BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Staff Writer
Clarkston Community Schools Board of Education unanimously approved to push back the start of school to Tuesday, Sept. 8, during their meeting on Monday.
Superintendent Shawn Ryan made the recommendation for the calendar amendment during the last Board of Education meeting, held Aug. 17, explaining they are still waiting for technology to be delivered so every student had the technology needed for the school year.
“We not only look at making sure we are prepared for school but making adjustments as needed and making sure our Board and our community understands our point,” he said.
“As soon as we created our plans in the summer, we made a commitment with our Board of Education to order all that technology so it was available for the first day of school,” Ryan continued. “Our original delivery date was Aug. 6. Since Aug. 6 we have been continuing to push to get a portion of that technology, which still hasn’t been delivered to us, as it approached mid-August.”
Due to COVID the delivery has been pushed back and with more than 2,000 of 7,500 CCS students enrolled in Clarkston Virtual, they need the time.
“It’s my intention we are looking at a delivery date of Aug. 31 to receive that technology, which is not good enough for me,” Ryan said. “The district is working on hopefully getting that technology by Aug. 31.”
He added they are working one day at a time to make sure they are ready to go.
“Regardless we will be ready to go it’s if we want to be to the level that I expect in the terms of excellence,” Ryan said. “What is at odds is the delivery piece of it in the middle of the pandemic. To make sure we are starting on the right foot in the distance approach.”
John Lucido, Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services, and Ryan explained pushing back the start of school could be made in a way it wouldn’t lengthen the school year.
“We will be taking four of our professional development days and converting them to instructional days later in the year,” Lucido said. “The other benefit for us doing this is it will give us four more days of face to face instructional time for the school year. We can end the school year as planned.”
Board members shared their support of the recommendation.
“I support this approach,” said Treasurer Elizabeth Egan. “I like the softer start for our staff so they can get in the buildings, get used to screenings, get their classrooms set up and really plan for opening and getting themselves student ready.
“The constancy of devices was discussed a lot last week (Aug. 10),” said President Kelli Horst. “We have that element of protection with Go Guardian and the security with our devices. I would feel more comfortable knowing all of our students had a protected device in their hands from day one. I am more comfortable we are buying ourselves that week that we had those measures of security.”
“I also fully support it,” added Trustee Stefanie Crane. “The less chaos we can give the better. If we can give them an extra week to be all on the same devices and to give our teachers that extra time to learn Google classroom, I am support of.”