Walton County is the fastest growing county in the state of Florida and the sixth fastest growing county in the Nation, gaining 3,000 new residents in the past year. Who we are and what we have achieved shows the hard work of our students, parents, teachers, administrators, district staff, and the support of the Walton County School Board and community. The Walton County School District (WCSD) led by Superintendent A. Russell Hughes has been an “A” district for the past three years due to a strong emphasis on accountability. With a laser like focus on state standards, rigorous instruction, and powerful progress monitoring, the 11,000 students of the WCSD have continued to learn, grow, and even accelerate through an international pandemic. Our vision is to be recognized among the top school districts in the state of Florida and the nation. Florida's State Board of Education has officially designated WCSD as one of 17 Florida school districts achieving Academically High-Performing School District status for the 2012-13 school year. This designation not only recognizes the high expectations we hold for educating our students, but it also recognizes how important it is to be fiscally responsible. Through the collaborative effort of WCSD personnel, students, parents, business partners and the community, we truly embody a unified culture that values our children's education. This collaborative effort has assisted the district in maintaining the Academically High-Performing School District designation for the past seven years. The Walton County School District has developed a comprehensive instructional continuity plan that outlines steps to support our students, teachers, schools, and community in the event of an emergency school closure. If this occurs, the district will make every effort to ensure that our students' educational opportunities continue while at home. Superintendent A. Russell Hughes and Executive Cabinet members will collaborate with Board members, district departments, administrators, community partners, staff and families to obtain feedback, seek guidance and receive and provide support. The Instructional Continuity Plan addresses how content will be delivered to students throughout the district. This ICP explains which resources students will use for instruction and identifies the District’s technology platforms for remote learning, ClassLink and Microsoft Teams, which are both available and provide safe and secure communication channels between teachers and students. Video conferencing is accessible through Microsoft Teams and requires a Single-Sign On (SSO) authentication through ClassLink. Information regarding school-based mobile device checkout is also included in the event that students need to check out devices for use during an emergency school closure. Students experiencing technical difficulties with district-issued devices must call their school for assistance. The most updated information on connectivity options is also included for reference. This document contains a planning checklist that schools should review in preparation for and in the event of schools closing. The ICP Planning Checklist details the steps administrators should implement immediately and upon receiving notification of school closures. We have also included information about daily attendance procedures so that staff and families will know what students need to do each day to be considered present. The Walton County School District continually offers teachers opportunities for professional development. Professional development opportunities for teachers include the use of digital instructional materials or instructional technologies to develop a blended learning environment and highlight how specific resources can be applied in a remote learning setting. The Instructional Continuity Cross-Functional Planning Team: A. Russell Hughes- Superintendent, Jennifer Hawthorne- Deputy Superintendent, Crystal Appel- Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, Michael Pinnella- Chief Information Officer, Stephanie Hofheinz- Chief Financial Officer, Robert Martin-Food and Nutrition Services Program Administrator, Jill Smith- Director of Facilities, Candy Bodie- Director of Human Resources, Charlie Morse- School Safety Specialist, The intent of the ICP is to accomplish the following goals/outcomes. 1. To provide seamless academic instruction in the case of a disruptive event. 2. Provide technology platforms to ensure high quality teaching and learning. 3. Operationalize policies and procedures to seamlessly move to the appropriate platforms for teaching and learning during a disruptive event. 4. Have in place a system to communicate with stakeholders. Measurables: 1. Seamless instruction is a critical success factor. Within 24-48 hours the instructor will contact the student to begin instruction in the case of a disruptive event. 2. Teachers and Students with internet access will use Classlink and Microsoft Teams as the technology platforms for grades K- 12th. Alternate instructional methods will be used for students living in remote areas without internet access. 3. Procedures will be in place to outline the steps and protocols for each stakeholder group. 4. A two-way communication platform (Focus & Remind) will be used to communicate with all stakeholders. Alternate methods of communication will be used for unreachable households. Action Plan One: Provide seamless academic instruction in the case of a disruptive event. Prerequisites to implement ICP *Procedures for accessing instructional content have been developed and are practiced by instructional staff and students during the school year. *During previous school year devices were provided to all students with internet access. *Teachers maintain a list of students with and without devices and/or access. Steps: 1. Notice of absence or closure provided to appropriate staff for ICP implementation and alternate instruction. 2. Instructional staff will have 24 to 48 hours to notify parents/students of instructional plan during closure and method that will be utilized to deliver instruction and assignments. 3. Teacher will maintain up to date assignments on the appropriate platform to provide asynchronous instruction. 4. FOCUS will be utilized for attendance and grades. Action Plan Two: Utilize Classlink and Microsoft Teams as the technology platforms for grades K - 12th for students with internet access. Steps: 1. Continue utilization and renewal of Classlink. 2. Teachers have and will continue to receive professional development in the use of this platform. 3. Teachers will be required to maintain plans for utilizing this platform. 4. Teachers and students practice using Classlink and Microsoft Office Teams during regular instructional time. 5. Principals monitor teacher's implementation of the use of Classlink and Microsoft Teams platforms. Action Plan Three: A two-way communication platform (Focus and Remind) will be used to communicate with all stakeholders. These platforms historically reach at least 95% of families/teachers/staff. Steps 1. The LEA continues to utilize Focus and Remind as a two-way communication with all stakeholders. 2. This is our primary mode of communication with parents/stakeholders. 3. At the beginning of each school year parents receive written information regarding establishing a Focus and Remind account. The LEA will use the following process to evaluate the effectiveness of the ICP. 1. Principals will check weekly reports for Classlink and Microsoft Teams platforms to ensure that teachers are maintaining up to date lesson plans utilizing these platforms. 2. Data entry staff monitor FOCUS to ensure that grades and attendance are up to date for students participating in remote learning. 3. Remote learning practice/PD days are in place to provide both teachers and students opportunities to practice using online learning platforms. 4. The LEA regularly uses Focus and Remind for two-way communication with parents and students. The District has developed a website with information for parents, staff and students about this plan. The website location is located at https://walton.k12.fl.us.

