
FMS Summer Update
A quick overview of what is happening now
FMS SUMMER HOURS ARE 8AM TO 5PM MONDAY - THURSDAY
REGISTRATION OR ENROLLMENT QUESTIONS? CALL MS. HARRIS AT 919-494-2971.
FRANKLIN COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL BE FOLLOWING PLAN B - READ THE EXCERPT BELOW FROM EDNC.ORG:
Cooper announced today that schools will operate under plan B, which allows schools to open under a reduced capacity. Districts also have the option of opening under plan C, which will allow them to continue instruction through only remote learning. They cannot operate under plan A, which would have all students back in schools with minimal social distancing.
“There are no decisions more important than the ones about our children and our schools. This announcement today is the result of careful, collaborative, and painstaking work,” Cooper said, adding: “There is much risk in not going back to in-person school. We know that schools provide so much more than just academic lessons.”
Ever since school buildings closed due to COVID-19 in March, education leaders have been wondering what school would look like in the fall. Now that Cooper has made his announcement, districts will turn to implementing their plans.
Originally, plan B required schools to only operate at up to 50% capacity. The guidelines have now been revised to state that schools must limit the number of students and staff to the extent necessary to ensure 6 feet of separation whenever people are stationary.
The State Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has released a toolkit that addresses the recommendations and requirements for schools under plans B and C. According to a press release from Cooper’s office, the following recommendations and requirements apply to plan B.
Requirements
- Require face coverings for all teachers and students K-12
- Limit the total number of students, staff, and visitors within a school building to the extent necessary to ensure 6 feet distance can be maintained when students/staff will be stationary
- Conduct symptom screening, including temperature checks
- Establish a process and dedicated space for people who are ill to isolate and have transportation plans for ill students
- Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces in the school and transportation vehicles regularly
- Require frequent hand washing throughout the school day and provide hand sanitizer at entrances and in every classroom
- Discontinue activities that bring together large groups
- Limit nonessential visitors and activities involving external groups
- Discontinue use of self-service food or beverage distribution
Recommendations
- Designate hallways and entrance/exit doors as one-way
- Keep students and teachers in small groups that stay together as much as possible
- Have meals delivered to the classroom or have students bring food back to the classroom if social distancing is not possible in the cafeteria
- Place physical barriers such as plexiglass at reception desks and similar areas
Cooper said that as part of plan B, the state wants districts to offer remote learning options for students who want them. The state is also giving every public school student, teacher, and school staff member at least five reusable, washable face coverings. Everybody will have to wear masks during school, even students. Additionally, in June, the state gave out a two-month supply of “thermometers, surgical masks, face shields and gowns for school nurses and delegated staff who provide health care to students,” according to a press release.
Cooper said that temperature checks will take place every day at school, and schools must find a way to isolate students who have symptoms. Additionally, school schedules must build in time for “frequent” hand washing and there must be regular cleaning of classrooms, buses, and other areas.
If the state’s COVID-19 trends get much worse between now and when schools reopen, Cooper said districts may have to open under plan C, which is fully remote learning, instead.
Mandy Cohen, secretary of DHHS, said that the state weighed the scientific evidence against the risks of COVID-19 when making this decision. She cited the fact that children are less susceptible, have weaker symptoms, and are less likely to spread COVID-19.
“We’ve never faced a pandemic like this one before. I know for all of us this has been a very stressful reality. I can’t tell you with certainty what the future holds,” she said, adding that the state would be in constant communication with school districts.
Cohen said there are extensive protocols if a student or staff member gets sick at a school, and that those protocols have been sent to school districts. She briefly laid out during the press conference that if a student is identified as having COVID-19, contact tracing would be done to determine who else had come in contact with the student.
“It doesn’t mean immediately that this school needs to close,” she said. “They may want to go beyond our protocol and do it. It depends on the situation.”
NOTE: DR. SCHUHLER WILL BE SENDING OUT DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT SCHOOL WILL LOOK LIKE FOR ALL SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT IN THE FIRST WEEK IN AUGUST
FROM PRINCIPAL BOARDMAN:
I want to reassure you that we are working very hard to make sure that when our school opens, it will be safe. We are following guidelines closely, and we are working together as a district to make sure that processes will be clear and easy to follow for all students and staff. We can do this, working together! FMS takes this pandemic very seriously, and we will continue to take it very seriously until there is a vaccine.
Make sure your children are well supplied with comfortable face masks and that they have a place at home where they can stay organized and get work done online. Stay flexible regarding regular school supplies - needs might be different this year. Teachers are working hard to get lessons into an online format so that no matter what happens, students will be able to access their work. We will get you an updated supply list in August. Students will not be allowed to share any items, so make sure to talk to your children about that.
