FRANKFORT, Ind. – On Saturday, May 29, Frankfort High School conducted an in-person graduation ceremony in Case Arena for the 217 members of the class of 2021. In August 2020 not many in the Frankfort community could foresee such an event occurring as the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic had gripped the area.
The ability to hold graduation as well as keep all of the elementary schools open during the academic year was the Safe Return to School Plan (Plan) developed during the summer of 2020 – only the middle school and high school were forced to transition to e-learning instruction per the Plan for the Community Schools of Frankfort (CSF); however, each of those schools returned to in-person learning as quickly as possible.
Then CSF Superintendent Don DeWeese (DeWeese retired in October 2020) and Assistant Superintendent Joel McKinney worked to develop the Plan, they developed a broad-based team of individuals from various departments within the school system as well as students and parents. While both could not see a clear path at the start, there was a commitment to make it happen.
The Plan centered on what the team termed, “clear path” conversations.
“I personally picked leaders that I knew that I could bend their ear when things got too difficult conversations,” said McKinney. “And then I required them to reach out to at least teachers, parents, and students to be on the team and they became our sounding board during the whole process.”
“They would send me information and I would send them questions and they would send me more information and vice versa. So, that process went on for a number of weeks, they worked more quickly than I thought they would because I gave them a deadline and they were sending me earlier than the deadline.”
“And what they are saying, ‘Joel, we’re seeing plans from other countries that have already re-opened and we’re taking ideas from those plans because they were reporting success with some of these things.'”
The result of the team’s work – a 15-page document that covered as many possibilities as were known to CSF at the time and provided that “clear path” for 3,103 students to return for an on-time school start in August 2020.
“The SRTS Plan clearly outlined to all – students, families, and employees – the required protocols for keeping all of us as safe as possible,” said FHS Principal Cindy Long. “With clear direction, we were able to confidently move forward with having a successful school year. All involved knew what safety protocols to expect, which made participating within those confines easier.”
At the elementary school level, Blue Ridge Primary School Principal Karie Cloe echoed Long’s thoughts, “Our SRTS Plan ensured students were able to attend school in person! This allowed students to grow not only academically, but also socially.”
Work on a 2021-2022 SRTS plan has started and CSF Superintendent McKinney will release the Plan to the public during the summer.