Walton County School District provides access to a well-rounded curriculum in order to maximize personalized learning, including the arts, world languages, physical education, fitness and nutrition, science, social studies, English language arts, mathematics and technology, as well as innovative career-technical programs. Students are afforded many opportunities to engage in hands-on, collaborative and project-based learning. The district provides high-quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs and uses data gathered over time to make important educational decisions, including promotion, acceleration, retention and remediation. We also offer an array of extracurricular and co-curricular activities designed to develop students’ skills, talents and abilities. Programs such as band, chorus, drama and athletics encourage creativity, innovation and exploration. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to close a school(s) due to weather or other emergency situations. If this occurs, every Walton County School will have their own remote learning program that is unique to that school community. A student’s learning and instruction may take place online with teachers from their school via Microsoft Teams web conferencing technology. This model provides a learning model that reflects the district’s commitment to providing students with high-quality instructional experiences with synchronous and asynchronous interaction with teachers each school day. The district’s learning management system (LMS), Classlink and Microsoft Teams, serve as the learning hub that provides a versatile platform for content delivery, communication, collaboration, and professional development. Likewise, Microsoft Teams is a digital hub that brings conversations, content, and assignments together in one place. Microsoft Teams can be accessed through ClassLink with student/employee sign-on credentials for authentication. Microsoft Teams can support the District’s distance learning plan by facilitating the following activities: • Administrative staff meetings to connect faculty across the school and/or district • Virtual professional development offerings • Communication tool for important safety information via audio and video • Ability for educators to simulcast their classroom to offsite classrooms and individual online learners • Virtual mentoring, interventions, specialized instruction, related services and/or accommodations To ensure continuity of learning for students, all teachers should have a Microsoft Teams group course template prepared for students to access remotely. All core subjects will be available; however, because not all electives can be provided through an online environment, elective offerings may be limited. Please see the attached Digital Resources for Core Subject Areas, Electives and Other Programs. As always, schools have the flexibility to deliver content to students through the district-provided digital resources or paper-based vetted resources aligned to the course standards/benchmarks, or through a combination of both. Students will have scheduled synchronous (live web conferencing instruction) class meetings, digital resources and assignments, all replicating the standard school day virtually. Courses and Class Teams were created in Microsoft Teams for the 2021-2022 school year. Courses are created and populated with student rosters from our SIS, FOCUS. What to expect from distance learning: • Students are learning from their own home and will need access to the internet and a computer. • Live instruction is provided remotely, and students will have access to their assigned teacher(s) during the regular school day hours, five days a week for structured distance learning through Microsoft Teams and ClassLink. • Elementary students can expect daily lessons with live interactions via Microsoft Teams web conferencing. • Secondary students can expect daily web conferencing interactions via Microsoft Teams web conferencing for every academic course • Attendance will be taken daily in each period for secondary and each day for elementary. Students’ success in distance learning is dependent on both the student and parent’s investment in this learning environment. Parent and student responsibilities include, but are not limited to: • Monitor student progress and contact the teacher(s) with any concerns • Ensure student keeps pace within his/her courses and completes all assignments weekly • Ensure student’s daily participation in classes and adherence to the daily class schedule During remote learning, please note that ALL of our students will follow Walton County School Board approved policies and procedures for their school of enrollment, including those located in the Walton County Student Progression Plan and the Walton County Student Code of Conduct. Desired outcomes: The desired outcome of remote learning is to ensure that students receive standards-based instruction for all subjects areas when a disruptive event has occurred preventing face- to-face learning. Goals: 1. Learning is uninterrupted allowing students to continue their learning path. 2. Meaningful standards-based content and instruction materials are provided via online learning platforms. 3. There is equity and access for rigorous instruction for all. 4. Timely ongoing feedback is provided to students by teachers. 5. There id daily engagement between students and teachers. 6. Assessments and progress monitoring are ongoing. Strategies: 1. Identify students that have access to online learning (computer/internet availability). 2. Ongoing monitoring of online learning platforms at all levels (MIS, principals, technology, C & I department and district level staff). 3. Review FOCUS for attendance and grades. 