Academy of the Sacred Heart of Bloomfield Hills has three plans for the coming school year, ranging from all students being on campus every day to all students learning remotely.

Every scenario follows Centers for Disease Control guidelines for health safety and sanitation, with social distancing requirements enforced, the private school said in its 2020-2021 Reentry Scenarios at Academy of the Sacred Heart document. Low student-teacher ratios make having all students on campus every school day easier to accomplish, according to the report.

“Our low student-teacher ratios, together with the space afforded by our building and grounds, will afford us the opportunity to welcome all students for daily, in-person instruction,” the report said.

Students will again walk the hallways of Academy of the Sacred Heart during the 2020-2021 school year. | https://www.ashmi.org/

Using staggered arrival and dismissal times will decrease the number of students in the hallways and entrances at any time. Families will deal with longer arrival and pick up procedures because of health-screening measures.

Decisions on student gatherings will be finalized in a few months, acknowledging campus modifications and recommendations from the reentry task force, the report said. Whether athletics will resume and how depends on Michigan High School Athletic Association and Catholic Youth Organization requirements and recommendations.

Community, state and licensing guidelines will determine how after-school enrichment and extended-day programming might be offered to Pre-K through eighth-grade students. Even with these preparations, public health mandates may require an interruption to on-campus learning.

If the community sees a spike in COVID-19 cases, the academy will shift to remote learning immediately, according to the report. To prepare for that possibility, students will use digital learning platforms even while on campus.

Visits to the campus will not follow the usual procedures. New policies will follow state mandates and task-force recommendations.

The second scenario designed by the reentry task force is for off-campus learning for all students, using lessons learned at the end of the recent school year, the report said. It blends daily live instruction with instruction that’s accessible at any time, with more live learning for older students. Schedules will be tailored to the students based on development needs and ages.

The off-campus model sets six goals and criteria that keeps faith formation a priority, using prayer services and religion courses. Instruction will follow existing curriculum standards and includes community-building using Sacred Heart traditions, events and attempts to promote a school/life balance.

If one area of the school requires additional physical distancing, a specific learning community – such as the Upper School – may shift to off-campus learning. The remaining learning communities would continue on campus.

Attendance and absences will be recorded, the report said. The school will keep Upper School students involved with personalized remote Continuity of College Planning.

Academy of the Sacred Heart recognizes it might need a third scenario with some students in remote learning while most are on campus. Specific health concerns may require this for some students.

Parents must contact their child’s learning community leader to enroll in the flexible learning plan if the campus opens to all students, the report said. The off-campus plan will use a modified version of the Sacred Heart on-campus curriculum. The goal is to support the student with the objective being to return to campus as quickly as possible.