KIPP Philadelphia Re-Opening UPDATE 07.29.2020
Dear KIPP Philadelphia Families:
As always, we hope you are staying safe and are well. As we close out the month of July and get closer to our first day of school, August 24th, we are constantly stepping back and reckoning with the current state of Covid-19 in Philadelphia and in Pennsylvania. Amid this prolonged pandemic, we are navigating the chaos of ever-changing orders, mandates, guidance and guidelines from more than a dozen agencies. Regardless, our mission is clear: we are preparing for our students and staff to get “back to school” while balancing their health and safety needs.
KIPP Philadelphia is not alone. Like us, most districts across the commonwealth and country are grappling with the best and safest way to open schools. That said, the School District of Philadelphia recently proposed a revised reopening plan in which students would attend a virtual model through November 17. If the District’s plan is approved at tomorrow night’s School Board meeting, KIPP Philadelphia will adopt a similar strategy by extending our virtual school model through the end of Trimester 1. We will provide specific detail if/when the school district moves forward with its current plan.
We did not come to this decision lightly or alone. Based on current survey data, 121 of the 193 families that responded to the survey, said they would not send kids to in-person schooling in the fall. During the last few months we’ve been working on both a virtual and a hybrid design to make sure we were ready for our students in every scenario. Knowing that we are teaching and learning online for an extended amount of time, we remain committed to ensuring students receive high quality education in a virtual setting