4. Utilize Microsoft Teams for IEP's, Child Study Teams, and Problem Solving. LMS Provider: The LEA utilizes Classlink and Microsoft Teams as the LMS for grades K-12. These platforms were used during the previous school year and are used at this time. No product demonstration is needed. LMS Cross-functional Team: The LEA has in place a cross-functional team composed of District level administrators, principals, teachers, and technology staff to monitor the implementation of the LMS. This team is responsible for making recommendations for improvements and enhancements to our current system. Curriculum and Instruction Department Contacts of Supports: CTE/Advanced Programs, Chris Brown (ext. 1363) ELA, Crystal Appel (ext 1521) ELL, Cathy Hall (ext. 1548) ESE/504, Stefanie West (ext. 1825) Family and Community Engagement, Lori Hughes (ext. 1505) Math, Chris Brown (ext. 1363) Psych Services/Mental Health, Sharon Wheeless (ext. 1825) Professional Development, Myca Chandler (ext. 1410) Science, Chris Brown (ext. 1363) Social Studies, Lori Hughes (ext. 1505) Social Media, Josh Harrison (ext. 1111) Special Programs, Jaime Mitchell (ext. 1514) Student Services (SPP), Guidance, Homeschool, Donna Honish (ext. 1319) Walton Virtual School, Jaime Mitchell (ext. 1514) Training and Professional Development: The LEA has provided professional development to all new hires on Classlink and Microsoft Teams platforms for the 2021-2022 school year. The Digital Learning Specialist(s) and Instructional Coaches are used to provide ongoing coaching and support to new hires throughout the school year. Planning for teachers and instructional staff: The LEA will provide structured time during the school year for teachers and students to practice remote learning. These days are included on the professional development calendar for all schools. Staff will contact the MIS and IT helpdesk for additional assistance and support.

Walton County School District collaborates with teachers, administrators, charter school contacts, and Panhandle Area Educational Consortium {PAEC) districts in the development of our professional development plan. The continuous analysis of disaggregated student data is the foundation of our professional development system. School leaders, instructional trainers, and district instructional personnel receive ongoing training and support for the purpose of providing researched-based, on-site professional development to each school community within the district. School communities are comprised of students and parents, administrative personnel, instructional personnel, support personnel, business partners, and personnel who provide health and social services to students. Input from school level contacts, parent survey results, and school staff survey results were used to determine a focus, strategies, and deliverables for the successful implementation of professional development. The WCSD Technology Department worked jointly with the Curriculum and Instruction department to survey staff regarding school hardware and infrastructure needs and set a plan for increasing WCSD's capacity to implement digital curriculum through both changes in instructional practice and appropriately allocated technology resources. Innovative and virtual learning modality trainings are provided to all staff during preplanning. How to conduct whole group and small group instruction online was the focus of multiple sessions to review the basics of teaching remotely, including how to effectively use cameras, hardware and Microsoft Teams to enhance and engage students in instruction. Our Digital Learning Specialists continue to provide professional development regularly through the use of on line forums and face-to-face communication to discuss the implementation of digital curriculum and changes needed to meet the needs of all learners. The district's Professional Development Leadership Team, Instructional Coaches and Digital Learning Specialists collaborate regularly to provide onsite and district-wide ongoing support/trainings on specific learning management systems and technology needs. Each school site has a designated Professional Learning Facilitator (PLF) who orients all educators to the professional development system, orients new teachers to the ePDC system, facilitates onsite professional learning as needed, and supports the development and facilitation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Specific school-based professional development is provided and supported through PLCs. The LEA will provide leaders and instructional staff multiple survey opportunities to determine needs regarding professional learning. The LEA will survey staff to determine needs for professional learning. Based on survey responses professional development will be tailored to the individual needs of teachers. Arrange time for professional learning opportunities for school leaders and staff, keeping in mind best practices for adult learners: Professional development opportunities will be provided for all levels of staff to ensure seamless implementation of the online platforms. These opportunities will be provided via face-to-face learning, online learning modules, and/or coaching support. Provide for implementation of professional learning for educational staff: Based on educational staff survey responses, professional learning will be provided on an as needed basis. The district continually offers teachers opportunities for professional development. Many of these professional development opportunities include the use of digital instructional materials or instructional technologies to create a blended learning environment and highlight how specific resources can be used in a remote learning setting. Teachers can also access recorded webinars related to use and implementation of the instructional platforms, etc. Assess the effectiveness of professional learning efforts to continuously improve the process and provide relevant opportunities in the future: The effectiveness of professional learning efforts will be measured by teacher/staff surveys to inform instruction and professional learning. Please visit the link below for access to the WCSD Professional Learning Calendar. https://www.wa1ton.k12.fl.us/professional-learning­calendar

