The Beresford School District is committed to a safe and secure learning environment for its 700 students and 100 staff members. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our District has developed a draft of our Return to Learning Plan and Protocols for the 20-21 school year—Normal Learning, Normal Learning with Accommodations, Modified On-Campus/Hybrid Learning, Remote Learning, and Virtual Learning with Edmentum and SD Virtual School.
At this time, our District’s plan is to begin the 20-21 school year as scheduled on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 with in-person delivery of instruction, “Normal Learning with Accommodations.” Our District will continue to monitor the virus and adjust plans and protocols if it becomes necessary for the safety of our students and staff. We have developed models that will allow us to switch to another method, as required by public health officials. All families should have a plan in place in the event that we must switch from one delivery model to another. These plans are subject to change as public health guidelines are updated.
The academic, physical, social, and emotional well-being of our students, staff, and families are vital during these challenging times. We know our 2020-21 school year will look much different than previous years due to the new health and safety measures that will be in place. The health and safety of our students, staff, and families will continue to drive our decision-making during the 2020-21 school year.
Our school board will give our District’s Return to Learning Plan and Protocols a first reading at a special board meeting on Monday, August 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the HS Library. A second reading and possible adoption will take place at the regular board meeting on Monday, August 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the HS Library.
We know there is a lot of apprehension and uncertainty leading into the 20-21 school year. As a District, we do not have all of the answers. We will continue to rely on guidance from the South Dakota Department of Health, South Dakota Department of Education, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is our hope that there will be a safe COVID-19
vaccine sooner rather than later and that we can all have some type of normalcy
in the near future. Thank you for taking the time to review a draft copy
of our District’s Return to Learning Plan and Protocols for the 20-21 school year by clicking on the link below.
Brian Field, Superintendent