Overview

  • organizational chart

    The Lawrence Board of Education on Monday, July 27, 2020, approved an amended 2020-2021 School Calendar.

    Listening to staff and parent concerns about safety, the board decided that the school year will start on September 8, 2020, with six weeks of 100% remote learning. This instructional delivery model and local public health data related to the spread of COVID-19 will be evaluated by the board on September 28, 2020.

    The district’s fall planning task force comprised of 200+ teachers and staff have already spent approximately 1,000 hours planning to provide high-quality instruction no matter the delivery model. They have used staff and school family input and the Kansas State Department of Education’s Navigating Change: Kansas’ Guide to Learning and School Safety Operations to inform their work while keeping national, state, and local health and safety guidelines at the forefront.

    In addition to responding to concerns about safety, the delayed school start affords the district the month of August to provide extra time for staff professional learning, planning, and preparation. The district learned a lot from parent feedback about the continuous learning provided in the spring when the pandemic prompted Kansas school buildings to close. Distance learning in the fall will not resemble the emergency measures implemented last March.

    Families can expect a more robust distance learning program in September led by educators who will interact daily with students. Instruction will be based on our comprehensive curriculum and include targeted support for student mastery of knowledge and essential skills defined by state standards and competencies. Meaningful assessment will guide data-informed interventions and extensions to support and challenge all learners. We recognize that social-emotional learning must be an important focus as we support the individual needs of students.

    Teachers will conference with families virtually the week before school starts to connect, share information, and discuss how to best support students, including discussing your family’s technology and connectivity needs. The district will continue to provide iPads (elementary and middle school) and MacBooks (high school) to students.

    Click on the Remote Learning Guide pages at left to read more and review draft plans for future Hybrid and In-Person models. 

     

    July 30, 2020, District Statement About Athletics & Activities

    Lawrence Public Schools will follow KSHSAA and Sunflower League guidance with regard to athletics and activities. The district will apply the same decisions made for the high schools to the middle schools. The administration brought to the school board on August 10 a report about the safety measures schools will use to mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19.