Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy (CGLA) will open the 2020-2021 academic year on Thursday with 12 days of online-only classes, an interim period that will continue through Friday, Aug. 21.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 24, CGLA will transition to a dual instruction program, offering students the choice of engaging either as a full-time virtual learner or as a hybrid learner. CGLA anticipates maintaining a dual instructional system throughout the pandemic crisis.
Officials said, "While the dual instruction approach allows hybrid learners to attend on-campus classes for two days each week, CGLA administrators recognize that elevated COVID-19 infections in Hamilton County could close school operations and shift all instruction to a distance learning format."
Dr. Elaine Swafford, chief executive officer at CGLA, said, “This past May, we established a task force to build an adaptable, resilient plan through which our students could safely and easily access exceptional educational experiences.
“No doubt, our highest priority is the health and wellbeing of our community, and the reopening task force worked exhaustively to identify strategies that not only support the various needs of our students but also can quickly adapt, if necessary, to the uncertainties of coronavirus disease.”
Full-time virtual learning enables a student to remain at home and attend online classes for five days each week. A student who follows a hybrid learning schedule attends on-campus classes for two days each week and remains at home and attends online classes for three days each week. To accommodate online learning, CGLA provides every student with a Google Chromebook and with home internet service.
Every Wednesday, the CGLA campus closes for deep cleaning and sanitization.
Creating infrastructure to support two instruction models also required implementing a comprehensive campus health and safety plan. According to Dr. Swafford, CGLA established policies and implemented procedures specifically to mitigate the transmission of coronavirus disease.
She said, “Our health and safety protocols are consistent with the recommendations and standards set forth by local, state, and federal agencies that monitor the spread of COVID-19. For example, our plan includes screening temperatures at entry points; reducing the number of students riding on a bus; requiring everyone to wear face masks; limiting movement in hallways and buildings; installing touch-free equipment and appliances; scheduling a daily routine of continuous cleaning and disinfecting; reconfiguring classrooms so that desks are at least six feet apart; and serving lunches in the classrooms.”
For more information about CGLA and the school’s 2020-2021 Reopening Plan, visit CGLAonline.com