Walton County School District is dedicated to increase achievement for each child by ensuring access to rigorous programs, addressing diverse educational needs, and providing access to technology and digital curriculum. WCSD is determined to implement a comprehensive curriculum driven by Florida Standards and other standards established by the Florida Department of Education and implemented through research-based instructional best practices. Schools must progress monitor all students on the Florida Standards English Language Arts assessment at least three times per year to include a baseline, midyear, and end of year assessment. In English Language Arts and math, screening, diagnostic assessment, and progress monitoring assessment data are used in making decisions about core, targeted and intensive instructional needs. Proficiency in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies will affect promotion and placement. Pupil proficiency levels in English Language Arts, mathematics, social studies, and science will be evaluated at each grade level. Students who are identified as non-proficient may be provided intensive remediation through a Progress Monitoring Plan. School personnel may waive instruction in non-academic subjects in order to schedule remedial instruction necessitated by a Progress Monitoring Plan. Prior to any schedule change, parents will be involved through the MTSS process. Needs of educators for online and hybrid teaching: The needs of the instructional staff for online and hybrid teaching are accessed by school level administrators, and the Digital Learning Specilaists. These needs include more practice time for the development of skills in the use of Classlink and Microsoft Teams, use of engaging teaching strategies, and instructional delivery in the online environment. Level of need: Building level administrators will designate teachers as Tier 1,2, and 3 to determine the level of support that is needed for online instructional delivery. Digital resource usage reports and survey responses will be utilized to tier staff. Best practices for distance/hybrid education delivery: The LEA will develop a comprehensive training that includes resources for online instruction, training materials and coaching support to onboard new employees in the process of distance/hybrid instruction. Implementation of professional development for hybrid teaching: The LEA has in place a professional learning plan for best practices in online teaching. Assessment of effectiveness of delivery methods: The LEA has in place a system to continually monitor the Classlink Usage reports for the delivery of online learning and make adjustments as needed. Below is the instructional model that teachers will use to provide students with quality instruction when in-person classes are interrupted due to emergency school closures. A District-provided classroom conference camera or other computer-based web camera will be utilized to allow students who are learning remotely to continue to access instruction. TEACHER-DIRECTED INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL FOR REMOTE STUDENTS Teacher Is In-Person in Classroom • Teacher provides remote students with Microsoft Teams (through single sign-on authentication) lesson. • Teacher turns on conference camera or computer-based web camera while delivering lesson to remote students to obtain similar benefits of in-person learning and support student achievement. • Teacher provides remote students assignments and activities using the Microsoft Teams, the District’s learning management system (LMS). • Teacher may use Microsoft Teams to respond to students’ questions regarding curriculum and assignments. • The Team remains active during the entire class. • Student communication can be accomplished through phone, email, Teams, or other digital application selected by teacher. What to expect from distance learning: • Students are learning from their own home and will need access to the internet and a computer. • Live instruction is provided remotely, and students will have access to their assigned teacher(s) during the regular school day hours, five days a week for structured distance learning through Microsoft Teams and ClassLink. • Elementary students can expect daily lessons with live interactions via Microsoft Teams web conferencing. • Secondary students can expect daily web conferencing interactions via Microsoft Teams web conferencing for every academic course • Attendance will be taken daily in each period for secondary and each day for elementary. To capture student attendance in school and classes, the District follows established School Board attendance protocols and procedures. Official school attendance will be recorded and maintained for all classes assigned in FOCUS. Parents are encouraged to register to the FOCUS Parent Portal to Check Grades, Attendance, Email Teachers and Administrators and to Receive Notifications of Announcements, and More. Required for Registration: 1. Valid Email 2. 10 Digit Student ID (Found on Report Card or by Calling the School) 3. Student Date of Birth 4. Parent Portal Pin (available on student FOCUS and at your child’s school) ClassLink provides Walton County School District students access to single sign-on into web and Windows applications, and instant access to files at school and in the cloud, whether at school or at home. Students can sign on using any computer, tablet, or smartphone. Microsoft Teams: Student Login 1. Sign into Classlink (my.classlink.com/Walton) 2. Click on the Office 365 app. 3. This brings you to the Office 365 Portal, find Teams. 4. Teams will open in a new tab, click on your Team name to open the Team. 5. Once open, you can view class posts or assignments assigned by your teacher. Microsoft Translator may be utilized to host a multilingual parent-teacher conference. Microsoft Translator allows parents and teachers to communicate, in-person or virtually, in their preferred languages. This resource can be used as a supplement to Teams, or a go-to voice calling service.

