Dr. Fehrman's Friday Follow-Up
June 25, 2021
The City Schools of Decatur offices will be closed for business from June 25 through July 6 for a summer break. Offices will reopen July 7. Relax and refresh and get ready for an awesome school year!
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Register for Kindergarten
Dr. Fehrman Needs Your Help!
I did some rearranging in the waiting area outside my office. Now I have this huge blank wall and I want to fill it up with student art that reflects our wonderful neighborhoods.
How can you help? Share this information with your children to submit their artwork to hang on this wall! The art should reflect the neighborhoods in the City of Decatur, either the name of the neighborhood, a quintessential place in a neighborhood, a historical figure from our neighborhood, or the neighborhood school. See additional details below. We will frame the students' artwork and hang it around the pictured Decatur Art.
June 22 Board Work Session Summary
The Board held a work session this week. A summary of the topics discussed is below.
Class Ranking at DHS
Dr. Kimberly R. Jones, District Lead Counselor/DHS Counseling Department Head, presented information on the practice of class rank at DHS and how class rank is used or not used by colleges. The Class of 2021, who just graduated, will be the last class of students to have class rank listed on their transcripts. Parents and students with questions about this change should contact Dr. Jones at DHS.
2021-2022 School Calendar
I shared two recommended changes to the 2021-2022 school calendar for the Board to discuss. The Board will vote whether to approve these changes at the July 13 Board Meeting.
Add four early release days to allow for parent/teacher conferences in grades K-12
September 16 and 17
February 10 and 11
Enhanced child care options will be available as needed
Early release time will provide dedicated time for staff to hold conferences.
Juneteenth Observance
Close all CSD schools and offices on June 20, 2022, in observance of Juneteenth on June 19, 2022
2021-2022 Mitigation Plans
The safety of our staff and students remains our priority while maintaining the highest quality of education for our students. Mitigation measures against COVID-19 are an essential component to keep our staff and students safe and create a healthy learning environment. City Schools of Decatur will continue to implement multi-layered mitigation strategies. Our strategies are based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The Dekalb Department of Health (DPH), and consultation with a team of medical and health care professionals who are familiar with our CSD community. This mitigation plan closely aligns with the main recommendations from the CDC, however, a few modifications are being considered to minimize disruption to our students’ learning. More specific details will be shared in the coming weeks along with our Healthy Schools Manual for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The two areas I am considering making changes are regarding our masking policy at the high school to only require unvaccinated individuals to wear masks, and eliminating the mandated quarantine for individuals deemed in close contact with a COVID-positive individual while at school. I will share additional information regarding any changes to the plans next week.
Residency Policy for Homeowners (Renovating Home)
I will be updating our School Admissions - AR 4.1(D) to add language that will allow current residents who are temporarily displaced from their City of Decatur home to continue sending their child(ren) to CSD schools if they have to reside outside of the city limits during the renovation period.
Resuming In-Person Board Meetings
After more than a year of only allowing members of the public to attend City Schools of Decatur Board meetings virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Board of Education is planning to resume in-person Board meetings on July 13. Although we are returning to public participation and attendance, meetings will continue to be live-streamed via Zoom. If you cannot attend a Board meeting, recordings of meetings are available on the District’s YouTube playlist.
Boardroom seating will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Anyone wishing to attend a Board meeting in-person will be required to register before entering the board room by scanning a QR Code that will be located at the board room entrance. Registration will ensure the district collects the information necessary to conduct COVID-19 contact tracing.
Any CSD residents wishing to speak at a CSD Board meeting must sign-up for public comment through this link where you can also note if you will be attending in-person or virtually. During public comment, Zoom participants must have their camera turned on when speaking.
Boardroom seating will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Individuals must wear a mask while in all CSD facilities and while attending Board meetings. The district will have hand sanitizer onsite and face masks available for those who may need one.
Contact Us
Website: https://www.csdecatur.net/
Location: 125 Electric Avenue, Decatur, GA, USA
Phone: (404) 371.3601