- Marion County Public Schools
- Your Options
Your Options
-
This option provides a return to the school campus with enhanced health and safety precautions. Students will attend a full school day throughout the week, following standard bell times and schedules, including all core classes and other subject areas. Students will have the opportunity to interact directly with their teacher(s) and classmates, with school-based adjustments to benefit students and staff. The goal is to provide a traditional classroom learning experience with added safeguards to protect the health and safety of all.
Health and Safety Precautions
- Practice safe social distancing to the greatest extent possible
- Post signage and educate to encourage good hygiene practices
- Ensure hand sanitizer is available throughout the campus
- Increase cleaning protocols on each campus
- Limit group gatherings
- Require face coverings on campus where social distancing is not possible (with exceptions for students with documented medical reasons)
- Expect symptom screenings for all staff and students
- Exercise safe drop-off and pick-up procedures
School Bus Safety
- Students required to wear face coverings on the bus (with exceptions for students with documented medical reasons).
- Buses cleaned between runs
- Ensure hand sanitizer is available on each bus
- Disinfect each bus thoroughly at the end of each day
At the elementary level, student interaction will be limited to the greatest extent possible to those students in a single class, including meal time and the playground. Students will attend core classes and special area classes but with limited movement depending on the size and layout of the school campus.
At the secondary level, each school will have an individualized plan to discourage large gatherings of students in hallways and common areas using clear signage to reinforce this message. The number of students allowed in cafeterias, media centers, and gymnasiums will be reduced. Students will have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities following recommendations from the district, county health department, and state.
-
This option is designed for families who want to maintain their connection to their enrolled school but don’t yet feel comfortable sending their student(s) back to school in August due to health or safety concerns. Students will attend school remotely, follow standard daily school schedules and bell times, and be accountable for daily attendance and regular classroom assignments.
Based on feedback from our distance learning experience during Quarter 4 last year, this learning model will feature many of the aspects parents and students value including real-time virtual interaction with teachers every day for each class. Parents can rely on teachers to guide student learning during the entire instructional day.
Students will access digital resources and assignments to complete at home. Grading and work expectations will be the same as those in traditional classrooms. While many courses will be available through MCPSonline, some elective courses will only be offered through the traditional option, as determined by the school.
What to expect from MCPSonline:
- Students are at home learning and will need daily access to an electronic device and reliable Internet service
- Students will have access to their teachers during regular school day hours
- Elementary students can expect daily lessons with virtual face-to-face interaction and assignments for grading purposes
- Secondary students can expect virtual interaction for every class period along with assignments for grading purposes
- Attendance will be taken daily in each course
Additional Supports for Students and Families:
- Small group sessions to meet social and academic needs
- On-demand access to virtual resources
- Tips and strategies to support student learning off campus
- Continued support for students with an IEP or 504 plan
Families selecting this option will be asked to commit for a full nine weeks to maintain continuity of instruction.
-
Continuing Opportunities
Marion eLearning and Marion Virtual School provide virtual learning to thousands of students each year. This full-time virtual experience is ideal for students who want more control over their learning path and pace and a flexible daily schedule. Students often work independently on assignments during non-traditional hours yet maintain regular contact with their teacher through web-based sessions, email, and telephone calls. Please note, this is not the same as distance learning; it is more independent and self-paced instead of being based on a same learning time each day.
For more information about courses or registration, please visit the Marion eLearning or Marion Virtual School webpage.
Learn More
We’ve compiled a list of questions and answers to help you consider your options. We’ve also added a list of actions we can all take to promote a healthy school environment.