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PSS wants face-to-face orientation for parents
Education Commissioner Dr. Alfred Ada pleaded for the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force’s blessing to allow them to have an arranged orientation for families of 10 or less on campus, solely to guide parents on how to use the Blackboard Ultra platform that will be used for online classes.
According to Ada, the Blackboard Ultra platform will be the basis of their online learning for PSS students. This orientation with the families will allow them to help guide parents and students who aren’t so tech-savvy to show them how it works.
On top of that, Ada says another thing that they need a green light for from the task force is to allow PSS to bring in parents to register because some parents don’t know how to do it online on their own, but they’ve been going to the campus and getting assistance.
With the schools reopening next week, Sept. 8, Ada says that they will be distributing learning packets for all students as a start; however, PSS wants to focus on the social and emotional aspect with an inventory, or survey, of students and families on how they’re doing or how are they taking this pandemic.
Additionally, Ada says that they want to help families who are struggling, and point them to the right agencies. However, if families seem to be okay, PSS is anticipating that true remote learning will kick in by October 2020.
Ada added that the goal for reopening is to be sure that all families and students understand and feel comfortable with the Blackboard Ultra platform, which is why it is important for them to address the “emotional part.”
With PSS planning an orientation with parents and students, Ada reassures the task force during a radio briefing that parents will continue to follow the task force’s protocols, which includes signing in with their names, having their temperature checked when coming in and going out, and will use sanitizing, so that if anyone happens to be exposed before the orientation, contact tracing for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. will be easier.
