The following individuals will serve on a cross functional planning team to develop and carry out the requirements of the Instructional Continuity Plan: John Stratton, Superintendent ; Gina Michalicka, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning; Heather Martin, Assistant Superintendent of Business & Operations; Lisa Cropley, Executive Director of Student Support Programs; Sean Arnold, Executive Director of Support Operations; Lisa Becker, Executive Director of Business Services; Karen Jordan, Public Information Officer; Ray Pinder, Director of Human Resources; Jill Kolasa, Director of Student Services; Jill Renihan, Director of Safe Schools; Troy LaBarbara, Director of Exceptional Student Education; Joseph Amato, Director of Technology Information Services; Lori Drenth, Director of Food & Nutrition Services; Angela Kennedy, Director of Federal Programs; Dr. Paula Clark, Supervisor of Professional Development; Michelle Barash, Supervisor of ELA & Elementary Curriculum; Linda Peirce, Supervisor of Assessment & Accountability; John Morris, Supervisor of Math & Secondary Curriculum; Beth Lastra, Supervisor of Career & Technical Education;. The goals of Hernando County's Instructional Continuity Plan are to ensure that all students continue to make academic progress; all students continue to receive the full array of services that are required by law; progress monitoring and interventions continue to be implemented with fidelity; school-home communications are strengthened; and innovative learning modalities are supported through the effective use of technology and equitable access to virtual learning tools. The critical success factors that will determine achievement of the Instructional Continuity Plan goals will be the ability to provide seamless instruction, continuity of services, and continued closure of the achievement gap, regardless of where the instruction is being delivered. Instructional staff will utilize the MicroSoft TEAMS to deliver high quality instruction to students following the same daily schedule and curriculum they would use for in-person instruction. This includes providing required special education and/or ELL accommodations and services, and tiered interventions and supports. The Instructional Continuity Plan will be made available to all stakeholders on the district website. All activities and trainings identified have either already been completed or will be scheduled and completed based on the need to implement the plan at any point moving forward. The process for evaluating the effectiveness of the Instructional Plan will be to utilize progress monitoring data, attendance data, and documentation of delivery of services to measure success. Additionally, in the event of a long-term closure, the cross-functional team will meet monthly to review grades, attendance, usage, and performance data and make necessary adjustments to the plan as required. Any adjustments made will be communicated to school administrators and they will communicate with the respective staff members. The cross-functional team will also review the Instructional Continuity Plan with stakeholders two times per year at a publicly noticed school board workshop.

The goals of Hernando County School District’s Instructional Continuity Plan are to ensure that all students continue to make academic progress; all students continue to receive the full array of services that are required by law; progress monitoring and interventions continue to be implemented with fidelity; school-home communications are strengthened; and innovative learning modalities are supported through the effective use of technology and equitable access to virtual learning tools. The critical success factors of the plan will be the ability to provide seamless instruction and continuity of all services in an effort to continue to close the achievement gap of our students, even when functioning in a digital learning environment. Hernando County School District will utilize MicroSoft TEAMS as our learning management system platform to offer a digital learning environment to all classrooms across all subject areas. MicroSoft TEAMS was successfully utilized by teachers and students who chose the innovative learning option for the 2020-2021 school year, therefore, the majority of our staff and students are already familiar with the platform. The Instructional Specialists in the Professional Development Department along with the district-based Instructional Coaches, will be part of a cross-functional team that will offer ongoing training and support on the use of MicroSoft TEAMS through the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school year. This is in an effort to ensure everyone is prepared to utilize the platform in the event of a school closure. In addition to the use of MicroSoft TEAMS, teachers will use Skyward for grading, taking attendance, and communicating messages to their students and families. The district-based and school-based instructional coaches will train teachers to utilize district purchased on-line curriculum and all related resources in a virtual platform, including but not limited to iReady, Achieve 3000, and Math Nation. Training will occur before, during, and after school hours. All new hires go through a district orientation with the Professional Development Department that includes training in: curriculum, support platforms used by instructional personnel, ethics, and child abuse. New teacher orientation is provided four times a year. In addition, new teachers are put into our R.I.S.E Induction program that provides ongoing training and professional learning in a variety of modalities and topics: in person and online training, group and 1-1 session, mentoring, endorsement course offerings, targeted training in the FEAPs, MTSS, BEST Standards, high effect instructional strategies and the use of MicroSoft TEAMS in the classroom. The Professional Development Department coordinates this with the use of two teachers on special assignment for along with our district and school level instructional coaches to continue to deliver professional development to teachers ensuring that learning is job embedded, sustained and implemented with fidelity.

