Williamson County Schools What procedures are in place to help mitigate the pandemic in WCS? 2:23 PM Jan 17, 2022 CST Why wont the district transition to remote learning on inclement weather days? We have been In WCS, if an inclement weather day is needed, all school campuses and our online schools will be closed. "We share the concerns of WCCHD regarding the spread of COVID-19 in our community," the statement said. that is degrading to another person. Schools Review These Recently Sold Properties, City of Franklin Declares April 30- May 6 Franklin Water Week. Should I be investing if there is a downturn or recession looming? Williamson County Schools (WCS) follow the school and employee annual calendars. Blackboard Web Community Manager Privacy Policy (Updated). Austin ISD Schools Buzz With Energy On The First Day Of Class, Though Everything Is Far From Normal, San Marcos CISD To Implement Mask Mandate, Defying Governor's Executive Order, 5 Tips On How To Cope With Back To School Anxiety Amid Recent COVID Surge. Williamson County Schools didn't specify theillness in a message sent to families Thursday evening, but said FMS will be closed "due to an inability to staff the building and classrooms. This story is being offered for free. Williamson County Schools School Age Child Care program will be closed both days, and 12-month employees should follow the snow day protocol with the understanding that all school campuses and district offices will be closed. The School Age Child Care program will be closed. As a financial adviser, its a question Im asked frequently. Both public school districts in Williamson County will be closed Friday due to the forecast of ice for overnight in the area. Martin Cassidy joined Community Impact Newspaper as editor of Franklin Brentwood Community Impact in 2021. (Courtesy city of Brentwood). If school is dismissed during the day, parents will receive calls at all of the phone numbers on file. On Wednesday afternoon, the Liberty Hill and Granger school districts announced that all their schools would close through Friday. WCS career fair set for Saturday Staff Reports Mar 2, 2023 Williamson County Schools will host a district-wide career fair on Saturday, March 4. Wilson Bank & Trust showed its support for the Williamson County community by officially opening its newest location in Brentwood on Thursday. In its statement Tuesday, district officials said they had spoken with the Williamson County health district and the Texas Education Agency about the recommendation to close. We understand our families and staff feel strongly about masks, individual freedoms, and the health crisis, a statement from Gearing said. The calendar documents include district schedules, breaks, half days and more. On Wednesday afternoon, the Liberty Hill and Granger school districts Three districts in Williamson County closed schools this week because of staff shortages. WebParents of Williamson County Schools students will receive school closure notifications by phone, text, email, mobile app, and social media. He cited a shortage of substitutes, bus drivers andeducational aides, in addition to teachers, and he encouraged people to apply for district jobs. Share with Us. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Year-round employees should follow the snow day protocol, according to the announcement. Whitestone Elementary School, Cedar Park High School, Glenn High School and Leander High School have reported the most cases, with more than 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases each. The Austin, Round Rock, Leander and Hays school districts reported hundreds of staff absences within the first week of spring semester classes. High 64F. FRANKLIN, TN (WSMV) Williamson County Schools Superintendent Jason Golden announced Tuesday that he plans to recommend closing a school later this month. Three districts in Williamson County closed schools this week because of staff shortages. The District Attorney's Office of the 22nd Judicial District of Tennessee issued a release Friday asking for the public's help locating Ullrich. Get the latest WCS Newsletter InFocus delivered to your inbox. After starting the spring semester Wednesday, students in Williamson County are getting an immediate break thanks to Mother Nature. Board member Gloria Gonzalez-Dholakia said while there are unknowns with the school year and pandemic, the recommendations of health officials to mask up are known and should be followed. Calendar / Calendar - Williamson County Schools Williamson County officially welcomed Family Care Center (FCC) to Tennessee on Wednesday. Norwood recommended that the district close its schools for 10 days, implement a universal masking policy with a limited opt-out option, conduct contact tracing on campuses, require quarantines of at least seven days for people who had close contact with someone with COVID-19 and offer virtual learning. Some buses are late getting students to school in the morning or to home in the afternoon because of the driver shortage. Generally sunny despite a few afternoon clouds. During the first three days of the school year, 25 Williamson County elementary students have contracted COVID-19, according to Superintendent Jason Golden. Williamson County Schools. Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District will be closed Wednesday as Middle Tennessee is under a Winter Weather Advisory and Williamson, Inc. will be hosting the next edition of Policy Talks at Columbia State Community College Williamson Campus Friday, May 5, at 8 a.m. As communities around the nation grapple with the challenges of water scarcity, the city of Franklin is exploring technology that could provide an abundance of purified water for generations to come. Again, no school in Williamson County on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Inclement Weather / Inclement Weather - Williamson BREAKING NEWS: Williamson County schools closed Wednesday each comment to let us know of abusive posts. We remain committed to supporting and accommodating any student with a disability making him/her more vulnerable to COVID, and will address those through an interactive process with parents. Due to snowy weather, Williamson County Schools will be closed Jan. 18. Williamson County Schools: Closed Wednesday. The Williamson County Board of Education voted Monday night, November 15, to remove the existing mask mandate in place in Williamson County Schools. Killian said the district cannot go fully virtual because the state is basing funding on in-person attendance this semester. NASHVILLE The Nashville Soccer Club picked up a season-high in scoring with a 3-1 win against Atlanta United on Saturday at GEODIS Park in a Major League Soccer rivalry match. Have a news tip? The universitys chief medical officer encouraged everyone on campus to get vaccinated, wear masks indoors, test themselves regularly and report cases and close contacts with people who have tested positive. The State health commissioner has the sole authority to design quarantine guidelines. or anything. Higher wind gusts possible.. Franklin Specials MAC program is closed Thursday and Friday, as well as the district office. Parents should address their own stress, learn to identify symptoms of childhood anxiety and help their kids talk about how theyre feeling, childhood psychologist Amanda Jordan said. ", WCS Board of Education member Rick Wimberly later said on Twitter that these students and staff were absent with COVID-19, but corrected his statement the next day stating he should have said "absences not COVID cases. Andrea is a unicorn, born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. At a special-called meeting Thursday, the board of trustees voted 6-1 to require students and employees to wear masks in district facilities and buses. What does the new State law that passed in November mandate regarding quarantine? WebSchool Delays, Closings and Weather Cancellations for Williamson County TN. Beginning All Pflugerville ISD schools and offices will also be closed Friday and Monday. #WCSedu, I should have said absences, not COVID cases, when I posted about the closing of Fairview Middle School for today. Twelve month employees should follow the snow day protocol with the understanding that all school campuses will be closed. In the Austin school district, district leaders said at a board meeting last week that about 400 central office staff were used as substitutes. Norwood said the amount of COVID spread in the district is about 2.7 times higher than in the surrounding county, noting that several Leander ISD campuses have two or more active case clusters and that 43.4% of the cases are in elementary schools, mostly among students. Williamson County schools will be closed Wednesday, February 10 due to the snow that remains on roads across the county. History has shown us that while econ, A Williamson County Schools bus covered in snow. Copyright 2002-2023 Blackboard, Inc. All rights reserved. During this time, faculty and staff participate in Professional Learning sharing expertise and working together to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students.Buses operate on the regular schedule on these days. "There's such a competitiveness for staffwith their surrounding school districts, and with their businesses and industries within their communities," she said. Masks will be required until Sept. 9, when the board will meet again to discuss safety protocols. Parents will be called only at the main number on file in the phone notification system. Please considerbecoming a subscriberto help power our ongoing local coverage. Twelve month employees should follow the snow day protocol, working remotely with the approval of their supervisor. Printed copies of report cards are available only upon parental request and must be provided to the schools Principal. I appreciate all sides on this issue, Johnson said. Use the 'Report' link on We have been in contact with the National Weather Service, Emergency Management and other authorities throughout the day. All extra-curricular activities would be canceled if a school was approved to transition to remote. To receive a waiver, the school district must demonstrate a significant impact of COVID-19 quarantine or isolation on school operations, impacting students, teachers, and/or staff. 2023 - All school events are cancelled after 7 this evening and all day tomorrow. Masks are also required during athletics, fine arts and physical education unless students are actively involved in activities. 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The Williamson County health district is recommending the Leander school district close its campuses for 10 days after hundreds of students and staff members Metro Social Services also announced they would delay opening until 10 a.m. 2023 www.tennessean.com. Williamson County Schools: Closed Friday. Wilson County Schools: Closed Friday. CMA Fest Announces Fan Fair Close Up with Wynonna Judd, Dierks Williamson Weekend: 5 Happenings This Weekend, Yellowstone Star to Sign Whiskey Bottles Locally Next Week. Students who arrive at the regular time will be given the opportunity to choose from several supervised activities until the school day begins. Williamson County Schools Food Services makes nutritious and well-prepared meals every day. Students will be charged for meals for the 2022 - 2023 school year. The Williamson County School Board establishes