let us know.
As we go through the next few days, I want you to feel free to reach out to your child’s school if you have questions or concerns. Also, I wanted to provide you with additional contacts listed below. As always, you are welcome to reach out to me.
Instructional Concerns: Jenny Gibbo, Director of Teaching and Learning
Student Support Concerns: Latonja Turner, Director of Federal Programs
Sincerely,
Jennifer Albritton
Superintendent