Online learning will begin on Thursday, 1/6 following the school’s regular bell schedule.  All guidelines for online instruction issued in December on the Hub apply.  While the District will continue using standard grading guidance for the semester, teachers are encouraged to use discretion with students on late work submissions in light of the transition to online learning.

The District will monitor infection rates in the city and within the employee and student population, based on LynxDX testing, and determine a return to face-to-face instruction.  Minimally, staff should prepare to teach online the full week of January 10^th. The latest return to in-person learning would be January 31^st.

The eligibility criteria is the same as the December online learning Fridays.  A detailed table outlining criteria is available on the Hub (accessible to DPSCD staff only). Students must have a signed loaner laptop agreement on file to participate. 

Eligible students can pick up loaner laptop at their school.  

• Thursday, 1/6:  12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Friday, 1/7: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Monday, 1/10: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Tuesday, 1/11: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

School-based administrators will deploy the laptops from their schools, including Principals, Assistant Principals, and Deans, with support from all school-based clericals, trainable aides, and security guards.  Administrators have the option to report to their schools as soon as they receive a negative test to prepare for their school-level deployment.  Minimally, the staff listed above should plan to arrive at their school on Thursday by 9:00 AM to prepare for a smooth deployment.  Select additional personnel, such as bus attendants, will also supplement school staffing for deployments.

No.  The process to prepare and check out devices is the same as the December online learning Fridays. Please follow the detailed process steps provided on the Hub (accessible to DPSCD staff only).

Students are expected to bring their laptops back on the first day their school resumes face-to-face learning.

No. No devices are available for deployment at the Hub sites.  Students must pick up devices at their home schools on the dates above.

On online learning days, Hub services for tech support and repairs at four locations from 9:00 – 4:00 PM:

• Renaissance High School (6565 Outer Dr W, Detroit, MI 48235)
• Western High School (1500 Scotten Ave, Detroit, MI 48209)
• Fisher Upper Academy (15491 Maddelein St, Detroit, MI 48205)
• Martin Luther King High School (3200 E Lafayette St, Detroit, MI 48207)

Though Hub staff will do their best to make repairs to DPSCD laptops, some damage may be beyond repair.  A new laptop will not be issued in these circumstances.

School based administrators will deploy the laptops from their schools, including Principals, Assistant Principals and Deans, with support from all school-based Clericals, ESE Paraprofessionals, Parent Outreach Coordinators and Security Guards.  Administrators have the option to report to their schools as soon as they receive a negative test to prepare for their school level deployment.  Minimally, the staff listed above should plan to arrive at their school on Thursday by 9:00 AM to prepare for a smooth deployment.  Select additional personnel, such as bus attendants, will also supplement school staffing for deployments.

Based on individual job functions, some staff will work remotely while others will be required to begin working face-to-face either January 5^th or January 6^th once their negative test result is received. The table below includes job groupings/titles and their direction for reporting to work.  All staff, regardless of F2F return date are required to test this week.

Yes. Any staff member with a negative test can work from their school for online learning days.

No. These resources are for in-school use only.

Yes.

No.

All unvaccinated athletes will continue weekly testing to participate in athletic practices and games.  Any athlete who does not test after January 3 will not be permitted to participate. Spectators are expected to follow all COVID protocols.

If extracurricular programs have staff willing to facilitate them in person, and staff and students follow all COVID protocols, these activities can move forward.  Please coordinate and receive approval from your principal/supervisor in advance for these activities.

Yes.

Yes. If programs and services can be offered online, vendors can continue to support virtually.  Please ensure that parental permission is on file, if applicable.

Yes, students with an IEP must still have an IEP review to determine if FAPE can be offered at the Virtual School.

The DPSCD Board of Education approved a new policy on December 16^th that required all DPSCD staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment by February 18, 2022.

As allowed by law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (Title VII) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employees may request a medical or religious exemption from the vaccine mandate. A request for an exemption requires an employee to submit the required forms seeking a request.  The forms will be available to employees the week of January 17th, 2022.  Medical exemptions will require a signed form from a medical provider confirming the medical basis for the request.  Religious exemptions will also require an application.  All requests will be reviewed and determined on a case-by-case basis and may require the submission of additional documentation. As we move to a working and learning environment of full vaccination status where masking and testing may not be necessary, individuals with granted exemptions will still need to mask and test.

