CCISD adopts new grading policy

Clarendon CISD Trustees approved a new school grading policy when they met in regular session Monday night, April 13.

The school board met in person in the Administration & Technology Building but distanced themselves around the conference room instead of sitting together at the board table as usual.

The board considered and approved the grading policy as presented to govern how students will be scored while the school campuses are closed for the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Our teachers are being held accountable, so it’s important that students be held accountable also,” Superintendent Jerod Bellar told the Enterprise Tuesday. “We want to extend grace to students during this time, and we understand that students have varying levels of support and instructional resources at home.”

The policy sets out two separate sets of guidelines – one for the elementary and another for the junior high and high school – and also outlines how the school will calculate grades for the final six weeks of the school year.

“We want to not be punitive if kids are putting forth an effort,” Bellar said but noted that kids will be graded.

The superintendent said the school’s purpose in this time is still to educate kids.

You can read the policy here: COVID-19 CCISD Grading Policy

Bellar also reported to trustees on how the district is responding to the COVID-19 situation. Teachers are working from home where allowable but still coming in to prepare work packets. Custodial staff has been shifted to their summer working hours – four ten-hour days per week – and have begun working on some projects that were planned for the summer break. The superintendent also said that principals are keeping office hours mostly in the mornings.

Bellar said a roof repair project had been delayed because one of the contractor’s employees was being tested for the COVID-19 virus. That test was negative and the project will be getting back underway this week.

Trustees approved tax deeds for properties in Howardwick as presented.

The board also voted to accept the superintendent’s recommendation and offered contracts of employment to Evie Wright, high school math; and Pamela Hill, high school science.

Bellar also told the Enterprise Tuesday that appreciate all the work that the school district’s teachers and other employees are doing to keep educating kids and particularly the effort that the cafeteria workers are putting in to make sure kids are fed.