Closure for staff, students and families continue to be a major focus for USD 253 administration following an unprecedented end to the 2019-2020 school year.
During the USD 253 Board of Education’s recent meeting Wednesday evening, Superintendent Kevin Case presented information gathered from district staff and parents from two separate end of the year reflection and celebration sessions conducted Tuesday. According to Case staff and parents brought tremendous positivity and comments to the sessions including numerous answers to the question, “what are the most important things we need to be mindful of as we start the 2020-21 school year knowing things will look different?”
According to Case the most common answers included safety, schedules, social-emotional needs, medically fragile students and staff, relationships, teaching and learning, and special education. Case says many of these answers line up well with the main “lenses” the district is utilizing as it begins to develop plans for the 2020-21 school year.
In addition to the closure provided to staff and parents, the district is planning to do the same for the 2020 senior class next month. During the meeting, plans were announced for a graduation ceremony to be held at Emporia High School on Sunday, Jun. 7 at 1 pm.
The ceremony will operate as a drive-in service where students will drive up to a stage, have their name read, cross the stage and then collect their diplomas.
Case says it will be a moment of many firsts for the district.
Case adds the ceremony will provide students and staff with the opportunity for a proper goodbye.
In other business, Case offered a brief update on the development of the district’s new early learning facility as part of the district’s $78 million building for the future project. According to Case the district is now getting a look at three-dimensional renderings of the facility and they are in the “final tweaking process” of the developmental stage.
The current timeline for the project according to Case should see construction on Walnut Elementary, Emporia High School and the new learning center begin at some point in October.
The USD 253 Board of Education will hold its next regular meeting on Wednesday, Jun. 10 at 7 pm. The meeting will be available for viewing on the district’s website.
