For Immediate Release:

January 13, 2021
 
Contact: Christina Williams, Coordinator of Public Information cwilliams@fortsmithschools.org
 
FSPS will pivot to online learning on January 15 and January 19
 

AT A GLANCE: 

• FSPS pivots to online learning Friday, January 15 and Tuesday, January 19
• Teachers will be a resource for online lessons in their classrooms
• K-12 students learning on-site have the option to attend both days
• Students will be marked present if they are engaged in online learning or if they are physically present at school
• Once students have arrived on campus they will be required to stay for the duration of the school day, unless checked out by a parent
• PRESCHOOL: Preschool students will continue with on-site learning as scheduled
• Transportation and meals provided each day
• Athletic competitions or other special events continue as scheduled
• The Online Learning days are normal work days for all employee classifications
• Students participating in FSPS Virtual programming continue with regular days

 
Fort Smith, AR, January 13, 2021 – Fort Smith Public Schools will pivot to online learning on Friday Jan. 15 and continue with online learning on Jan. 19. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Jan. 18 is a scheduled holiday for students and their teachers. On-site learning will resume in school buildings on Jan. 20. Students who participate in the FSPS Virtual learning programs in K-9 and 10-12 will continue with their regular schedules on Jan. 15 and 19, and preschool
students will continue with on-site learning as scheduled. On-site students, K-12, will be able to attend school on both days, as needed.
 
The move to online learning on Jan. 15 and Jan. 19 is in part because of a growing need to fill absences for teachers and school support staff. Principals have done a remarkable job in filling needs for supervision in classrooms, but it is a challenge every day.

The district pivoted to online learning in November because of the difficulty in securing substitutes, as well. Feedback from parents, teachers and community members indicated that it would be helpful to have as much advance notice of the pivot as possible, and that it would be helpful if children could attend on-site if they needed to do so.
 
All buildings will be open on Jan. 15 and Jan. 19. Preschools do not offer the online learning option and will be open for its students on Jan. 15 and 19. Parents should plan to bring their preschoolers to class on these days. All school employees will report to their workplaces and school buildings on these online learning days. Teachers will be a resource for online lessons in their classrooms. All employee absences and leave should be recorded in Frontline as usual.
This is considered a typical work day in respect to leave.
 
Because students may attend school on these online learning days, FSPS Transportation will operate normally. FSPS Child Nutrition will be providing meals on-site as well as Grab-and-Go Meals at the regularly scheduled times. Special events including athletic competitions will continue as scheduled. Unlike an earlier online learning day, FSPS employees will not be bringing their children to their workplace.
 
Glossary:
On-Site: Students learn in-person at an FSPS school campus
Online: Students learn online from a remote location, typically their home
FSPS Virtual: An optional learning model for K-12 students in which students learn online through the Pearson Connexus Platform
 
Grab-and-Go Meals Pick-Up Schedule
 
 

Ballman	11:00-11:30 AM	Pike	1:05 - 1:35 PM
Barling	10:15-10:40 AM	Spradling	10:00 - 10:30 AM
Beard	12:45 - 1:10 PM	Sunnymede	10:30 - 11:00 AM
Bonneville	10:45-11:15 AM	Sutton	10:30 - 11:00 AM
Carnall	12:45 - 1:15 PM	Tilles	12:45 - 1:15 PM
Cavanaugh	1:00 - 1:30 PM	Trusty	10:00 - 10:30 AM
Cook	11:00-11:30 AM	Woods	10:30 - 11:00 AM

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