After almost a full year of virtual schooling, the Ferguson-Florissant School District has made the decision to allow students to participate in back-to-school learning beginning March 24. Parents will have the option to choose whether their child(ren) will continue on virtually or return in-person.

Early this morning, Feb. 11, parents received a letter from Superintendent Joseph Davis stating high school students will have the option to reenter on March 24, Pre-Kindergarten through grade 8 students will have a transition period some time between March 24 and April 2 to get acclimated or re-acclimated to their school buildings.

All students who select in-person learning will return to school buildings by April 12, after Spring Break. Both types of students will be in school Monday-Thursday, with asynchronous learning on Fridays for everyone.

Parents must complete a learning model declaration form through the parent portal by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 17. Any student who does not meet that deadline will continue learning virtually. Parents also have the option to select the best learning path for each of their children, meaning parents may select different options for each of their children.

Parents must also choose whether their (qualifying) child will use District transportation. A transportation video has been prepared by the communication and transportation departments to show the steps taken for student safety on buses.

Teachers will have a mix of in-person students and those learning virtually. Teacher timelines, including classroom prep dates, will be shared soon.

You can view the detailed presentation administrators and board members discussed regarding reentry safety on their YouTube channel at Feb. 10 Board of Education Meeting.

The most recent Ferguson-Florissant student survey found 61% of students prefer to return to in-person learning. In order to make the most informed decision, staff and parents asked for more information.

Schools have prepared a Reentry Handbook, with the help of the District Reentry Task Force, that can be viewed at www.fergflor.org/reentry_handbooks.

Superintendent Joseph Davis shared this message with district parents in his letter:

“As I shared almost a year ago during the press conference when we announced that our buildings would close and students and teachers would shift to virtual instruction, safety is our highest priority. We have spent the better part of a year learning how to safely bring our students and staff back into our buildings, and I am convinced that we are ready to safely resume in-person instruction.

I know change is hard, but we also know that this year of virtual learning has been extremely difficult for many of our students. I always say that the strength of our District is in our people. I know many of you are anxious as we enter this next phase. That’s certainly understandable. I also know that we have amazing students, families, and staff, and I firmly believe our students will begin to flourish if we will work together as families and schools during this needed transition back into our buildings. Our students and our community will be stronger as we come together once again.”