Knox County Schools Superintendent Bob Thomas to host a virtual meeting to solicit community input on the impact of the pandemic and the district’s new virtual learning program has affected academic achievement, discipline, and disparities among student groups.
KNOXVILLE, TN, (December 2020) – “Dear KCS Community, I wanted to take a moment and let you know about an important meeting that will take place this month.
One of the three priorities in our district’s strategic plan, which was approved last year, is to eliminate disparities in academic achievement and discipline among student subgroups. Knox County Schools believes every student should be given the opportunity to achieve academic success regardless of their life experiences, culture, or economic status.
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing transparency around this effort, the KCS Disparities in Educational Outcomes Steering Committee will host a virtual community meeting on Thursday, Dec. 10.”
This meeting can be viewed at https://www.knoxschools.org/kcstv and will focus on academic disparities, related to COVID-19, and the district’s new virtual learning program, and will allow KCS leaders to provide updates on their work.
COVID-19 has presented many challenges for public gatherings, and the district believes an online meeting is the best way to protect the health and safety of participants.
Participants were asked to submit questions to deo@knoxschools.org, by Nov. 9 to allow time for comprehensive answers to be prepared for the meeting; or you can contact your school board representative before the Thursday, Dec. 10 virtual meeting with your concerns and comments.
The meeting will be streamed on the KCS website here, and a summary will be posted following the event. Subsequent updates will address follow-up questions and feedback.
Supt. Bob Thomas expresses his gratitude for the DEO Steering Committee’s work, including the Community Conversation that took place at Fulton High School in March. “I look forward to continuing this conversation in December and receiving feedback from our students, families, employees, and community partners. As always, thank you for your support of Knox County Schools!”