Information on this page is current as of 2020-July-15.
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The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center (Clerc Center) recognizes that there is no adequate virtual substitute for in-person classes. Remote learning cannot replicate students’ experiences with peers, teachers, and staff in the school environment. Therefore, the Clerc Center’s top priority is planning for the return of students to campus to attend KDES and MSSD, with an understanding that the health, safety, and wellness of students, families, and school personnel must be a priority.
This document describes the following:
A quick reference guide is included at the end of this document with information about what campus facilities and activities will be physically open in each phase.
President Roberta J. Cordano communicated the high-level plan for a phased return to on-campus living and learning in her message to the community on June 1, 2020. This guidance applies to all aspects of Clerc Center operations, including the instructional programs at KDES and MSSD. The phases are:
Click here for an infographic outlining the status on the requirements to move onto Phase 2 from Phase 1
People in high-risk categories are those identified by the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html) as being individuals who need to take extra precautions due to being at higher risk for severe illness.
The considerations below focus on the impact of community-imposed safety concerns and restrictions. We recognize that a key consideration for KDES students is the ability of families to support student learning during periods of remote learning when individual students are not able to access electronic learning without supervision or support. Key considerations include:
As stated above, KDES will follow a phased plan for returning to on-campus learning.
Hybrid learning may take a number of forms. Any of the following possible hybrid plans would consider the needs of students, families, and employees in high risk* categories. Staffing considerations and availability to teach students both on campus and online simultaneously will also be a factor:
These options would each allow greater physical distancing on the KDES school buses, in classrooms, and in public areas (including the cafeteria). Determining the most viable hybrid education model will include considerations for available staffing, transportation routing, and grade-level groupings and educational needs.
Please note that in any of the above models, during identified Fridays in September, students in grades 3-8 would rotate coming to school via bus to participate in diagnostic assessments.
Please see page 17 for more information.
*People in high-risk categories are those identified by the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html) as being individuals who need to take extra precautions due to being at higher risk for severe illness.
The considerations below focus on the impact of community-imposed safety concerns and restrictions:
As stated above, MSSD will follow a phased plan for returning to on-campus living and learning.
Phase 1 began on April 20, 2020, when the Clerc Center @Home learning portal was launched. It continued through the end of the 2019-2020 academic year (June 5, 2020) and is set to continue through the Extended School Year (ESY) program (June 15-July 2) as well.
Criteria to Advance to Phase 2
To move from Phase 1 to Phase 2, Gallaudet University, the Clerc Center, and Washington, D.C., must be able to meet several public health and medical requirements. They include, at a minimum, these Tier One criteria. Gallaudet and the Clerc Center must:
Decisions will be based on key sources of information and input:
Hybrid living and learning may take a number of forms. Any of the following possible hybrid plans would consider the needs of students, families, and employees in high risk* categories. The options below differ from the KDES hybrid options due to the national and residential nature of the MSSD program.
The Clerc Center has made the decision to delay the acceptance of new students for academic year 2020-2021 in order to ensure current students can return to campus with sufficient residential availability. The ability to consider a hybrid learning model for MSSD will also depend on the ability to:
Please see page 17 for more information.
*People in high-risk categories are those identified by the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/index.html) as being individuals who need to take extra precautions due to being at higher risk for severe illness.
The Clerc Center is working to ensure high-quality remote instruction by:
The Clerc Center is developing a series of professional development opportunities for teachers and staff focused on high-quality bilingual instruction as well as on the needs of students and families during this period of remote learning. The responses to two surveys—one for employees and one for families—will guide the design of our professional development weeks. This section will be updated with specifics as they are finalized.
Additionally, a key goal of all professional development and other activities related to remote learning is to ensure KDES and MSSD personnel are ready to immediately pivot to remote learning again if the need arises after a return to on-campus learning.
The Clerc Center is unique in its mission to serve deaf and hard of hearing students from both schools in multiple states. Our service providers are all licensed to provide services in the District of Columbia, which allows therapists to provide services to students physically located there. Our Student Services department, which oversees all speech-language, occupational, and physical therapy services, has been working closely with state licensing boards to obtain temporary waivers for service providers to provide services in Maryland and Virginia. We are exploring the possibility of paying for providers to obtain licenses in Maryland and Virginia to increase the number of students we can serve at this time. Students who do not live in Maryland, Virginia, or the District of Columbia will not be able to receive speech-language, occupational, or physical therapy IEP-based services during periods of remote learning.
A resource document will be distributed to students who use KDES and MSSD speech-language and audiology services to help them find local clinics for support when needed (e.g., if a hearing aid needs to be repaired). Services that do not have state-specific licensing requirements, such as school counseling, will continue for students in all states.
This section will be updated as decisions are finalized.
KDES and MSSD have begun the process of ensuring individual students’ needs during periods of remote learning are reflected in their IEPs. This entails a review of each student’s progress and performance during the recent period of remote learning to identify additional areas of need that stem from participating in remote learning instead of on-campus learning.
Regardless of whether students physically return to school in August or continue with remote learning, there are several areas of social-emotional support that students and families may need. There may also be additional physical and academic considerations.
To better support students and their families in the transition back to school in August, regardless of the model, KDES and MSSD administrators, teachers, and staff will do the following:
This section will be updated after analysis of parent survey results is completed.
For the health and safety of all community members, including our students, it is critical that each of us understands and adheres to health precautions, including all hygiene procedures and distancing expectations. The criteria for moving from Phase 2 to Phase 3 will be developed and communicated.
KDES and MSSD are planning for a return to on-campus living, learning, and working in an environment altered by the need for social distancing and all other safeguards related to COVID-19 by doing the work in the below tables.
The Clerc Center is also working to adopt the following specific safeguards outlined below as we consider transitioning to Phase 2 or Phase 3.
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Quick Glance: What Is Open in Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3
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Due to the CDC recommendation that children ages 2 and younger not wear masks, Parent-Infant Program classes and the 2-year-old class at KDES will continue remotely during Phase 2.
The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University is a federally funded center with exemplary elementary and secondary education programs for deaf and hard of hearing students and is tasked with developing and disseminating innovative curricula, instructional techniques, and products nationwide while providing information, training, and technical assistance for parents and professionals to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students from birth to age 21.
800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002 USA
This site was supported by federal funding. Publication of this material shall not imply approval or acceptance by the U.S. Department of Education of the findings, conclusions, or recommendations herein. Gallaudet University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, hearing status, disability, covered veteran status, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, place of business or residence, pregnancy, childbirth, or any other unlawful basis.