Recently, HCPSS announced that on March 1, 2021, the school system will begin the first phase of a transition to a hybrid instructional model, which provides the opportunity for students to attend school in-person for part of each week and receive virtual instruction for the remainder of the week. We’re excited at the prospect of welcoming your child back in person to SFES!  

You will need to inform HCPSS of your decision regarding whether you will send your child to school for 1-2 days per week. (Please note: students receiving Special Education services and certain others requiring additional learning support are given the option for up to 5 in-person days per week.) If you prefer, you may choose instead for your child to continue virtual learning full time for the remainder of the current school year.

To notify HCPSS of your decision, follow the instructions provided at the end of this message to complete a two-question survey by this Friday, 2/5/21 indicating:

1. The type of instructional model – hybrid or fully virtual – that you choose for your child
2. Whether bus service will be used (if your child is eligible)

• If your child is designated as a walker, transportation will not be provided. If you are unsure if your child is eligible for bus service, search for your address on the School Bus Locator
• to find your child’s transportation eligibility. (At this time, the School Bus Locator should only be used to determine if your child receives transportation services, because pickup times and bus stop locations are being updated and are subject to change.)

This information may be helpful in making your decision:

• Answers to frequently asked questions about student in-person return can be found on the HCPSS Help site. This site will be continually updated as new information becomes available.
• The phases of in-person student return approved by the Board of Education are:
  • Week of March 1: Students identified for the 5-days-per-week program
  • Week of March 15: Students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and grades 1-2
  • Week of March 29: Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, and students attending programs at the ARL
  • Week of April 12: Students in grades 7, 8, 10 and 11
• HCPSS is striving to offer students two days per week of in-person learning. However, if the number of requests exceeds capacity, due to social distancing requirements, HCPSS may offer only one in-person day per week.
• For families that opt to send students back in-person, HCPSS will make every effort to group siblings together. However, the school system cannot guarantee that siblings will be in the same grouping. Please take this into consideration when making your decision.
• If you choose for your child to remain fully virtual, you may later request to switch to the hybrid in-person model at any time during the 2020-2021 school year. However, approval of that request is dependent on available space, social distancing guidelines, and other factors.
• Additional information on HCPSS spring planning can be found online.

Follow these instructions for completing the survey form, by 4 p.m., Friday, February 5:

1. Log in to HCPSS Connect
2. Select More Options from the left panel
3. Select “In-Person Commitment” from the middle of the page
4. Complete the questions in the form for each child and select “Save”

If you have any questions you can call the front office at (410) 313 - 6900 or you can email Ms. Dwyer deborah_dwyer@hcpss.org or Mrs. Tatum jomika_tatum@hcpss.org for assistance.

As of February 1, we've received commitments from 65/350 students, which is 18% of our student population.

Thank you for your support in helping us to provide the best possible learning environment for your child.