Clark County schools begin ‘final sprint’ before virtual opening

That’s what Superintendent Jesus Jara said he’d like to telegraph to families as the Clark County School District prepares to welcome students to virtual classrooms for the 2020-21 school year on Aug. 24.

Jara said teachers, support staff and principals are all working hard to ensure a successful reopening, as well as a productive school year, despite the unusual circumstances.

“We’re all anxious,” Jara said of how district employees are feeling. “Last year at this time, we were all in our schools visiting, and now it’s all virtual. So how do you set procedures? How do you set up everything? How do you set up classrooms?”

“We can’t wait to see all our kids, whether it’s virtually or on the phone,” he said. “Last year when we closed schools and graduations, there was a little bit of anxiety, but I talked to high school principals, and they said they kind of liked these smaller graduation ceremonies. We may learn a lot of great things as we open up that we may continue to implement as we move forward.”

The district is still awaiting a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue meal distribution at its current sites.

At a school board meeting Thursday, Jara said 88,000 students reported a need for devices, while 19,000 reported needing connectivity. Jara said the district had distributed approximately 119,000 Chromebooks to date. Jara also said families should contact the district to inform them of their connectivity needs.

“In the next 10 days, we are focused on those who need it,” he said. “We have been working 24/7, and that’s going to continue for the final sprint.”

Contact Aleksandra Appleton at 702-383-0218 or aappleton@reviewjournal.com. Follow @aleksappleton on Twitter.