Walton County School District supports parents in becoming more involved in their child's education as well as better prepared to support their child's education at home. Parents are an important part of education. They are their child's first teacher. There are many ways for parents to become more engaged. Our Parent Involvement and Community Involvement Coordinator collaborates with all schools and curriculum coordinators to support school improvement efforts. WCSD has conducted technology surveys to determine and identify the household technology capabilities and needs of students and their families. This information will be updated annually. Classroom teachers will update information for new students and e stablish effective two-way lines of communication with parents and families of students using a variety of media. The LEA utilizes Focus and Remind as its primary two-way communication tool. Other two-way communication methods include email, phone calls, paper-based communications, videos, Robo calls and social media messaging. Provide guidance and direction to students, parents, and families on how to create distraction-free learning environments at home that are conducive to learning. The LEA has provided best practices for parents and families to create an environment that is conducive to learning at home. How-to Videos for creating a distraction-free learning environment are created and shared with students, parents and families. Develop a plan to ensure that the needs of special student populations, e.g., ESE, ELL, homeless, etc., are being-supported in keeping with the requirements of IEPs and other education specification documents. IEP, ELL, MTSS meetings are moved to a virtual platform during remote learning. Documentation is maintained and monitored by district and school level staff assigned to these student populations. Walton County School District will continue to provide the full array of services that are required by law, including in-person instruction, specialized instruction for students with IEPs, and those from vulnerable populations, such as students from low-income families, students of migrant workers, students who are homeless, students with disabilities, students in foster care and/or students who are English Language Learners. Guiding documents that outline these procedures can be found in the Exceptional Student Education Policies and Procedures (SP&P), and the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) procedural handbook. Individual student IEP, ELL plans will reflect any additional or supplemental services that are needed to support the student in this environment. Develop and communicate to staff and parents/families the protocol for providing special education services and accommodations for students in need. The LEA has developed procedures and protocols to ensure special education services and accommodations are continued to be provided during virtual learning. The ESE staff support and provide services to student they are assigned via zoom, discussion boards, phone calls, personal visits, etc. A full panoply of school services will continue for all students including speech/language therapy, OT/PT, mental health counseling, school counseling, learning accommodations, special education services, intensive/tiered instruction, and academic coaching during cases of school disruptions. These services will be provided using platforms/methods listed above. For students who show regression in meeting their IEP goals, the IEP team, which includes the parent/guardian, will meet to consider the student's current performance needs and what revisions are necessary, if any, to the student's IEP. The IEP team may consider amending goals, increasing current services and/or the addition of extended school year services to the IEP. The IEP team will monitor student progress, review interventions, and meet to make adjustments, as indicated. For students who the parents have indicated concerns regarding the student's participation in and progress during school closures, the IEP team will meet to consider the parent's concerns. The IEP team may consider amending goals, increasing current services and/or the addition of extended school year services to the IEP. The IEP team will monitor student progress, review interventions, and meet to make adjustments, as indicated. Develop a plan to conduct regular outreach and wellness checks to help support the health and safety of students and their families. The LEA has designated staff such as the Attendance Officer, guidance counselors, SROs, nurses and Data clerks, that conduct regular outreach and wellness checks. Instructional staff are instructed to notify designated staff of any student/family concerns so follow up and interventions/supports can be provided. The Walton County School District ESE Department, and the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team, including parents will provide guidance on remote learning and implementation of services identified in the IEP. IEPs will be implemented as written for Brick & Mortar Traditional Schools where appropriate. IEP meetings will be scheduled with parents who have elected to access virtual learning through Innovated Learning Digital Academy or Walton Virtual. During these meetings, IEP teams including parents will collaborate to review current student needs, present levels of performance and identify specialized instruction, related services and/or accommodations that can be provided via virtual learning in light of the circumstances and as aligned with the IEP. Specialized instruction, related services and/or accommodations provided via virtual learning will be documented in a Distance Learning Plan for each individual ESE student. The IEP will remain as written, where appropriate, as the plan determined by the IEP team to provide a Free, Appropriate Public Education to the student. IEP Team, including the parent will review progress monitoring and student performance data to monitor student progress & will consider amending a student’s IEP and/or Distance Learning Plan based upon this review. If, based upon progress monitoring data, a student has exhibited regression unable to be recouped, the IEP Team will also reconvene to determine whether additional services or supports (COVID Impact Services & Supports) are necessary for reasonable progress. In the event of remote/distance learning for school year, the same procedures will be implemented with ELL Committee meetings held virtually through TEAMS, or via phone with interpreters available. Teachers will create lessons in TEAMS and the ELL students will have language support from Bilingual Paraprofessionals/Language Assistants as well as the use of a word to word English to Heritage language dictionary and/or glossary. English Language learning software programs such as Imagine Learning English, Rosetta Stone, and Duolingo will also be used by the students at home. Devices and internet hotspots will be provided to families in need. Teachers should take every opportunity to notify parents of developing patterns of non­attendance and determine the cause. Parent contact must be made or attempted prior to referral to Attendance Officer. If unable to make contact by phone or personal contact, a "5 Day Letter" is sent to the home address advising the parents/guardians, which notifies the parents of the absenteeism and serves as notification for the Truancy Intervention Plan (TIP) Meeting held through MTSS which the parent is encouraged to attend as a resolution to non-attendance. If