Paris, Tenn.–Henry County school leaders, in collaboration with local and state health leaders, are committed to working together to begin school as scheduled on August 3, 2020.
Henry County School officials said, “Our ongoing mission is to safely educate the children of this community to the very best of our ability while being mindful of essential safety protocols necessary to limit risk of COVID-19. School decisions have a significant impact on families and the broader community.
Director of Schools Dr. Leah Watkins said, “We know how important school is for students, teachers, and parents/guardians from an academic and social aspect; therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, we plan to open our school doors to begin our regular school year on August 3, 2020. We plan to keep and follow our 2020-21 school calendar as approved by the Henry County Board of Education. Our partnership with parents and this community is built on trust, and we fully intend to support that relationship throughout this process by sharing information in the most transparent and honest way possible. Henry County School System BACK-TO-SCHOOL communication, school calendar, and major resources are being added regularly to our website at COVID-19 Resources”
School buildings will open on August 3 with protocols in place to limit interactions and increase cleanliness efforts.
Officials said, “We are confident the measures we are taking will be reasonable and thoughtful parents/guardians when sending their children to school for in-person instruction. Additionally, we acknowledge individual needs and circumstances of our students and families as well as the likelihood of intermittent closures during the 20-21 school year. To prepare for this, we are offering a full-time virtual program of study. In the event of compliance with a mandated building closure in the future, our transition from on-campus instruction to on-line learning should be seamless with the use of Google Classroom.”
To inform our planning and help improve on-line programming, parents are asked to participate in this short survey about your experiences with on-line instruction in the spring and your thoughts of returning to school in the fall: HCSS SURVEY
Officials said, “This school year, we are offering families an opportunity to complete the registration and enrollment process for school through our online registration portal. Online enrollment and registration will be available for each of our Henry County Schools during the weeks of July 6 – July 24, 2020. Online enrollment and registration are for both returning students to register for school and for new students to register and enroll. Schools will communicate office hours to assist with registration/enrollment at a later date. As those plans fall in place over the summer, we promise to communicate in the most concise, informative, and transparent ways possible.”
Call the Henry County Board of Education at 731-642-9733 if you have questions or concerns about this new school year.