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Dec. 3 Update to Families
Whether your child is learning in-person on the Innovation Campus or digitally from home, we are excited to see everyone on Monday, Dec. 4.
We would like to thank the Austin Road Elementary, Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy, and County Line Elementary students, families and staff for welcoming our Hawks. We realize that we will add an additional presence to your already established routines and procedures, and we have worked hard with school administrators to ensure a smooth transition for all parties. We appreciate the extra grace and understanding you extend as we mesh our three schools together.
To our HES families, we understand the stress this situation is causing you and your family. The unknown can be scary but our HES staff is ready to welcome your children and make the transition as seamless as possible. Our faculty and staff are committed to your children regardless of their current learning environment and will teach to the highest levels. Our Character Strong word of the month is RESILIENCE! How fitting? Your children are resilient, our staff is resilient, and our school community is resilient. Make no doubt, that we are in this together!
We look forward to seeing your children digitally or at school for the next 12.5 days!
Ms. Sellers
Nov. 29 Update to Families from Principal Sellers
First, on behalf of the entire Holsenbeck staff, we want to thank you for your resilience and understanding during this unexpected event. We understand how much of an impact this situation is having on your family both financially and emotionally. Words can truly not express how devastated with are with the current state of the school.
As you know, we have had industry professionals and the industrial hygienist testing the current air quality within Holsenbeck Elementary School. We were hopeful to be back in our building after the mitigation efforts, but we have been told this simply is not possible as we await the results of the air quality testing. We’ve been advised by health, insurance, and legal officials to stay out of the building until testing results show the air will not be a health concern for students and staff.
Unfortunately, this forces us to make the difficult decision to remain on Digital Learning for the remainder of this semester (through Dec. 20). We are offering an in-person option for learning at the Innovation Campus on Austin Road. Our schools there – Austin Road Elementary, Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy and Sims Academy – are graciously making space for our students. The tough piece for us to accommodate is transportation. If you would like your student to attend the Innovation Campus locations, you will need to provide transportation to and from the schools.
We need any family who is planning to take their student to the Innovation Campus to fill out this survey before noon on Thursday, Nov. 30. We will communicate with families to confirm we have their children registered for in-person learning beginning Monday, Dec. 4.
We are currently heavy in the planning stages to ensure we are ready to provide quality digital learning for the next 12.5 days and to welcome your child to in-person learning on the Innovation Campus. We will provide detailed information for both the in-person option and virtual learning option for the remainder of December to you by Friday or Saturday. Your completion of the survey will help us plan appropriately for both options.
Again, we understand this situation is challenging, and we share in it with you. We see your frustrations, and we hear your concerns. Please know that the Barrow County School System is diligently working to resolve this so we can return to our campus as soon as it is safe to do so. Continue to reach out to school staff as we work to support you and your children as best as we can.
Nov. 27 Update
I’d like to update you on the Landfill Fire and how it continues to affect our Holsenbeck community. Professional crews have made progress by installing specialized equipment to neutralize and remove the smoke odor and effectively filter out particulate matter within the school. Early testing of air quality has been positive; however, the Barrow County School System is waiting on additional diagnostic testing from an industrial hygienist to determine if it is safe to return to the building. Until we receive the results of this additional testing, it is not feasible to bring students or staff back to our school. Holsenbeck students and staff will remain on digital learning through the remainder of this week (Friday, December 1st).
Our school nutrition department will continue to provide breakfast and lunch to HES students using a “drive-in” set-up at Winder Elementary School for the remainder of this week between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Looking for a long-term solution, we are working through two options for the remainder of December.
Option 1:
In our first and most preferred option, we will continue learning from home for the remainder of this week. We anticipate getting the report back from the Hygienist later this week, and if results come back positive and our equipment continues to operate well, we would bring students back beginning Monday, December 4th. We are cautiously optimistic this option will be what occurs, but we need to plan for a worse-case scenario.
Option 2:
In the event we cannot safely return to the building in December, we would continue with digital learning through December 20th. Since we understand this will be a hardship for many families and know that many students need in-person support, we would offer an in-person option held on Barrow’s Innovation Campus on Austin Road to any parent who can provide their own transportation to drop off and pick up students daily.
We will send a survey to families on Tuesday, Nov. 28 that will allow parents to indicate whether or not their child will need to attend in-person learning. If this is the option we are required to choose, it will be necessary for school administrators to have this information so we can prepare. Knowing exactly how many families would need to utilize in-person learning is critical to the planning and overall success of this option. If remaining digital for the month of December becomes necessary, we will send out a detailed plan to answer any and all questions you may have.
Again, we are cautiously optimistic we will get students back in school next week, but as safety is our primary consideration, we want to be sure we are not risking our students, staff, or families' health until we have more evidence that our mitigation measures are working. We understand how difficult the uncertainty of the situation is for you and your family, and it is our hope that by providing you will all the options currently available to us, you will be able to make the best decision for you and your family.
We will communicate with you regarding our next steps after we receive the results from the diagnostic testing or no later than Friday, December 1st. In the meantime, your child’s teacher will continue to provide you with digital learning lessons for your child to complete for the remainder of this week.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding during this time.
