This communication is to let our students, staff, parents, guardians and community know that Henry County Public Schools monitors COVID-19 information on a daily basis.  Please find information below regarding how decision-making occurs regarding in-person and at-home instruction (Online Learning Academy and/or Non-Traditional Instruction) during COVID-19. 

1. WHO will work collaboratively to make decisions regarding Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI)?

• Superintendent Terry Price and the administrative team
• Mr. Price will consult with all HCPS Board of Education members regarding decisions and their rationale.
• District Health Coordinator Melissa Jeffries, as well as the North Central District Health Department (as needed)

Henry County Public Schools continues to provide meals to ALL our students, whether they are physically in school or learning virtually at home. Beginning Tuesday, Oct. 27, HCPS will be providing new and exciting take-home meal options that we know our students will enjoy!

Meals are frozen and there is a suggested menu with recommended heating instructions included in each box. The contents of the box will change weekly on a four-week rotation. Breakfast items this week include cereal, waffles, a Cinnamon Toast Crunch bar, a maple breakfast square and a peach loaf. Side items will be fruit cups, graham crackers, a cheese stick and juice, along with milk. Lunch entrees this week are pizza dippers with marinara sauce, penne pasta with meat sauce, cheesy chipotle chicken with Spanish rice, chicken nuggets and pancakes with sausage. Side items are green beans, a bread stick, cornbread, black beans, broccoli, mixed vegetables and tater tots, along with fruit cups, applesauce and milk.

We have been made aware that there is some confusion regarding our attendance and participation policies, especially as it pertains to your student being absent on a scheduled in-person day of school.

For safety purposes and legal requirements, schools must take daily attendance on scheduled in-person days for all students. On in-person days, if your student must be absent for any reason, the school still initially marks that student for an unexcused absence. As in previous years, students have up to five parent notes they can use for the year to excuse absences. Schools also accept doctor’s notes. During this time of COVID, the school will accept notes from the North Central District Health Department for cases of quarantine as well.

When Henry County Public Schools returns to in-person learning on Oct. 12, there will be a few change to the way we provide meals to both in-person and Online Academy students.

In-Person Students

In-person students will receive a free breakfast and lunch each day they are at school. Each Thursday, elementary and middle school students will be given an opportunity to take home a meal bag with a breakfast and lunch inside for Friday. At the high school, students who attend Monday and Tuesday will have the opportunity to take a meal bag home at the end of the day on Tuesday which will provide a breakfast and lunch for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. HCHS students that attend in-person classes on Wednesday and Thursday can collect a meal bag at dismissal on Thursday that contains a breakfast and lunch for Friday, Monday and Tuesday.