Hernando County will determine the professional learning needs of our stakeholders through the use of the following: surveys; academic coaches checking in and providing support and resources; tracking who has been trained and who needs training; providing training to new hires; and continuing training on a rotating basis to enhance understanding and implementation of effective resources. Teachers can visit the Hernando County School District Professional Development Information Icon to find trainings and resources on continuing professional learning opportunities in our district, within the state and online. We will continue utilizing different times for adult trainings to meet the needs of a diverse population. Times include opportunities during school hours, planning periods, after school and self-paced online learning. We will continue to utilize webinars, virtual training, pre-built lessons/courses and book studies to stakeholders throughout the year. All trainings include a required job embedded implementation of professional learning for in-service points to be awarded. Implementations include: teacher reflection, facilitated lesson planning, mentoring and coaching, sharing of high effect instructional strategies with colleagues, action research, lesson study, electronic interactive and non-interactive evidence and evaluation of personal practice. Implementations for each type of training is included in our professional learning catalog and both the district school board and the Florida Department of Education approve each school year by September 15th. Upon the completion of each training opportunity, participants are provided with an exit evaluation of the session to gather data on the effectiveness of the training and applicability to the stakeholders' needs. Information gathered is used to continuously improve training opportunities within the district. Additionally, at the end of each year, an overall survey is sent to instructional and administrative stakeholders to gather needs for the upcoming school year. We will also continue to utilize teacher and administrator surveys along with the feedback from instructional coaches at both the district and school level.

The Professional Development and Technology Information Services department will utilize stakeholder surveys and "Tech" tickets for professional development requests as well as software and hardware needs. Each school site has a designated MicroSoft TEAMS ambassador with an extensive background in technology who assists with the troubleshooting needs of the school. The Professional Development department monitors what teachers complete required LMS trainings, new hires and those that request additional training. The Professional Development department has developed a library of guidance documents and resources for stakeholders that are available through our district email platform, on our MicroSoft TEAMS channel and provided in a binder for administrators. We share user guides including screenshots for staff on everyday needs with regards to MicroSoft TEAMS usage and implementation. Each school has created and updates information that pertains to their individual staff in the school level team channel. We continue to provide access to instructional coaches, administrators, professional development staff and technology staff to assist with any needs that arise. The Professional Development department continues to offer on-going and customized training for instructional staff in the usage of MicroSoft TEAMS within the classroom setting. The rotation of trainings include the following custom courses: Fostering a Dynamic Remote Learning Environment with Student Centered Tools; Getting Started with Class Teams; Using OneNote Class Notebooks, Creating Assignments with Teams and Forms; Creating Assignments to Meet Multiple Needs; Using Forms & Assessments, Integrations with 3rd Party Vendors: Nearpod, Flipgrid, etc; and Using the Immersive Reader. We continue to provide 1:1 support at the school sites, open help hours before, during and after school hours; and site administrator training requests. In addition, we support the use of the trainings through the MicroSoft Innovative Educator program and after school trainings on specific MicroSoft products that support instruction through the use of MicroSoft TEAMS. Teachers provide instruction through MicroSoft TEAMS and individualized instruction in order to meet the needs of students with accommodations or for those in need of extra support. ESE teachers meet with students to assist with the core curriculum. All levels make phone calls to families to offer support and answer questions and get stakeholder feedback on student needs. Our Technology Information Services department provided an internet accessibility survey to all stakeholders to determine need. Teachers report to the Professional Development or Technology Information Services department through the use of IssueTrack, helpdesk or the Professional Development TEAMS HelpLIne on any issues with the MicroSoft TEAMS platform, delivery of instruction needs or anything else with regards to assistance providing digital or hybrid instruction.