school zones for the district. The Williamson County School Board establishes school zones for the district. Get the latest WCS Newsletter InFocus delivered to your inbox. Students started a second school year during the pandemic with a mask mandate in place. Those who can work remotely, may do so, with the approval of their supervisor. Schools Closed February 4 Due to Threat of Ice and Freezing Rain "In my 30 years in education, this is the highest number of vacancies Ive seen at this point in the school year," he wrote. Williamson County Schools: Board votes to require masks in elementary schools during raucous meeting, Brinley Hineman and Anika Exum contributed to this story. ", It added: "We believe responding precisely to individual classrooms instead of whole school closures is our best course of action. Reach reporter Adam Friedman by email at afriedman@tennessean.com. Wilson County Schools: Closed Friday Williamson County Schools: Closed Friday Stewart County Schools: Closed Friday Find reporter Rachel Wegner at Michael is the Social Media Manager at Williamson Source handling all social media objectives. Given known limitations in contact tracing and quarantining, we are concerned that exposed contacts will continue to convert to cases at an alarming rate this week, she said. This is a reversal of the Texas Education Agencys previous guidance, which didnt explicitly require school districts to notify parents of a close contact with the virus. The WCS Illness Guidelines have been updated according to the information from the CDC and TDH and the collaboration of the COVID team. Williamson County school Log In Latest News Kars for Kids show moves to new location, will still benefit Baptist Childrens This will be our second snow day of the school year. On account of continued icy road conditions after the weekend's snowfall, Williamson County Schools has canceled classes for Jan. 18, according to the district.The district's announcement covers all 51 district schools and the School Age Child Care program, according to the announcement. Twelve month employees should follow the snow day protocol. Pflugerville appears to be the first school district in Travis County to temporarily shut down during this spring semester. "The safety of our staff and students is of the utmost importance.". Thought for the week Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is GREAT in Heaven. All district middle and high schools will be required to add seven extra minutes each day to implement the late start schedule. Earlier in the week, WCS reported 11 staff and 29 students were in quarantine with confirmed COVID-19 cases over the week prior. Don't Threaten. Update: School closures continue through Friday | Local News Extended care will be open at snow sites. Those returning with unresolved symptomsmay be sent home until their symptoms are improving or provide written documentation from a provider that they are no longer infectious. Make Them Part Of The Dress Code. "Due to the continued staffing shortages and student absences, we feel it is in the best interest of our staff and students to close for the remainder of the week," the Liberty Hill announcement stated. But many district leaders have said they are doing everything they can to stay open because of the toll seen in many students' academic performance and mental health during the transition to virtual learningearlier in the pandemic. The mental and behavioral health clinic brings quality providers and a wide range of services for all age groups to its new office in Franklin. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. The WCS board of education mandated masks, Board votes to require masks in elementary schools during raucous meeting, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Texas Has Long Offered Virtual Public School Options. school closings Williamson County Schools: Closed Friday Stewart County Schools: Closed Friday Reporters Nancy DeGennaro, Andy Humbles, Chris Gadd and Meghan Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Funding for virtual school through districts happened on a waiver earlier in the pandemic. There may be up to a 3-day delay from the Skyward posting of report cards to the printed cards availability at the school. And that option was further extended to about 2,000 students in kindergarten through sixth grade for the first nine weeks. If your child needs an additional accommodation, please contact your school principal. Tuesday weather updates:Another round of ice, freezing rain move in tonight. We need to keep in-person schools open as long as we can because students depend on essential services, including classroom instruction, food services, and other special programs.". One District's Workaround? What you need to know to order tests or get reimbursed, Biden says US headed toward time when virus won't be a disruption, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Fiber vs Fixed Wireless: Whats the Hype with Fiber? Student attendancedroppedto 82% from the usual96%, the district noted. © var currentTime = new Date();var year = currentTime.getFullYear();document.write(year); Williamson County Schools All rights reserved.