Antilles HS: Policies and Procedures

When hurricanes or other severe weather conditions occur, it is sometimes necessary to cancel school, delay the opening of school, or dismiss classes early.

Hurricane season is June through November.

Listen to local radio and watch the Weather Channel on television for up-to-date information and instructions. Actions taken during hurricane conditions will be in accordance with the Emergency Plan put out by the Military Command.

Hurricane Procedures - During School Hours

All students and staff will report for school unless notified otherwise. The Commanding Officer and the coordinating district office determine cancellation of school. If it is determined that the normal schedule must be interrupted, the following will occur.

After the School Day Has Begun

The District Superintendent will contact each school.

Before the School Day Begins

An announcement will be made over Radio and TV. The announcement will clearly state whether students are to report to school for the day. The announcement will also include a statement regarding the work status of military and civilian government workers, including teaching staff.

Thank As we get ready for the 2020-2021 school year, I wanted to update you on our Back-to-School efforts. To the maximum extent possible, DoDEA schools will operate brick-and-mortar schools on a regular full-time schedule when installations are in Health Protection Conditions (HPCON) Alpha or Bravo. Additionally, DoDEA is offering a Virtual Learning Option for students in kindergarten through grade 12 for the first semester.

See the DoDEA Return to School webpage for specific information about the upcoming school year. Some of the resources you will find include:

• The DoDEA COVID-19 Operational Guidelines and Protocols for Schools - This provides DoDEA district and school leaders with general guidelines and protocols for establishing and maintaining safe school environments that reduce the risk of COVID-19 virus spread. Items discussed include social distancing, face coverings, pre-screening, medical surveillance protocols, cleaning, school meal program, bus transportation, and extracurricular sports/ activities guidelines.
• The new DoDEA Virtual Learning Option for students in kindergarten to 12th grade for Semester One - This learning option is for students and families with health vulnerabilities related to COVID-19 or for those who are concerned about their students returning on-site to school. DoDEA is procuring licensed courseware for the virtual learning subjects to be delivered by existing DoDEA teachers who apply and are selected for this option. These will be full courses with all of the normal content expected in a regular DoDEA course designed specifically for the online environment. IMPORTANT NOTE: Student registration for the virtual option is open from July 15 to July 28 at DoDEA Return to School webpage.

The DoDEA Virtual Learning Option school start date is August 24. We will continue working with our DoDEA leadership and local military installation commanders to provide the most up-to-date guidance and the way forward in your local community. Please contact your local school administration with your questions and concerns. Continue to check the DoDEA Return to School webpage for updates. Thanks for your ongoing support as we look forward to our upcoming school year of Excellence in Education for Every student, Every day, Everywhere. #WeAreInThisTogether

Dr. Donato Cuadrado

District Superintendent
DoDEA Americas Mid-Atlantic District

July 23, 2020

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our goal remains to provide timely, comprehensive information about the continuity of education in our district. We are working with our Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) headquarter and regional leadership and local commanders to provide the most up-to- date guidance and the way forward for School Year 2020-2021.

It is critical that we use a common language when talking about instructional settings that will be in play this year.

• In-person instruction - Students are in brick and mortar school building, receiving instruction from their assigned teachers.
• Remote Learning - Students receive the classroom curriculum from their assigned brick and mortar teachers remotely in the contingency that local health conditions require us to pause in-person instruction. (This is the format that schools operated in at the end of last school year.)
• Virtual Learning – Students register for the DoDEA Virtual School for the entire semester or year. This option is available in grades K-12.

At the DoDEA Return to School website DoDEA published the DoDEA COVID-19 Operational Guidelines and Protocols for schools. At the top of the website look for the following tabs: Home, Heath & Safety, Virtual Option, Making a Choice, Questions and Answers, and Educator Information.

• Health & Safety Tab - you will find DoDEA guides that have been created to assist schools with guidelines and protocols for establishing and maintaining safe school environments that reduces the risk of COVID-19 virus spread for in-person instruction.
• Virtual Option Tab – you will find an overview of the virtual school for grades K-12. For parents to choose the virtual school option, click on Making a Choice tab and scroll to the bottom of the website. The window to enroll your child(ren) in virtual school closes on July 28.

We recognize the parents have many factors to consider as you make a decision on which instructional setting you choose. As you review these options, please consider the following:

• Schools that open in remote learning will switch to in-person learning (brick and mortar) as soon as health conditions allow and remote learning will no longer be an option.
• Schools that open in in-person learning (brick and mortar) may have to switch to remote learning as a contingency plan in the event that health condition levels change and temporary closure is necessary. Schools will switch back to in-person learning as soon as health conditions allow. If you have additional questions about in-person learning or remote learning, please submit your questions to your school administrator.
• Parents who select the virtual learning option for their child(ren) will remain in virtual learning, regardless of health conditions, for one full semester or the entire school year (if selected). If you read the information about virtual school from the DoDEA website and still have questions, you may submit your questions at: vslearningoption@dodea.edu

Our principals, in partnership with health installation officials, are working diligently to establish a safe school environment that reduces the risk of COVID-19 virus spread for in-person instruction.

These are the current Health Conditions at each school/installation (as of July 22):

• Ft. Bragg-Charlie
• Ft. Buchanan-Charlie
• Ramey-Bravo
• Camp Lejeune-Bravo
• Quantico-Bravo
• Dahlgren-Bravo
• West Point-Bravo
• WT Sampson-Bravo

The HPCON can change at any time.

This is obviously an extraordinarily challenging time for all of us. Watching our teachers, parents, students and communities come together to ensure continuity of education for our military-connected students in these circumstances has been incredibly inspiring. Please continue to review the DoDEA website and school Facebook pages for the most up-to-date information.

Dr. Donato Cuadrado
District Superintendent
DoDEA Americas Mid-Atlantic District

Download pdf version of this update

The following website serves as DoDEA's official source for information on COVID-19, highlighting associated impacts as well as response and prevention efforts. Please continue to visit this website for updates. 

Also, we ask families to continue following the COVID-19/coronavirus guidelines as shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that are posted on its website. These include monitoring family members' health for flu-like symptoms and reaching out to a local health provider if these symptoms occur. 

Please know that this is a unique situation for DoDEA schools and the nation. We do not yet have all the answers but are committed to communicating with our students and their families as frequently and openly as possible. DoDEA and your community leadership will continue to coordinate closely to ensure accurate and timely information is available and to encourage all appropriate measures to help prevent the spread of the virus.