CHS seniors head back to remote learning

CLOVIS — Seniors at Clovis High School will return to remote learning through graduation, officials said last week, a “preventative measure” intended to ensure prom and graduation ceremonies can go on as planned.

Graduation is scheduled May 23 at Leon Williams Stadium, while prom will be in the CHS commons area May 8. Prom had initially been scheduled Saturday, but officials postponed it a week “to allow time for existing close contact quarantine periods to expire.”

School administrators, concerned about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, issued a memorandum addressing the changes that began Friday.

“Schools have documented significant increases in the number of close contacts identified each time a case is reported,” the memorandum read. “Should that dynamic continue through the end of the school year, the potential exists that seniors may be required to quarantine during graduation.”

Additionally, if the state orders a school to return to remote learning due to a spike in COVID-19 case numbers, “the District would be required to postpone or cancel graduation altogether,” the memorandum said.

During its regular meeting on Tuesday, the Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education also discussed remote work situations for district employees.

Deputy Superintendent of Employee Services Joe Strickland provided the update on remote work guidance to the board.

Strickland said his department had come up with a list of jobs that were determined to be done effectively remotely.

“It’s a limited number, but there are some that are very computer oriented, and they are not really interacting with people directly,” Strickland said.

Strickland said there is also a list of jobs that cannot be performed remotely on a long-term basis, but under certain circumstances, some jobs can be granted remote status on a short-term basis as long as a supervisor and the superintendent are in agreement.

Some of the guidelines for remote workers include being available and in contact while working remotely, wearing proper attire, and not working from certain private spaces

“In your car going to Lubbock ... is not an acceptable work environment,” Strickland said.

The district retains the right to discontinue a remote arrangement if things aren’t working out, Strickland said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting:

• The board approved the 2021-22 instructional calendar.

Classes will not resume until Aug. 16, allowing students to fully participate in the Curry County Fair, scheduled for Aug. 10-14. Preschool and kindergarten classes begin Aug. 16.

The first semester ends Dec. 17, and the spring semester begins Jan. 10. Spring break will be March 21-25, and instruction will end May 26.