Dear HCSS School Community,
I hope this letter finds you well, even during this uncertain time. We certainly are experiencing some unprecedented events. I want to thank everyone in advance for your support, patience, flexibility, and understanding during this time.
We need to make you aware that after the most careful thought and deliberation, the Hampden Charter School of Science has decided to postpone the initial reopening plans and start the year online for all students for the first marking period of the year until November 14th. Our goal is to implement the HCSS Hybrid In-Person model in the Second Marking Period if the situation allows.
HCSS is committed to supporting staff members who have an extenuating family, childcare, and medical circumstances and who are struggling to return to work safely. We have taken into consideration a variety of perspectives as we made this decision. The safety of students and staff must always be our highest priority. However, at this point, we cannot ensure enough coverage to also provide for adequate supervision of students, and we cannot open schools without certain staff members who are essential to doing so because of their roles. It has become clear that for the safety of students and staff, we will start with online learning for all students on September 14th.
In summary, HCSS will have to start the school-year all online for the first marking period. We will reevaluate the situation the week of October 22nd, two weeks before the first marking period ends, and make a decision to return to our initial School Reopening Plan with a Hybrid In-Person model.
Vulnerable Students
We will be able to accept our vulnerable students to school buildings for four days (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday) in a week. Students will receive the support and supervision from our staff but will still join our classes online from their Chromebooks. All students and staff reporting school buildings will be required to practice all safety and health rules stated in HCSS Reopening Plans.
This may be the most important school year many of your children have, and we are committed to ensuring they receive the education they deserve, regardless of the circumstances. We appreciate your understanding in advance as we make decisions in the best interests of the safety of students and staff in this ongoing public health crisis.
Please make sure to attend the webinar to answer your questions on Monday, August 31, 2020 at 6:30pm.
When: Aug 31, 2020 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: HCSS School Reopening Plans – UPDATE
Register in advance for this webinar:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Tarkan Topcuoglu
Superintendent/CEO