attendance has not improved, a "10 Day Letter'' is sent to the home address advising the parents/guardians of the absenteeism and serves as notification for the 2nd Truancy Intervention Plan (TIP) Meeting held through MTSS which the parent is encouraged to attend as a resolution to non­attendance. If the parent does not attend either the 1st or 2nd TIP meeting the school will notify the Attendance Officer The Attendance Officer's performance responsibilities include: 1.Assists school personnel in the identification of truant students.2.Uses the student management system to be proactive in identification of students at risk of being truant.3.Establishes effective liaison with appropriate agencies within the community that may provide assistance to at-risk students and families.4.Completes and files all paperwork to process truancy hearing.5.Attends, as School District designee, truancy hearings.6.Recommends suspension of Driver's License of students based on guidelines outlined within Florida Statutes.7.Contacts parents of truant students via home visits, phone calls; prepares and mails attendanceletters.8.Performs other duties as assigned. Our school personnel and the WCSD Attendance Officer continue to take the necessary steps to determine the current whereabouts of all non-enrolled students. At this time, we do not have any K-12 students who have yet to enroll for the 2021-22 school year. Early Childhood efforts of Child Find and Walton County School District's Prekindergarten Team will identify and determine eligibility of students for our Voluntary Prekindergarten and ESE Prekindergarten classes. VPK staff continue to collaborate with partners through Early Learning Coalition (ELC) and Early Education and Care (Headstart - EEC) to ensure maximum exposure to families of students that are VPK eligible and encourage in-person enrollment and participation in school. As VPK and kindergarten students return to brick and mortar, they are reevaluated and receive specialized support based on current progress monitoring data. To close achievement gaps, spiraled standards-based instruction focusing on foundational skills from the first semester will be provided in an individualized and/or small group setting. Initial screeners and ongoing progress monitoring data will be reviewed and analyzed. WCSD is committed to reaching all learners, regardless of their abilities. Students with disabilities and English language learners (ELL) require accommodations and modifications and our staff is devoted to utilizing flexible ways to present information using a multitude of devices and software applications to meet the needs of all students. District supported professional learning promotes proficiency improvements of individual students, educators and school-based teams. The focus of such proficiency improvements is to provide a PreK-12 learning environment with the instructional support to produce college and career ready students. District and school supported professional learning resources focus on the fidelity of implementation of priority initiatives and other major district systems designed to result in student success. WCSD continues to provide trainings on instructional strategies, intervention materials and resources for how to provide differentiated intensive targeted instruction to students in MTSS who are targeted as needing Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions.

The Walton County School District’s Technology staff is committed to supporting our Instructional Continuity Plan first by identifying key technology staff members. · Chief Information Officer (Michael Pinnella) will provide technology leadership, resources, and interdepartmental communications for the technology needs of the ICP. · Senior Systems Manager (Robert Godwin) will provide support for applications used for and in support of remote instruction such as the Microsoft Teams platform. · Network Support Team (Shane Schiller and James Gentry) will provide support for content filtering, network and internet access issues, and cybersecurity. · Technology Support Manager (Richard Rothgeb) will manage student and end-user support via extended Help Desk services. WCSD will ensure a robust technology infrastructure by using Microsoft Teams to deliver learning content as it provides a highly stable, robust, web application that works on a variety technology platforms. Teams was used with success during the end of the 2019-2020 school year when quarantine forced all learning to a completely remote model. It was again used as a proven platform during the 2020-2021 school year as a tool to support a hybrid instruction environment with students in both the classroom and live remote from their homes. WCSD will conduct a Technology Readiness Survey (See Appendix) to be sent to students and families to determine their availability of internet access and technology needs to ensure that every student in the Walton County Schools has free access to the technology needed for their continued education in the event of a school closure. If families opt to use their own devices, the TRS also asks if the student has access to a Microsoft Windows or Apple device to ensure their support for the WCSD digital curriculum. While Linux and Chromebook devices may work with some of our digital curriculum, we cannot guarantee full functionality and want to make sure the students are using technology proven to work in our environment. All students at the Walton County School District who are enrolled in grades 6-9 are part of our 1:1 device initiative. Each of these students currently receive a district owned laptop that the students take home for instructional use. WCSD has sufficient devices for students in other grades who would require a device to use at their home in the event of the implementation of the ICP. The exact number needed will be determined by the Technology Readiness Survey. The survey data will be analyzed and cross-referenced with our mobile device inventories at each of the schools where the IT Department will reallocate and distribute devices to students as needed. In the event of an insufficient number of mobile devices available at a particular school, devices can be temporarily reallocated from other schools with a surplus to the school with a deficit. If it is determined via the Technology Readiness Survey that a child requires a device or internet access, devices and/or a cellular hotspot may be checked out (via the asset tracking system) from a local school from which the location will be communicated to families at the time. All WCSD laptops, regardless if they are 1:1 or laptops checked out via the Technology Readiness Survey, use the Linewize content filtering system (https://www.linewize.com) which allows us to provide CIPA compliant filtering to student devices both on and off the Walton County School District’s computing network. To further support remote student learning, IT Staff will be reallocated from roles where they supported student, faculty, and staff during normal working hours at the schools, to Help Desk and remote support duties. Even in the event of a full shutdown, technology will still be able to provide support remotely by forwarding the Help Desk phones to the technicians district phones which will allow them to work from their homes. The Help Desk hours would be expanded from 7:30am – 4:00pm Monday through Friday to 7:00am – 7:00pm Monday through Friday and 10:00am – 2:00pm on Saturday. These hours can be further adjusted if necessary to better support our users.

