Sept. 17, 2020

Dear DeSoto Parish Schools Family,

We are pleased to begin our transition into Phase 3 guidelines for services to our students.  While these guidelines create new opportunities for us to serve larger groups sizes, transport more students, and allow more extra-curricular activities, there are many guidelines that are common to each phase. Frequent washing of hands, social distancing to the greatest extent possible, symptom monitoring, and face coverings are among the many items that are common to all phases in the guidelines. We realize that COVID is still in our community and as a school system we are not immune to the virus, but we will continue our efforts in helping to mitigate the spread at every turn. We are very grateful for the hard work of our employees who have been outstanding in their support of our return to school and handling the day to day task of keeping our students and staff safe. 

Below you will find our plans for transitioning 6th-12th grade students to more in-person learning under Phase 3. As communicated in July, students that opted to be fully online will remain a virtual only student until the end of the first 9 weeks. We will begin transitioning students who choose to move to in-person learning in the coming weeks. More instructions will be shared next week with details about how to apply for that transition.

ELEMENTARY STUDENTS 

Pre-K students will continue attending in-person learning Monday-Friday as usual. K through 5th-grade students will continue daily in-person learning Monday-Thursday under Phase 3. 

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

6th-12th grade students will transition to daily in-person learning Monday-Thursday beginning Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.

FRIDAY - VIRTUAL LEARNING DAY

At this time Fridays will remain virtual only days for all students K-12.

In closing, I know you join us in applauding the efforts of our teachers, administrators, and support staff. And certainly, we applaud our students and you, the families of DeSoto Parish, for your support, cooperation and patience! Never before have we experienced such challenges, but never before have we experienced such an opportunity to innovate, learn and grow together. I am thankful to be a part of a community that values education and holds high expectations for our system. With your help, we will continue to grow, achieve and succeed. 

For Students’ Sake,

Clay J. Corley
Superintendent
DeSoto Parish Schools