The Pattonville Board of Education meeting on Aug. 11 will take place in person at 7 p.m. at the Pattonville Learning Center. The board, staff and all others in attendance must wear a face mask at all times while in the building. Physical distancing will be followed during the meeting, with all attendees seated six feet apart. To comply with the St. Louis County capacity mandates ensure physical distancing, in-person attendance will be limited to 25 people.
The Pattonville School District has been awarded a 2020 Top Workplace honor by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The district was ranked ninth among the Top 15 large employers in the St. Louis area (employers with 500 or more employees). This is the sixth year in a row Pattonville has earned Top Workplace recognition, and no other school district was ranked higher on the list than Pattonville.
Last Monday, July 20, I shared our hopes of returning to school in August at phase 2 of in-person learning, while also offering a 100% virtual academy option for families. Phase 2 of in-person learning is a blended learning model where students attend school in-person two days a week and virtually one day a week.
As we consulted more with St. Louis County health officials and reviewed the spread of COVID-19 in our community, it became very clear that we could no longer move forward with students and staff returning to the classroom to begin the new school year. There is simply no way for us to ensure the safety of our students and staff during in-person learning with the level of transmission currently taking place in our area. For this reason, Pattonville will begin the new school year in phase 3 of in-person learning. This means all student learning (early childhood through 12th grade) will take place online. At present, we plan to be in phase 3 until mid-October, at which time we will re-evaluate the conditions in the community and determine if any changes to our phase level can be made. If it becomes possible to bring some students back sooner, we will do so.
Each year, the Pattonville Board of Education establishes priorities to address in the coming school year. The priorities help the district fulfill its goals outlined in its Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.
Eighty-five teachers attended the first day of the Virtual Teacher Cohort Training series on July 24 at Holman Middle School. The teaching and learning department developed this five-day program for teachers who have a strong interest in learning more about virtual instruction.