The Walton County School District uses the cybersecurity framework guidelines developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). At its core, the framework is a set of cybersecurity activities, desired outcomes, and applicable references that are common across sectors including education. It presents guidelines, standards and practices in a manner that allows for communication of cybersecurity activities and outcomes at all levels at the Walton County School District. We understand that it is critical to ensure continued business operations, such as administration, facilities, HR, finance, and payroll of the Walton County School District. While the details of our business continuity plan are required to be secure, the plan itself aligns with the framework and addressing the needs of the district and keeping our business operations running. An Incident Response Plan is vital to an effective response in the event of an incident that could affect the entire operation of the Walton County Schools from education to the day-to-day business. While the details are required to be secure, the Information Technology Department standard operating procedures are aligned with the framework aimed at safeguarding the District’s IT and MIS infrastructure. Cybersecurity is more than an IT issue – it is an organizational competency. Every employee is responsible in their own way to help ensure a safe and secure computing environment. Just as any of our people know if they see a suspicious person in the school, they should report it, so it is the same with suspicious emails or other unusual technology related activity. The Walton County Schools provides security awareness training and maintains responsible use guidelines for staff within our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) as well as a Student Code of Conduct. (See Appendix) While the specifics of the Walton County Schools security posture is secure, in a general sense we strive to implement cybersecurity processes and procedures via proven frameworks, user education at all levels, next generation security tools and systems, as well as collaboration with other school districts and partner organizations. Our plan of action is rooted in a continuous improvement model which can adapt to a constantly changing threat landscape. Change and improvement is most efficient through measurement where milestones are set for our cybersecurity goals in training, visibility, and process improvement.

Walton County School District's Student Services department works closely with our schools, monitoring absenteeism and following up when students have not reported to school. A representative from each school (i.e., instructional, administrative, clerical, and/or support staff) must notify parents/guardians of each unexcused absence. Notification can be done through phone calls, or personal contact with the parent. Teachers should take every opportunity to notify parents of developing patterns of non­attendance and determine the cause. Parent contact must be made or attempted prior to referral to Attendance Officer. The School Counselor works within the school to help promote a safe and healthy school environment and support social, emotional, behavioral, academic, physical and mental wellness so that students are engaged and successful learners. School counselors are advocates for all students by providing guidance and supports. School counselors work with educators, parents and community members to help students succeed both in and out of the classroom. Specify a team of service providers and determine a point person for communication with families about the efforts to provide education and supports for their child: Jennifer Hawthorne- Deputy Superintendent, Crystal Appel- Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction (Point Person), Stefanie West (ESE), Sharon Wheeless (Psych Services), Cathy Hall (ESOL) and Donna Honish (Student Services), Pam Jones (Pre-K Director), Josh Harrison (Website & Social Media). Meaningful parental involvement is a necessity and a core element of our educational process. The district administration in conjunction with the school-based administrators will work together to determine what specific communication will be provided regarding continuation of instruction and supports in the event of closure during a disastrous event. Information that is relevant to all students/families is sent out at the district level. If only certain populations of students/parents need to be provided the communication, then the appropriate school administrator or department coordinators will communicates the information to students/parents utilizing the district's two-way communication tool, Remind and Focus (sends to phone, email, and or text). Information is also added to the district and school websites, posted in local newspapers, radio, etc. informing parents of the procedures for continuing instruction and supports for students. Develop a plan to communicate early and often with students and parents to identify needs and ensure supports. Ensure that LEA leadership is engaged with special education service providers to deliver needed supports and resources to educators, learners and families. The District ESE office monitors the implementation of the contract and staff requirements. The services and supports provided may need temporary changes based on the circumstances and the parents' input. Examples of changes may be small group to individual, via Teams instead of in-person, etc. In the event an adjustment is made the provider writes a Temporary Plan that is included in the IEP. In addition to academic supports, each school has at least one school counselor and an assigned mental health counselor to provide students with mental health screening, assessment, interventions, and services needed to support students coping with pandemic related matters or with social/emotional/behavior issues that may have been escalated due to extended school closures. Teletherapy will be provided as needed. https://walton.k12.fl.us/online-safety https://walton.k12.fl.us/social-emotional-learning