If you visit the school, you will need to wear a face mask to come into the building, and you will be asked Covid related questions when you come in, and then get your temperature taken. This will be the process going forward for everyone, every day. Let your children know that they will need to answer three questions and get their temperature taken with a forehead thermometer every day.
I believe that working together, we will get through this and be a better school, and a better school district. I am so proud of the work that we did in the spring, and I am excited about the improvements that you will see in online work now that our teachers have been training and learning and exploring new options for online learning. We are a strong team here at FMS and we are dedicated to making sure that your child is successful here no matter what it takes!
CHROMEBOOK ROLLOUT IS COMING SOON - MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
There will be two roll-out days this summer, make plans to come in and get your child's Chromebook so that they are ready to go when school starts.
FMS CHROMEBOOK DATES/TIMES ARE:
JULY 28 7:30AM - 12:30PM
JULY 31 1PM - 6PM
DISTRICT SURVEY NEXT WEEK - MAKE SURE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE
THIS PHONE CALL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL YOUR CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL ON THE SAME DAYS. IT WILL ALSO ASK IF YOU NEED A HOT SPOT FOR ACCESS.
People will be making these call Monday -Thursday next week, so be ready to take that call! Getting transportation planned is a huge undertaking, so please help us to help you!
OUR CLOTHES CLOSET IS OPEN
We are a "community school of choice." That means that we care about the whole family! We offer in school mental health services, a community STEAM lab, and Boys and Girls club. Our community partnerships are an important part of how we help our families.
DON'T FORGET FREE MEALS DURING THIS SUMMER BREAK!
- Franklinton Elementary School
- Louisburg High School
- Youngsville Elementary School
- Laurel Mill Elementary School
- Bunn High School
At each pickup you will get enough food for THREE days. Bring a big box or some bags. You can also do a pre-order for the next pickup while you are there.
Heidi Boardman is the new principal at FMS
Franklinton Middle School is a unique school that carries a strong educational legacy and promises a bright future. I am honored to be the principal, and it is a gift to be in a position where I can make FMS shine even brighter! We are on a positive trajectory that will only get better in the years to come.
I am a native of Central New York, where I began my educational career as an EC teacher in a residential treatment center for boys. Along the way I spent several years as a Therapeutic Level Regional Foster Parent, taking in teenagers who had failed out of regular foster care, or were coming out of lock-up. I moved to Wake Forest in 2012 and began working as an English teacher at East Wake High School in Wake County, where I then moved into the Literacy Coach position. I was accepted into the Principal Fellow program through NC State, and did my internship at Heritage Middle School in Wake Forest. I came to Franklinton Middle School in 2018 as the Assistant Principal, and then became Principal in July 2020. Everything that I have learned over the years has shaped my vision of who I am as a Principal, and what Franklinton Middle School can be as a school.
My family is my strength and my entertainment. I have three young adult children, a wonderful, supportive husband, two cats, and two dogs. Life is never dull at home. I enjoy reading, researching, going to any beach on any lake or ocean, and enjoying life with my family in all the small ways that make life the joy that it is every day.
I am proud to be the Principal of Franklinton Middle School, and I will continue to work hard to make FMS a community school of choice!
Demarcus Jones is the new Assistant Principal at FMS
I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. I attended Wake County Public Schools and graduated
from Wake Forest - Rolesville High School. After serving my country (US Navy), I worked in
local government in both corrections and detention centers for both county and state agencies. I ventured into facility and maintenance repair for the City of Raleigh before starting my own business as an independent trucker/ hauling service.
I began my career in Education as an Automotive Technology Teacher in the Nash-Rocky
Mount Public School System in which I was awarded the New CTE Teacher of the year award in 2011. I began teaching Automotive Technology in Wake County at Enloe High School in Raleigh, NC, in 2012. I have managed and taught one of the most recognized Automotive Programs in the Wake County Public School System. I then served Enloe HS students as the Career Development Coordinator linking and developing relationships and paths for all students.
On a personal note, I am a husband of a veteran educator and proud father of two brilliant
and hardworking students of North Carolina State University, both majoring in Life Sciences
with concentrations in Biochemistry. I am delighted to announce that my daughter graduated in 2020, and my son will be fulfilling his childhood dream of getting an education and playing
Division I football with the Pack!!! Go Pack!
I received my undergraduate degree from Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, NC, in Organizational Management and completed my graduate degree in Executive Leadership Studies through Gardner Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC.
My accomplishment of becoming an Assistant Principal is exciting, and I am here to help the Principal maintain a welcoming culture in which the sky is the limit, and support the Principal in providing a happy, caring and safe environment where children can achieve their fullest potential. I am very compassionate about building relationships and student achievement.