To Our School District Family,
These past months have been challenging for us as a community and school district. We closed a school year unlike any other, and the uncertainty of the
pandemic has placed a heavy burden on all of us as we focus on the reopening of school this fall. The responsibility of planning a safe return to school while maintaining a high quality education for our students is not an easy one and we appreciate the community for understanding the challenges of this endeavor.
Over the last few months, our work as a district has focused on two major themes: mitigating the risk of Covid-19 through measures designed to protect our students, and maintaining a resolute commitment to the development of in-person reopening models. It is my hope that this Reopening Schools Toolkit reflects our District’s focus and commitment to student and staff safety while ensuring that students reach their highest personal academic potential.
Planning the reopening of schools required us to think well beyond the normal challenges of starting a school year. We have worked diligently to research, plan and implement safety precautions and specific guidelines that would allow students to reenter the classroom. This work was not done alone, but in collaboration with our community partners, district staff, health leaders and Governance Team.
The resulting Reopening Schools Toolkit is a product of our “stronger together” mindset. The selected reopening model and school requirements have been recommended by the School District of Lee County PreK-12 Education Pandemic Response Task Force and have the endorsement of our local health agencies (Florida Department of Health, Lee Health).
This document reflects our detailed guidance and recommendations as of July 1, 2020. Please note that being flexible as a community will be key to our safe return, and that changes might be needed as we move closer to reopening.
Thank you to our community for your support during these trying times. A special thank you to our students, teachers and staff, who despite all the challenges continue to step up and be exemplary models in our community. They are the real heroes and we value them for their commitment and all they do to define our school district.
We are truly stronger together.
Sincerely,
Gregory K. Adkins, Ed.D.
The School Board of Lee County
Mary Fischer, District 1 (Chair)
Debbie Jordan, District 4 (Vice Chair)
Melisa W. Giovannelli, District 2
Chris N. Patricca, District 3
Gwynetta S. Gittens, District 5
Betsy Vaughn, District 6
Cathleen O’Daniel Morgan, District 7