All students will need a device and internet connectivity. Devices may be a laptop, desktop or Chromebook. Devices must be capable of internet access and meet the minimum required configuration to run MicroSoft TEAMS and other programs in use. The minimum system requirements are 1.6 GHz (or higher) (32-bit or 64-bit) processor. Windows 10, or Windows 8.1 in 32-bit and 64-bit. For the best experience, use the latest version of your operating system. For a better experience with video calls and online meetings, we recommend using a computer that has a 2.0 GHz processor and 4.0 GB RAM (or higher). Tablets, iPads and phones are not recommended and will not likely meet minimum standards. Broadband internet connectivity is recommended. When the district closed for in-person learning in March 2020, a survey was conducted regarding the need for devices. The survey was not well represented at the time, however, the district did distribute over 4,000 student laptops and over 100 mobile hot spots to those families in need. With the use of ESSER III funds, the district will be purchasing a device for each student to bring home. Additionally, the district has a supply of mobile hot spots available for those students who do not have connectivity in their home. School counselors will conduct regular outreach and wellness checks on students of concern, students not attending instructional sessions, and students not making adequate progress. They will also continue to offer counseling sessions utilizing MicroSoft TEAMS. Additionally, substance abuse counselors and school social workers will continue to provide services digitally to identified students in an effort to support the health and safety of our students and their families. All teachers are required to have a designated number available during work hours in the event that the school or parent needs to contact them. Personal phone numbers will not be shared with students or their families. Teachers will be advised to use Google Voice to communicate via telephone with their students or some other means of communication in addition to email. Some examples include but are not limited to ClassDojo, Remind, BAND, etc. An informational flyer has been created to assist parents and provide directions on how to create distraction-free learning environments at home. The flyer is attached as Appendix B Digital Classroom Expectations. Each discipline that is required to provide services listed on an Individualized Education Plan or English Language Learner Plan will continue to provide the required services. See Appendix A Staff Roles & Responsibilities for a detailed list of responsibilities for each type of employee. Service providers will communicate individually with those families to establish schedules for providing required services through the digital platform. All employees that are required to provide services that are listed on an individualized education plan will continue to provide those same services through a digital platform. This is possible due to the fact that we will require our students and staff to follow the same daily schedule they would follow if they were in a brick and mortar setting.

The technology staff members who will be key to the ICP planning process: Joseph Amato, Director of Technology Information Services; Paula Clark, Supervisor of Professional Development; Walter Paschke, Network Coordinator; Jeremy Carpenter, District Technology Infrastructure Specialist; George Pintye, District Technology Infrastructure Specialist; Mike Nycz, District Technology Infrastructure Specialist. Network capacity was upgraded with a District Dark fiber project linking all schools and sites with fiber in 2019 and District connectivity was increased to 5 Gbps concurrently to ensure adequate bandwidth and connectivity. Additionally, many key resources have been moved to the cloud to ensure availability in the event of local crashes and service disruptions. Schools will make devices available to all students who do not have access in order to participate in digital learning, including the ability to access the digital curriculum. Additionally, this complies with Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). There will be a check-out procedure that is followed at each school site. See attached Device Checkout Flowchart (Appendix C) as well as the Student Device Checkout Form (Appendix D). Laptops and wireless hot spots will be made available to students as quantities allow. Upon return of any loaned device, it will be assessed for damage, re-imaged, and put back into circulation at the school site it was loaned from. Any damages and/or unreturned items will be charged to the student's account through a Notice of Obligation. All access points are locked currently and will remain appropriately filtered for internet content, and District would leverage already in place Sophos antivirus/endpoint protection software for web-based filtering offsite. In an effort to support technology in a remote learning model, we would utilize our current existing help desk system to allow parents to submit issues by email to the Helpdesk to request assistance with district owned technology resources. District Technology Support Specialists and Helpdesk staff would be tasked with contacting students and parents and resolving technical issues. All district provided laptops would have the capability for remote access for TIS staff to assist. Teachers would be utilized to assist with MicroSoft TEAMS and Skyward questions and technical issues would be escalated to Technology Information Services staff.

