The Cullman County School Board met Thursday night in a meeting that was broadcast on Facebook Live. 

The Cullman County School Board approved two new principals during Thursday night’s meeting, and the new principals are familiar faces for their schools.

The board approved the transfers of Micah Rice from assistant principal of Cold Springs Elementary to the new principal of the school, and Blake Thompson from assistant principal of West Point Middle School to that school’s new principal.

Rice and Thompson were unable to attend Tuesday’s meeting because it was held virtually, but Cullman County Schools Superintendent Shane Barnette offered them a welcome to their new positions on behalf of the rest of the board.

“We look forward to those guys taking another role and the things that they’re going to accomplish at both of those schools,” he said. “We look forward to working with them.”

Barnette also provided an update on the system’s plans for reopening in the fall, and said State Superintendent Eric Mackey and his team will release their guidance for reopening next week. 

Before the state releases its plan, Cullman County Schools have already developed a local plan that will go along with the state’s, he said.

Barnette said schools will be working on a three-tiered framework, with traditional in-class learning beginning on Aug. 20. If COVID-19 cases see a spike in the county, the system will move into a blended learning environment that will include a mix of in-class and online work, and if those case numbers get even higher, the system can move to all virtual learning, he said.

He said he doesn’t yet know if the state will set certain thresholds for case numbers to tell systems whether they should move to another tier, but he believes the decision on moving from in-class to blended or virtual classes will be left at the local level.

“From what I understand, we will be making those decisions,” he said. 

Even with the plan to return to in-class education, there will be an option for virtual learning for students who may not want to come back to the classroom, but it is important that the system offers the chance to return to school for face-to-face learning, Barnette said. 

“Me and my staff and all of our schools, we’re letting folks know that we want students in school on Aug. 20 face-to-face,” he said. “I am confident that kids learn better sitting in a classroom with a teacher than they do reading and watching a video screen.”

One important thing to note is that students will have the option of in-class or virtual learning, but they will not be able to switch between the two during the semester, Barnette said. 

“If they sign their child up to be taught virtually, or get digital content, they will be committing to one whole semester,” he said. “They can’t just come back-and-forth whenever it’s convenient for them.”