Nov. 25 Update:
We want to provide you with an update on the Inert Landfill Fire and the implications this fire has for our school community. Currently, there is no change on the fire itself; the Barrow County Fire Department expects the fire to burn for several more weeks, if not longer. Although HES took immediate and proactive steps in the early morning hours of November 16th, smoke has infiltrated the school. Microscopic smoke particles can cling to walls, furniture, floors, fabric, and other items within a school. Currently, our indoor air quality has become smoke-degraded, and we are working with industry professionals to remove the smoke odor. Ms. Sellers and other Barrow County School System staff have been at the school since early this morning assisting with the installation of specialized equipment to neutralize and remove smoke odors and effectively filter and prevent smoke intrusion moving forward. Our goal is to take care of smoke odors and restore the school’s air quality so that our students and staff can safely return to in-person learning at school as quickly as possible.
Once this specialized equipment is installed and we can test the HVAC system, we will communicate our plan for the remainder of this week. As a reminder, HES students will be learning from home on Monday, November 27th and Tuesday, November 28th. Our goal is to decide about Wednesday, and possibly the rest of the week, by Monday evening. Your child(ren)’s teacher will send you information regarding the digital learning day assignments to be completed at home.
HES wants to ensure that students who normally rely on school lunches will not go hungry during these unexpected digital learning days. Our Nutrition Department will be providing breakfast and lunch to HES students using a “drive-in” set-up at Winder Elementary School (WES) located at 194 McNeal Rd., Winder, GA 30680. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to HES students between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Families will need to go through the WES car rider pick-up line located in the back of the school and can be accessed by the Russell Middle School entrance off of West Candler Street.
Once again, we cannot thank you enough for your understanding during this time.
Ms. Sellers
Nov. 22 Update:
Since last Thursday, the Barrow County School System and HES school administration have been communicating with local officials from Barrow County Fire and regional officials from the Georgia Forestry Commission and the Environmental Protection Division who are tasked with managing the Highway 11 Inert fire. We are currently working to install equipment to clean the air within our building so that we will be able to run the HVAC system when students and staff return to school. Due to the time necessary for equipment installation and air quality testing, and out of an abundance of caution, it is necessary to have virtual learning days on Monday, November 27 and Tuesday, November 28 for HES students and staff – if not for the entire week. We are hopeful we will be able to get students back into our classrooms for Wednesday, November 29; however, that decision has yet to be made.
We are saddened to share this news with you during the break; however, we wanted you to know as soon as possible so you can begin planning for next week. We understand this is not ideal and will cause an inconvenience for some of you. HES staff would love nothing more than for your children to return to school as normal on Monday; however, until we can ensure the air quality in our school is safe for students and staff, that is not possible.
I will send you more information this weekend regarding what to expect for Monday and Tuesday’s virtual learning and to provide you an update on the equipment installation and air quality testing. Thank you in advance for your understanding as we navigate this evolving situation.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ms. Sellers
Updates from Nov. 16
[3 p.m.] After continued discussions with Barrow County Fire Department, Georgia Forestry Commission, and Environmental Protection Division officials, it has been decided to cancel school tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 17th for HES students. Based on analysis of weather conditions for tomorrow and the current state of the landfill fire, we believe this is the safest decision for our students and staff.
We understand this may cause scheduling issues for some of our families, and we sincerely apologize for that. Safety is our number one priority, and we appreciate you working with us through this situation.
We are sad to miss seeing our Hawks on the last day before the break and wish all of our families a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
[12:30 p.m.] After meeting with the Barrow County Fire Department and Georgia Forestry personnel, we have determined that it is safe to continue with our regular school day. HES will dismiss at 2:00 PM. We will limit your child’s exposure to smoke during dismissal; although this may cause our car rider line to move at a slower pace, it is for the overall safety of your child.
[10:30 a.m.] Although this morning had an unexpected start, our morning arrival went smoothly. Our staff worked diligently to get students into the building as quickly as possible to limit their exposure to the smoke.
With the exception of staying indoors, our teachers and students are busy teaching and learning. Our plan is to continue with our normal school schedule; however, we continue to work closely with the Barrow County Fire Department and Georgia Forestry Department to ensure that the decisions being made are with the most current information available to us. We are closely monitoring the air quality and weather conditions throughout the school day. In the event that conditions change and it is necessary to release early, we will reach out to you via Remind and Facebook.
If you have any questions, please call the school at 770-307-1540. Thank you again for partnering with us.
[6:22 a.m.] The Barrow County Fire Department along with the Georgia Forestry have assured us we are safe to proceed with the school day. Both agencies will be on site at the fire near our school throughout the day to monitor this situation closely.
The heavy amount of smoke will mean no outdoor activities for students. In the event smoke conditions worsen, we may need to release early. If that decision is made, we will update you as soon as possible. We know this short notice may cause scheduling issues and apologize for that.
We understand some of you may decide to keep your student home. All absences for today will be marked as excused.
Our number one concern is the health and safety of our students and staff. Thank you for working with us through this.