Please note that failure to adhere to the vaccine mandate may and will lead to disciplinary action up to termination from the district.

No. Currently, “fully vaccinated” means 2 doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Staff may qualify for a medical exemption if their physician indicates they should not be vaccinated (or should be vaccinated at a later date).

No. Although MDHHS has adopted the CDC revisions for the general population, their guidance for K-12 schools has NOT changed.  The isolation time period remains 10 days for anyone who tests positive for COVID, regardless of vaccination status.  For anyone identified as close contact, quarantine remains 10 days without a negative COVID test (returning on day 11) or returning on day 8 if a negative test is received on days 5, 6, or 7 of quarantine.  Consistent with past practice, the District will monitor changes from MDHHS and the Detroit Health Department and will make modifications as recommended.

Staff should continue to follow the guidance in the COVID-19 guidance regarding isolation and quarantine time. Positive tests must be submitted even if the positive occurred over the break.

No. Only staff reporting in-person will be required to resume weekly testing through the LynxDx testing protocol.  The regular school-based weekly LynxDX testing for in-person staff will resume on Monday, January 10^th, and remote staff are encouraged to participate either at their school site or the Renaissance drive through.  Once remote staff are scheduled to return to in person work, a negative test will be required to return, and weekly testing at the school/work site will be required.

Yes.  The regular schedule for school-based LynxDX testing will resume on Monday, January 10^th, and staff reporting in person are required to participate.

A negative test result is suggested, but not required for a student to return to school. Therefore, another submission is not required.

Yes. All positive tests, including those received during the break, must be reported through the survey, and appropriately logged in PeopleSoft.  In general, most cases submitted during the break should be considered remote cases and would not involve contact tracing, as the individuals were not on District property.

No. Continue to follow the guidance for time off in the COVID-19 guidance. Employees who test positive for COVID (verified with positive test) and are unable to work should have standard hours reported using time reporting code HEH or HES.

Monday, January 3 through Wednesday, January 5:

• Employees eligible to work remotely – report hours worked. If an employee did not work, charge the employee bank as appropriate.
• Employees unable to work remotely (Bus Aides, Noon Hour Aides, Food Service Staff, Trainable Aides) – report standard hours using District Closure code.

Starting January 6

• Employees who have not submitted a COVID test (or taken test through District testing) should now be reported as 07/07S Absent without Pay.
• For employees who have submitted their COVID test – continue to follow guidelines as outlined above.

No. We will close our assessment window based on data collected before winter break.  Schools will have the option to test remotely for instructional purposes only, but these results will not be formally analyzed as official MY data, e.g., in DataCom.

The second NAEP administration training scheduled for this week will be postponed until Monday 1/10 and Tuesday 1/11; appropriate staff will be notified directly.  The District is working with national NAEP staff on potential make up options that may be required for planned January test dates.

Evaluation deadlines will be extended as follows:

• Thrive for Teachers Cycle 1: February 18
• Thrive for School Admin Cycle 1: February 18
• Thrive for Staff & Non-Union Administrators: February 18

To the extent possible, teacher observations should take place in the F2F environment, but when this is not possible, evaluators should use the Thrive for Teachers Online Learning Companion guides to inform ratings for Cycle 1.   

Midyear progress reports for select personnel are still due by February 4^th, with no extension.

No. Grades and report cards will move forward on the published timelines.  All grading policies and procedures will continue as normal.

Panorama will not be administered until in person instruction resumes.  We will announce an updated window when in person learning resumes.   Survey coordination training will also be rescheduled.

To account for the COVID testing days this week, the exam high school application scoring session scheduled for Wednesday, January 5 has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 6. Teams invitations have been sent to relevant personnel.

Without the required days and hours of instruction required in the academic year, the District could face a significant financial penalty for missed days of instruction.  District leaders are advocating for increased flexibility from the state in light of the latest surge in COVID rates, but is not yet able to rule out the need to make up days at the end of the school year.

Yes.  Planned district events, such as the Counselor Breakfast, scheduled for January, are being postponed.  Please monitor the Hub for the latest news and updates to dates and times for planned events.