Forson: ‘We are all learning together’

Superintendent grateful for understanding, flexibility, dedication

Posted

Dear SJCSD Parents and Guardians,

As you know, we are off and running in our online/remote learning. The work that has been done to transition to this environment in one week is well beyond my expectations. As with anything new and unknown, patience and flexibility are key factors in ensuring our students’ success.

Our employees are outstanding, and I have watched them support each other to get this started. I feel blessed to be a part of the St. Johns County School District where in these uncertain times, our employees are constantly asking the question, “How can I help?” We have been guided by the Florida Department of Education to remain in an online school structure and keep schools closed through May 1, 2020. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

On our very first day, we learned a lot about how well we were prepared and how dependent we are on outside systems. As expected, we had some difficulty with students being able to stay connected through a device. Today, we are seeing a marked improvement and have had high-quality introductory conferences between the teacher and students. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

As a district, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all field trips and events through the end of the school year. High school graduations are still planned as scheduled, though we will continue to monitor and align with guidelines from the CDC and Department of Health. Regarding athletics, we are following guidance from the Florida High School Athletic Association, to suspend all athletic activities through Sunday, May 3. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

In compliance with the behavioral guidelines from the CDC and the Department of Health it is not responsible of us to promote large congregations of students in the same space, and I encourage all of us to be fully compliant within our homes and groupings of children. Social distancing is key to ending the spread of COVID-19, and we must each do our part. Thank you for your patience and flexibility.

Lastly, your engagement in this process to ensure that your children are involved in the online classroom has been amazing. We will continue to bring all students into online learning this school year.  Please do not hesitate to communicate with your child’s teacher or school if you are concerned about the lessons assigned or the response of your children to this type of learning. We are all learning together. Thank you, thank you for your patience and flexibility.

 Sincerely,

Tim Forson
Superintendent of Schools
St. Johns County School District