By Bryan Henry| 

May 4, 2020

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – State educators are beginning to map out plans not only for summer school and school activities but also the start of the 2020-21 school year.

There are two key dates Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey is looking at: June 8 and July 6. Cleanliness will be a focus, but much of this is predicated on what’s going with the pandemic.

“So let’s say you had a group of students who needed to make up credit, who needed to pass the 8th grade or something like that,” Mackey hypothesized. “What superintendents have asked is are we going to be able to offer the traditional summer school classes? Right now, while we haven’t put out any risk guidance, go ahead plan to do that after June 8, but anticipate the social distancing guidelines to be in there.”

Mackey added there has to be a plan for how you do that if there are 10 people in a room with a teacher. “Fewer students, social distancing and those kinds of things, and telling superintendents they can begin thinking about what that would look like for older students 13 and up in June and for younger students maybe after the fourth of July.”

And looking beyond the summer school, Mackey feels there is a very good chance schools can begin having football and band practice in early August.

In terms of the new school year for 2020-21, Mackey has asked local superintendents to consider pushing start dates toward the end of August in the school districts that typically start in early August.

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