{"id":3331,"date":"2025-02-19T15:05:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T21:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/?page_id=3331"},"modified":"2026-01-12T15:53:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:53:17","slug":"guidance2020-21","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/guidance2020-21\/","title":{"rendered":"Mississippi Schools: Guidance for the 2020-21 School Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This webpage provides guidance, considerations and best practices for Mississippi schools and districts for operating school in the 2020-21 school year. It has been developed with input\u00a0from school and district leaders, mental health and health professionals, teachers, parents, and students. Additional information will be added as further research, data and resources become available.<\/p>\n<p>The process of returning to school will look different in the 2020-21 school year because of the ongoing threat of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Districts will need to adjust educational practices to best protect the health of students and staff in keeping with guidance from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) and the\u00a0CDC. Despite these challenges, the MDE and the Mississippi State Board of Education remain committed to the\u00a0<a href=\"\/MBE\/StrategicPlan\"><u>state\u2019s strategic plan\u00a0for education<\/u><\/a>\u00a0that promotes high standards of achievement for ALL students.\u00a0<strong>Local school districts should use their authority and flexibility to meet their individual needs and to be responsive to their communities.<\/strong>\u00a0Districts and the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA)\u00a0have\u00a0authority over\u00a0extracurricular activities.<\/p>\n<p>The health and safety of our students, teachers and school staff is the highest priority with high-quality instruction and long-term success of students at the forefront of guidance development. Both aspects have been taken into consideration in providing the resources here.<\/p>\n<span class=\"gdlr-core-space-shortcode\" style=\"margin-top: 30px ;\"  ><\/span>\n<div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode \" style=\"color: #000000 ;background-color: #f0f0f0 ;\"  ><h3 class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-title\" style=\"color: #000000 ;\"  >School District Plans for 2020-21<\/h3><div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-content\" ><\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>District plans submitted to the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) before July 31, 2020:\u00a0<a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/restart_recovery_responses_2020.08.05_430p_20226.pdf\">PDF document<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/restart-recovery-responses-2020.08.05.xlsx\">Excel spreadsheet<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/arp_school_environment_report.xlsx\">District plans submitted to MDE mid-year 2020-21<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/2020-21_attendance_rates.xlsx\">2020-21 Attendance Rate Report<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/absences_2018_19_to_2020_21.xlsx\">Student Absence Report for 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21<\/a><\/li>\n<li>State law requires Mississippi schools to operate 180 days each school year. Some districts may\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/state-board-action-on-180-day-school-year\/\">waive\u00a0up to 10 required days<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>School districts\u00a0are the only ones with the legal authority\u00a0to set school calendars, including the first and last day of school and school holidays.\u00a0The school year must end by June 30.<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-listid=\"2\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">There is no authority given to the Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) to direct school opening plans.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-listid=\"2\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">The SBE\u00a0gave school districts the flexibility to implement one of\u00a0three options for operating schools in 2020-21: traditional, virtual or a hybrid of in-person and distance learning. To help districts develop class schedules,\u00a0the SBE reduced\u00a0the number of\u00a0required\u00a0instructional hours from 5.5 to 4 hours per day.\u00a0Required instructional hours for\u00a0high school courses\u00a0will be waived if the district develops\u00a0and publishes\u00a0a\u00a0local board-approved\u00a0plan to ensure students master course content.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-listid=\"2\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">Based on the March 14, 2020\u00a0State of Emergency Proclamation, the governor has the power to temporarily suspend or modify laws, rules and policies to cope with the COVID-19 outbreak.\u00a0The governor could also declare school start dates by Executive Order.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-listid=\"2\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">On August 3, 2020, the governor issued\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sos.ms.gov\/content\/executiveorders\/ExecutiveOrders\/1517.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Executive Order\u00a01517<\/a>, which delays\u00a0the start of the academic year until August 17\u00a0for students in grades 7-12\u00a0in school districts located in\u00a0Bolivar, Coahoma, Forrest, George, Hinds, Panola, Sunflower and Washington counties. The delay applies to all types of school schedules:\u00a0virtual, traditional or a\u00a0hybrid. School for pre-K through grade 6 in the counties listed in the order may start before August 17, either through a\u00a0virtual, traditional or hybrid\u00a0schedule.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<span class=\"gdlr-core-space-shortcode\" style=\"margin-top: 30px ;\"  ><\/span>\n<div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode \" style=\"color: #000000 ;background-color: #f0f0f0 ;\"  ><h3 class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-title\" style=\"color: #000000 ;\"  >Guidance and Policy Changes<\/h3><div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-content\" ><\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong>Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Guidelines<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-listid=\"9\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/requirement-for-mississippi-k-12-schools-to-report-covid-19\/\">MSDH Order: Requirement for Mississippi K-12 Schools to Report COVID-19<\/a><\/strong>:\u00a0The order requires all Mississippi K-12 schools to report aggregate COVID-19 data weekly to the MSDH. (Aug. 14, 2020)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li role=\"listitem\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-level=\"1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-listid=\"9\">\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong>Updated September 2020: MSDH Guidelines for K-12 Reopening During COVID-19<\/strong>:\u00a0Provides guidance on transmission of COVID-19, an activity decision matrix to determine risks associated with activities, and a process for addressing positive cases and potential outbreaks, including school dismissal considerations and roles of the schools.