Monday, June 1, is the last day of school for Marion County students in a year marked with distance learning for 49 days – more than a quarter of the entire school year.
Most students will say goodbye for a few weeks and then return Aug. 10 for a new year. Hundreds also will take part in online summer school and enrichment classes. And about 4,000 seniors will graduate in the coming weeks and move to the next chapter of their lives.
State assessments this spring were canceled. But the Algebra 1 End-of-Course (EOC) exam still is required for graduation. Students who completed the Algebra 1 course in spring 2020 can meet their math graduation requirement in one of three ways: 1) Pass the Algebra 1 EOC in a future administration; 2) Pass the Geometry EOC in a future administration; or 3) Earn a comparative score on the math section of the PSAT/NMSQT, ACT, or SAT test. For students wanting to exercise option 1, the Algebra 1 EOC will be offered at Marion County high schools July 13-16. Students must complete the online registration form (click HERE) or follow the link from each high school’s website to participate by June 25. Registration is capped at 72 students per site.
Summer athletics, including sports, cheerleading, band and other activities, likely will start in mid-June. Final details will be released following a school board work session this Thursday.
“Grab & Go” meal service delivered 8,882 breakfast and lunch meals to 4,441 students this past Friday. Closing out its 10th week, the “Grab & Go” service started March 24 and has handed out 474,043 meals. The Summer Feeding Program takes over June 8-July 30, Monday-Thursday, from 10:30 a.m.-noon, with curbside service at 23 schools, plus community-based sites along with bus service to popular “Grab & Go” delivery sites.
Graduation 2020 plans are set for June 12-22 but could change based on COVID-19 conditions. High schools will soon start distributing graduation tickets. Guests will not be allowed to bring bags or purses into high school football stadiums because safe social distancing does not allow up-close inspections.