September 22, 2020 

Dear DLA Families, 

Happy first day of autumn! I hope this letter finds you and your family safe and healthy. I am writing to share an update on our 2nd quarter instruction plan. 

At the September board meeting, the DLA board reviewed the options for 2nd quarter instruction. To make an informed decision the board looked at Aug-Sept student attendance and fall test data. They considered input from the admin team and our Parent Advisory Council. They also recognized that Montgomery County is still at a Level 3 public health alert. Based on this information, the DLA board voted for the following 2nd quarter plan: 

• Students in 3rd-8th grades remain remote instruction only. The student day will continue to be 9:00am to 3:00pm.

• Bring in Kinder-2nd grade students on a hybrid schedule with 50% of students in person for instruction at DLA 2-3 days a week while 50% of students have remote instruction for 2-3 days. Each homeroom class will be divided into Section 1 and Section 2. DPS will be providing transportation for these students. This change will go into effect Monday, October 19th. The student day will continue to be 9:00am to 3:00pm. 

• We will continue to have students in the building for intervention services and attendance intervention scheduled on an individual, case by case basis. 

• Based on how the hybrid plan goes with K-2 classes, the board and admin team will consider bringing in more grade levels over time.   

We have scheduled a town hall meeting with families on Tuesday, September 29 at 6:00pm to explain the 2nd quarter instruction plan and how we can finish 1st quarter strong.  

Our priority is to continue to keep students and staff safe and healthy while we educate our students. 

Our daily operations include: 

• Taking staff and student temperatures before entering the building 

• Staff and students wearing face covers 

• Maintaining social distance of 3-6 feet apart in classrooms and common areas 

• Increased sanitation of common areas and surfaces with hand sanitizer stations in each classroom and across hallways

• Creating one way traffic flow in hallways and limiting large group gatherings 

• Serving breakfast and lunch in classrooms

• Implementing a response plan if a student or staff member shows symptoms 

Over the next few weeks we will share more details about the plan for K-2 students and review the details at 1st quarter parent-teacher conferences on October 14-15. We are confident that we can work together to make sure students end the 1st quarter strong and have a productive 2nd quarter. 

Yours in excellence, 

Tess Mitchner Asinjo, Principal