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong>Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) Policy Changes for the 2020-21 School Year\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">The SBE\u00a0<a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/2_year_waiver_chart_v2_8.27.2020.pdf\">suspended strict compliance<\/a>\u00a0with specific state statutes related to gifted education,\u00a0deadlines for the kindergarten readiness assessment and K-3 screeners, Literacy-Based Promotion Act (LBPA) good cause exemption documentation for spring 2020, LBPA reporting requirements, and school safety officer training. The SBE also approved the policy on taking attendance virtually and extended the waiver of up to 10 instructional days to all school districts. (Aug.\u00a027, 2020)<\/li>\n<li lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">The SBE gave\u00a0some districts authority to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/state-board-action-on-180-day-school-year\/\">waive\u00a0up to 10 required instructional days<\/a>\u00a0(Aug.\u00a06, 2020)<\/li>\n<li lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/MBE\/MDE-2020(7)\/tab-02-apa-sbp_reporting_attendance_for_virtual_learning_2020-2021_sy_draft_v4.pdf\">Reporting Attendance for Virtual Learning<\/a>\u00a0(July 16, 2020)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/OA\/Accred\/SBP9.2QandA\">Q&amp;A About Reporting Attendance<\/a><\/li>\n<li lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/sites\/default\/files\/documents\/MBE\/MDE-2020(7)\/tab-01-statute_waiver_for_rule_14.19.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Suspension of Strict Compliance with Personnel Appraisal System for 2020-21<\/a>\u00a0(July 16, 2020)<\/li>\n<li lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\">The SBE has suspended several policies to give local school districts scheduling flexibility for the 2020-21 school year to deal with the impact of COVID-19. For a complete list of policy suspensions, view the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2_year_waiver_chart_v7_4.2.2021.pdf\">policy suspension chart<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<span class=\"gdlr-core-space-shortcode\" style=\"margin-top: 30px ;\"  ><\/span>\n<div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode \" style=\"color: #000000 ;background-color: #f0f0f0 ;\"  ><h3 class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-title\" style=\"color: #000000 ;\"  >Mississippi Department of Education Guidance<\/h3><div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-content\" ><\/p>\n<p><strong>Considerations for Reopening and Operating Mississippi Schools\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Considerations-for-Reopening-Schools-June-8-FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Considerations for Reopening Schools<\/a>\u00a0(June-Aug. 2020): Document\u00a0outlines a three-month timeline of strategies for school leaders\u00a0to plan for the 2020-21 school year. This information will be updated in three-month intervals to help school leaders adjust to the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/considerations_for_coherent_and_equitable_instructional_systems_2.pdf\">Considerations for Equitable Instructional Systems<\/a>\u00a0(Sept.-Nov. 2020)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/considerations_for_equitable_mississippi_student_and_family_experiences.pdf\">Considerations for Equitable Mississippi Student and Family Experiences<\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>(Dec. 2020-Feb. 2021)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/considerations_for_mississippi_summer_programming.pdf\">Considerations for Mississippi Summer Programming<\/a>\u00a0(March 2021)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong>District Restart and Recovery Plan Guidance and Summary<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/MDE-Restart-Recovery-Guidance-Summary-July-2020.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MDE Restart &amp; Recovery Guidance &amp; Summary \u2013 July 2020<\/a>\u00a0includes\u00a0resources\u00a0for districts for opening schools\u00a0and\u00a0survey questions about their reopening plans. District plans submitted to MDE as of July 31, 2020\u00a0can be viewed in this\u00a0<a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/restart_recovery_responses_2020.08.05_430p_20226.pdf\">PDF document<\/a>\u00a0or this\u00a0<a href=\"\/sites\/default\/files\/Offices\/MDE\/OCGR\/restart-recovery-responses-2020.08.05.xlsx\">spreadsheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong>MDE Updates<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/edupdate\/administrator-news\/\">Administrator News, Professional Development Opportunities and Resources<\/a><\/p>\n<p lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"><strong>Archive<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/COVID19\">MDE COVID-19 Updates and Information (March-June 2020)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Guidance Topics<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/OA\/Accred\">Accreditation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/OSA\">Assessment<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/OCN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Child Nutrition<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Elementary Education and Reading<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/OCSA\/HS\">Home School<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdek12.org\/Literacy\">Literacy<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/msachieves.mdek12.org\/families-first-coronavirus-response-act-ffcra-paid-leave-due-to-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paid Leave Due to COVID-19: Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/OA\/Accred\/SBP9.2QandA\">Reporting Attendance for Virtual Learning<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<span class=\"gdlr-core-space-shortcode\" style=\"margin-top: 30px ;\"  ><\/span>\n<div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode \" style=\"color: #000000 ;background-color: #f0f0f0 ;\"  ><h3 class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-title\" style=\"color: #000000 ;\"  >Resources<\/h3><div class=\"gdlr-core-widget-box-shortcode-content\" ><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mississippi Coronavirus Hotline (7 days a week, 7 a.m.\u20137 p.m.):<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"tel:877-978-6453\">877-978-6453<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/msdh.ms.gov\/msdhsite\/_static\/14,0,420.html\">Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) COVID-19 Information<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/index.html\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Information and Guidance<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/coronavirus\">U.S. Department of Education COVID-19 Information and Resources<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.misshsaa.com\/\">Mississippi High School Activities Association<\/a><\/li>\n<li>MDE Learning-at-Home Resources for Families<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary This webpage provides guidance, considerations and best practices for Mississippi schools and districts for operating school in the 2020-21 school year. It has been developed with input\u00a0from school and district leaders, mental health and health professionals, teachers, parents, and students. Additional information will be added as further research, data and resources become available. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3331","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3331"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3840,"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3331\/revisions\/3840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mdek12.org\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}