Hernando County School District is utilizing NIST Cybersecurity Framework 1.1. A Business Continuity Plan has been created, completed and reviewed internally as well as by external auditors as of September 2021. Details are confidential in nature so they cannot be disclosed in this forum as it would be an unacceptable security risk, but we invite the FLDOE to inspect the same at our offices if so desired. The current Incident Response Plan is robust in nature and can be adapted without change to an LEA environment. School Board Policies are to safeguard information and the IT Infrastructure to include but not limited to 7530 Lending of Board Owned Equipment; 7530.02 Staff and School Official Use of Wireless Communication Devices; 7540.01 Technology Privacy; 7540.02 Web Content, Apps and Services; 7540.03 Student Acceptable Use Policy; 7540.04 Staff Acceptable Use Policy; 7540.05 & 06 District Issued Staff and Student Email; 7542 Access to District Technology and/or Resources from Wireless Communication Devices; 7543 Utilization of District’s Website and Remote Access to District Network. We have implemented Layer Seven (7) firewall appliance, zero-day antivirus protection, offsite third party authentication procedures, internet and content filtering for all District provided devices and access points. Executive Security Posture Summary: The School Board is committed to the effective use of technology to both enhance the quality of student learning and the efficiency of district operations. Although students' use of district technology resources is required to participate in and benefit from certain aspects of the district's curriculum and to participate in online assessment, unsupervised use of technology resources may be limited or denied if such use is not under the direct supervision of school staff if a student's use of district technology resources is in violation of the District's policy regarding acceptable use. This policy, along with the Student and Staff Technology Acceptable Use and Safety policies, and the Code of Student Conduct further govern students' and staff members' use of their wireless communication devices (see Policy 5136 and Policy 7530.02). Users have no right or expectation of privacy when using district technology resources (including, but not limited to, privacy in the content of their personal files, e-mails, and records of their online activity when using the District's computer network and/or Internet connection). Further, safeguards shall be established so that the Board's investment in both hardware and software achieves the benefits of technology and inhibits negative side effects. Accordingly, students shall be educated about appropriate online behavior including, but not limited to, using social media to interact with others online; interacting with other individuals in chat rooms or on blogs; and, recognizing what constitutes cyberbullying, understanding cyberbullying is a violation of Board policy, and learning appropriate responses if they experience cyberbullying. The Board prohibits students from using district technology resources to access and/or use social media for other than instructional purposes. Staff may use district-approved social media platforms/sites in accordance with Policy 7544 and, pursuant to Policy 7540.02, may use web content, apps, and services for one-way communication with the District's constituents. Authorized staff may use District technology resources to access and use District-approved social media platforms/sites to increase awareness of District programs and activities, as well as to promote achievements of staff and students, provided the Superintendent approves, in advance, such access and use. Use of district-approved social media platforms/sites for business-related purposes is subject to Florida's public records laws and, as set forth in Policy 7544, staff members are responsible for archiving their social media and complying with the district's record retention schedule. (see Policy 8310 Public Records and AP 8310A Public Records) Staff must comply with Policy 7544, Policy 7540.04, and Policy 7530.02 when using district technology resources or personally-owned WCDs to access and/or use social media for personal purposes. The School Board recognizes its staff members' right to privacy in their personal lives. This policy serves to inform staff members of the Board’s position with respect to staff member privacy in the educational and workplace setting and to protect the Board’s interests. All District technology resources (as defined in Bylaw 0100) are the Board's property and are intended to be used primarily for business purposes. The Board retains the right to access and review all information resources (as defined in Bylaw 0100), including but not limited to, electronic and voice mail, computer files, databases, and any other electronic transmissions contained in or used in conjunction with the Board's computer system/network, telephone system, electronic mail system, and voice mail system. Staff members shall be notified that they have no expectation that any personal information/data maintained, stored, or transmitted on or through such systems is confidential or private. Review of such information may be done by the Board with or without the staff member's knowledge. The use of passwords does not guarantee confidentiality and the Board retains the right to access information in spite of a password. All passwords or security codes must be registered with the Board. A staff member's refusal to permit such access may be grounds for discipline up to and including discharge. District technology resources are to be used for business and educational purposes. No personal messages should be exchanged via Board-owned technology. Because District technology resources are to be used solely for business and educational purposes, staff members are prohibited from sending offensive, discriminatory, or harassing computer, electronic, or voice mail messages. Staff members are encouraged to keep their personal records and personal business at home. District technology resources must be used properly. Review of computer files, electronic mail, and voice mail will only be done in the ordinary course of business and will be motivated by a legitimate business reason. If a staff member's personal information is discovered, the contents of such discovery will not be reviewed by the Board, except to the extent necessary to determine if the files/e- mail/voice mail constitute a public record or if the Board's interests have been compromised. Any information discovered will be limited to those who have a specific need to know that information. The administrators and supervisory staff members authorized by the Superintendent have the authority to search and access information electronically. All district technology resources and information resources are the property of the Board. Staff members shall not copy, delete, or remove any information/data contained on District technology resources without the express permission of the Superintendent, or communicate any such information to unauthorized individuals. In addition, staff members may not copy software on to any District technology resources and may not bring software from outside sources for use on District technology resources without the prior approval of the Technology and Information Services Department. Such pre-approval shall include a review of any copyright infringements or virus problems associated with such outside software. See Appendix F for Details on Incident Response, Business Continuity Plan, and Action Plans and Milestones for Cyber Security Improvement

The Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning and the Executive Director of Student Support Services will work with school-based administrators to ensure that School-based leadership teams, which are comprised of administrators, grade or subject-level leaders, assessment coordinators, and counselors, develop communications for families regarding the efforts each school site will make to provide education and supports. All district-wide communication will go through the Public Information Office and the HCSD Communications Department. For families lacking internet connectivity, instructional coaches, both school and district-based, will provide families with hard copies of instructional materials on a weekly basis, utilizing designated drop-off and pick-up locations throughout the county. In addition, for students with this limited access, teachers will have a Google Voice number for telephone conferencing with children and families for instruction, support, and follow up. For students with specific needs, Exceptional Student Education staff, ESOL staff, and or school psychologists and social workers will be assigned to groups of students and families for the purpose of establishing and maintaining regular, substantive communication for continuity of support services. These duties are also outlined in Appendix A. The Director of Exceptional Student Education, in conjunction with the Supervisor of Professional Development, will regularly review the needs of the staff in implementing research-based strategies in online special education services and will deploy professional development opportunities and support staff to assist teachers and students in best practices for virtual ESE education. Additionally, the Director of Exceptional Education will hold bi-monthly meetings with all stakeholders, including school leadership to ensure that special education services are being delivered with fidelity. The Director will also conduct ESE Advisory Council meetings to discuss state of affairs and provide stakeholders with valuable information and resource as related to special education with a focus on learning in the digital environment. This advisory group will consist of school administrators, teachers, ESE service providers, parents, students, and school board members.

In the event of an extended school closure, every facet of school operations will be impacted including but not limited to: teachers; instructional non-classroom personnel; ESE staff, student services staff, paraprofessionals, clerical, maintenance and facilities staff, business services staff, transportation staff, food and nutrition staff, and school and district based professional/technical and administrative staff. Teachers and students will follow a virtual schedule using MicroSoft TEAMS that mirrors their normal daily schedule of the instructional time they would receive if they were in a brick and mortar setting. This includes special education inclusion teachers joining classes through MicroSoft TEAMS and providing the required instruction based on the students' individualized education plan. All required services and accommodations will be provided digitally through the use of MicroSoft TEAMS. See appendix A for a list of Staff Role & Responsibilities, however, all employees will work their contracted number of hours/days. Instructional personnel will follow their normal instructional schedule as if they were in a brick and mortar setting. This includes exceptional student education teachers, itinerant teachers, teachers of English language learners, paraprofessionals, administrators, professional technical staff, maintenance & facilities staff, food & nutrition services staff, etc. Additionally, see Appendix E Environmental Service Cleaning Protocols that further describes the roles of the Environmental Service Technicians. The Food & Nutrition department will offer drive-thru food services on Wednesdays (includes 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 5 snacks, 5 suppers) from 9:45-10:15 in the designated pick-up area of the school site. (Meal pick up times, days and number of meals may be adjusted up or down depending on need of the site.) Parents will need to bring documentation supporting student(s) resides in the household (student ID, library card, report card, etc.). Once food service staff is familiar with household members picking up meals documentation will not be required ongoing. Meals will ONLY be provided to households with students in the closed school site or do not otherwise receive meals while in a public school during the day. At any time, food service may review drive-thru participation and make decisions on how to proceed with service, sites, times and meal type. All prepared food will be according to local, state, federal and CDC guidelines and all equipment used to serve meals will be cleaned, sanitized and disinfected daily. School sites will continue to work with community organizations such as People Helping People and Operation Heartfelt, who provide weekend blessings backpacks of food for economically disadvantaged students and families. Additionally, our Homeless and Unaccompanied Minor team will continue to work with our McKinney Vento students to ensure that needed services are continued to support the family.

The Public Information Officer and Communications Department will communicate weekly, or more often as needed, broad messages with all stakeholders of the school/district community utilizing existing communication channels such as the district and school websites, district and school Facebook and Twitter accounts, and Blackboard Connect global voice, text, and email messages. Additionally, the Superintendent will produce a video message bi-monthly to provide an update to all stakeholders. Stakeholders consist of students, parents/guardians, HCSD employees, community partners, and emergency operations of Hernando County. School specific communication will be the responsibility of the site-based administrators utilizing the existing communication channels available at the school such as school website, Facebook and Twitter accounts, Blackboard Connect global voice, text, and email messages, REMIND text messaging, and BAND messaging. Student or course specific communication will be the responsibility of the teacher(s) utilizing the existing communication channels available to teachers such as REMIND text messaging, BAND messaging, Class Dojo, etc.

There are several attachments that were created in order provide support and guidance to students, families, and staff in the digital learning environment.