April 3, 2020
On Monday, Governor Wolf removed the timeline from the mandated closure of public schools and announced that they will remain closed indefinitely. Additionally, the stay-at-home order has been extended until at least April 30. While we are still hopeful that we can all return to our campuses as soon as possible, the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center has been busy getting ready for this circumstance.
The CTC began transitioning its high school programs to online enrichment last week, launching virtual programming for students on March 31. We asked our faculty to revise existing online activities and create new ones. Our IT Department and campus principals developed a plan to distribute Chromebooks to students who indicated that they needed technology to access the internet at home. Our administration coordinated all of the thousand other aspects of this unprecedented educational situation with our Joint Operating Committee, our sending districts, the intermediate unit, and the PA Department of Education (PDE).
PDE requires that public schools develop a Continuity of Education plan that addresses the details of how online learning will proceed for the foreseeable future. Per PDE instructions, the Continuity of Education has two phases – Enrichment and Review and Planned Instruction. The LCCTC’s first phase, Enrichment and Review, will be provided this week through April 9. The LCCTC’s second phase, Planned Instruction, will begin the week of April 13. Information on Expectations for Teaching and Learning, Online Resources, Attendance/Accountability, Special Education and EL Supports, and much more information is included in the Continuity of Education plan.
You will find the LCCTC’s Continuity of Education plan posted on our website here. Other sections on the Continuity of Education webpage include counseling/wellbeing resources, career and technical education resources, and general COVID-19 information links. Further information on online learning will be shared as it is developed on the Continuity of Education webpage. We will be working on issues including an online education schedule, evaluating online learning plans, closing out the third marking period, and other information. Your program instructor is your first point of contact for any questions. Please contact them if you are having any problems with any aspect of online learning.
If you do not have a computer at home to access the Internet, please be aware that your last open chance to receive a computer is Monday, April 6, from 1 to 6 pm at the Willow Street, Brownstown, and Mount Joy campuses. Please see the following link below for details. https://lancasterctc.edu/blog/lcctc-last-opportunity-for-chromebook-handout/
Additionally, there are offers from local internet providers to access hot spots for free or for reduced cost internet access. Comcast/Xfinity is opening wifi hotspots to all users and also has other online options. Go to https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19 for more information.
Your cooperation and engagement with the shift to online learning is vital to everyone’s success. Thank you for your continued understanding and support.
Leave a Reply