HCPSS Superintendent, Dr. Michael J. Martirano, welcomes the community back for the 2020-2021 school year.
Transcript
[ Dr. Michael Martirano speaking. ]
Greetings. It has been much too long since I have been able to visit your schools and communities, and I miss seeing you in person. I look forward to an eventual safe return to schools and seeing our community in person again.
The question before each of us this spring and summer has been - and continues to be - how do we ensure that each and every child continues to receive a high quality education and receive all of the supports needed to thrive? As we have been forced to reimagine the public education delivery model, we realize that a successful implementation of a fully virtual instructional model is going to require the collective efforts of families, neighbors, community partners and organizations, elected leaders, government agencies and every member of the Howard County community. This required collaboration is true all of the time but this pandemic has magnified the need for education delivery and support to extend beyond the classroom.
Schools serve as the epicenter of our communities and fulfill the needs of students by offering nutritious meals, providing mental health supports, and serving as a safe place for students to connect with and confide in adults they trust.
I am greatly encouraged that Food and Nutrition staff will serve breakfast and lunch to the children in their communities, and we will remain focused on ensuring that these sites remain accessible for all children. I am comforted that student services staff will be available to provide mental health supports, and we continue to overcome the challenges that accompany the inability to connect with students in person and identify when a problem may exist. I have great confidence in our wonderful special educators to continue to care for and serve their students, and we will continue to focus on providing the vital supports that a virtual environment inhibits. I have tremendous faith in all of our staff to serve all students, and we must remain vigilant in our efforts to support those who are not connecting to virtual instruction, experience challenges at home, have developed anxiety and depression during isolation, and who will struggle for any number of reasons during virtual instruction. Fortunately, I have great confidence that all staff members continue to be committed to serving all students even in this challenging time.
We have an extremely talented team of teachers and staff at every school and office who are preparing to receive our students. Much like this unprecedented pandemic, we know that there will be challenges and unexpected turns along the way and are working to ensure that our staff has the supports, professional development and resources needed to support virtual instruction. Whether recognized officially or not, educators are indeed essential employees.
I ask all members of the county to remain vigilant in tending to and caring for the social-emotional needs of every one of our children. If you suspect a child is struggling for any reason, there are supports available through the school that you can quickly access by reaching out to student services staff or school administrators at the school by phone or email. Additionally, staff will be proactively checking in with families regularly. It is imperative that we all continue to practice empathy and patience with our children, educators and families as we are all adjusting to this new way of education delivery.
On September 8, 2020, students will return to school and many will be successful in the virtual environment. However, I urgently call on every Howard County leader and community member to collectively support the children and families who may be struggling during this unprecedented time. It will truly take a village and our children need their Howard County village more than ever. Have a wonderful school year and best of luck.