|(615) 472-4000. Freezing rain is expected to impact travel with ice accumulations predicted to range between a tenth of an inch to a quarter of an inch. HVAC systems run one to two hours before and after occupancy to ensure complete flushing of air. Looking for Thursday closures and delays? Three districts in Williamson County closed schools this week because of staff shortages. On Wednesday afternoon, the Liberty Hill and Granger school districts announced that all their schools would close through Friday. Stewart County Schools: Closed Friday. All exposure guidance will need to come from a health care provider or the local health department to determine if quarantine and/or testing is necessary. As a staff writer for Greenwich Time from 2000-08 and the Stamford Advocate from 2008-17, he earned multiple awards for his work from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. In response to the high number of cases in the first week of school, Gearing put a mask mandate in place last week. For that reason, tomorrow, Fairview Middle will be closed and using one of our 10 inclement weather days. Administrators initially planned to release COVID-19 numbers only on Tuesdays, but due to a growing number of cases, they will release data on Tuesday and Friday. So Whats The Problem Now? Allyson Ortegon is a former Williamson County reporter for KUT. Twelve month employees who can work remotely, may do so, with the approval of their supervisor. Information will be updated weekly on Tuesday afternoons. Our school buses begin picking up students around 6 a.m. and complete morning routes around 9 a.m. Due to the expectation of hazardous travel conditions at the beginning of the school day and the expectation that conditions will continue to deteriorate throughout the day, there will be no school in Williamson County Schools on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.. All rights reserved. Based on the expectations of hazardous travel conditions across Williamson County, there will be no school in Williamson County Schools on Friday, February 4, The Department of Education is preparing its Office of Civil Rights to investigate in instances where bans on mask mandates create an unsafe environment for students. CMA Fest Announces Fan Fair Close Up with Wynonna Judd, Dierks Williamson Weekend: 5 Happenings This Weekend, Yellowstone Star to Sign Whiskey Bottles Locally Next Week. Threats of harming another We'd love to hear eyewitness District leaders are still trying to expand that option to more students in secondary schools, who are on the waitlist. Seven extra minutes will be added to each school day to implement the early release schedule. Be Truthful. Additionally the calendar includes the County Commission Budget Committee and the County Commission Education Committee meetings. The Houston school district, the largest in Texas, also closed schools on Tuesday because of a spike in COVID-19 cases, according to the Houston Chronicle. (0) comments Welcome to the discussion. Last week, the Hutto school district, also in Williamson County, announced itsschools would remain closeduntil Thursday. Board member Eric Welch also confirmed the closure announcement and the school's usage of an inclement weather day in a Twitter thread, adding that remote learning for students not enrolled in WCS's online school is not an option this school year due to "new State guidelines forced on the district.". Our goal is to make living here more delightful and fulfilling each day. Wilson County Schools: Closed Wednesday. Nashville International Airport Opens New Parking Garage To Accommodate Expansive Growth, Top Middle Tennessee Stories of the Week: April 24, 2022, Authorities Search for Former School Principal Facing Multiple Child Sex Crimes, Mark Your Calendar: Tennessee Renaissance Festival Returns May 6th, FirstBank Amphitheater Season Opens this Weekend with Steve Miller Band, David Nail to Perform at Hop Springs in Murfreesboro this Weekend. We have been working with the National Weather Service, Emergency Management and others today to get a better understanding of the timing and amount of the winter precipitation that is expected to move into our area during the early morning hours tomorrow, WCS Communications Director Carol Birdsong said in an email to parents Wednesday. person will not be tolerated. The National Weather Service is predicting an additional half inch of accumulation overnight, leading into tomorrow, with temperatures not expected to rise above freezing. Late Start Days, previously known as Power Mondays, result in a 45-minute late start for one day per week (a few weeks will be excluded because of vacation periods) for approximately 24 weeks during the school year. Partly cloudy skies. SACC hours will continue on the regular schedule. COVID-19 / COVID-19 2021 - 2022 - Williamson County We're all trying to protect kids. All district events are provided in the calendar along with the WCS Board meetings, Board work sessions, and Policy Committee meetings. 2023 www.statesman.com. Report cards and progress reports are an assessment of a students performance academically throughout the school year. The district began the school year on Aug. 12 without a mandate, but did offer virtual learning for all students with a health-related concern. A number of counties and school districts have defied the governor's ban on instituting them. Both Williamson County Schools and Franklin Special School District announced Wednesday evening they would be closed Thursday due to impending wintry weather, then on Thursday, they both called off school for Friday as well. Buses and car lines will operate at dismissal. WebWilliamson County Schools (WCS) follow the school and employee annual calendars. The Granger district posted on its website and social media that the district is closed Thursday and Friday. A few main points to draw your attention to are as follows: Historical COVID-19 Information from the 2021 - 2022 School Year: Fall 2021 Semester, Historical COVID-19 Information from the 2020 - 2021 School Year. This level of spread is unsustainable for a school district and for the surrounding county, she said. Wilson County Schools was also closed Thursday due to weather and staffing. Williamson County schools closed