Walton County School District developed a local task force team to prepare for the re-opening of schools. The task force, which includes stakeholders from the Florida Department of Health and Walton County Emergency Management, helped vet a re-opening document for our schools. The plan is a lengthy, internal document written as directions for employees, but we have coupled that document with a Frequently Asked Questions handout for parents. Both documents were written after reading numerous state, county, and school level safety plans as well as guidance documents from health organizations. Many hours have been spent to not only write the plan, but to think through the actual processes and procedures that the plan directs. Even with a safety plan, we do recognize that parents and our community will still have concerns. Please always know that the safety of our children is our number one priority. All of our decisions are based on what is best for our students. The Superintendent shall recommend and the Board shall set the opening and closing of schools and fix uniform dates. Identify the facets of school operations that are impacted by extended school closures along with the essential personnel needed to support learning continuity through remote teaching and learning. Every facet of school operations is impacted by an extended school closure to include the delivery of instruction, food services, transportation and related services. Key personnel needed to support learning continuity through remote teaching include every hierachy of the educational system including administrative staff, principals, teachers, and key support staff. Identify and communicate expectations of charter school or LEA staff related to schedules and work performance during school closures. All school staff have clearly defined roles and responsibilities for work performance during a school closure. These schedules are communicated by the employee’s direct supervisor. Develop and communicate an execution plan to provide food services to students and families in need during school closures. The LEA is a community eligibility district which provides breakfast and lunch to students free of charge. Students are identified that wish to be provided with meals during cases of a disruptive event that closes access to traditional school environments. Bus routes and designated staff are utilized to transport the meals to student homes. Walton County School District's goal and mission is to provide healthy, nutritious, and affordable meals to the students of Walton County for an optimal learning environment. All students in the Walton County School District will be provided FREE breakfast and lunch meals for the 2021-22 school year. The US Department of Agriculture has extended waivers that Walton County Schools will operate under as our commitment to provide safe, healthy meals free of charge to children as the pandemic continues to disrupt the food and nutrition security of our most vulnerable. We will continue to provide meals as permitted during emergency school closures. Develop and execute a plan to provide special education services and accommodations to students in need during school closures. The LEA has developed procedures and protocols to ensure special education services and accommodations are continued to be provided during virtual learning. The ESE staff support and provide services to student they are assigned via Teams, discussion boards, phone calls, personal visits, etc. IEP, ELL, MTSS meetings are moved to a virtual platform during remote learning. Documentation is maintained and monitored by district and school level staff assigned to these student populations. Conduct outreach to community organizations to provide comprehensive support to students and families during school closures. WCSD will maintain communication with mental health community providers to ensure that to the extent possible services are continued during cases of disruption to the services. Faith based programs are utilized to provide support and services to identified families. Contracted ESE services providers continue services via online platforms and face to face when possible, during cases of closures. Safety – Emergency Plans A. The Superintendent shall develop and present to the Board for review and approval appropriate school emergency management and preparedness plans. B. The Superintendent shall establish uniform guidelines for the development of schools’ emergency management and preparedness plans. C. Emergency management and preparedness plans shall include notification procedures for weapon use and hostage situations, hazardous materials and toxic chemical spills, weather emergencies, and exposure resulting from a manmade emergency. D. Each school shall develop and maintain an up-to-date plan based upon the uniform guidelines and including the provisions of Florida law, State Board of Education rules, and other applicable regulations. E. Copies of school plans shall be provided county and city law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and emergency preparedness officials. Safety – Procedures A. School alarms shall be monitored on a weekly basis and malfunctions shall be reported for immediate repair. B. A safety program shall be established consistent with the provisions of Policy 8.11. C. Emergency evacuation drills (fire, hurricane, tornado, other disaster, and school bus) shall be held in compliance with state requirements. Each principal, site administrator or transportation official is responsible for 1. Developing and posting emergency evacuation routes and procedures; 2. Assigning and training staff members in specified responsibilities to ensure prompt, safe and orderly evacuation; 3. Identifying and reporting hazardous areas requiring corrective measures; and 4. Preparing and submitting a written report of each emergency evacuation drill to the District office. D. In the event of an emergency, the Superintendent is authorized to dismiss early or close any or all schools. Except that the principal may dismiss the school when the Superintendent or designee cannot be contacted and an extreme emergency exists endangering the health, safety, or welfare of students. Any such actions shall be reported immediately to the Superintendent or designee along with a statement describing the reasons for the action. Such report shall be submitted to the School Board at the next regular meeting unless a special meeting is held relating to the emergency. Security A. The Superintendent shall establish and implement a Domestic Security Plan consistent with the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). B. The Superintendent shall develop and implement guidelines and procedures for reviewing each school’s security provisions. C. A review of each school’s security provisions shall be conducted annually by the principal with a written report submitted to the Superintendent or designee for submission to the Board for review. D. Each school’s emergency plan shall include security provisions including emergency lock down procedures. E. Security trailers may be located on school property. If you have any questions, comments or concerns about school safety and security, please send them directly to safeschools@walton.k12.fl.us. Walton County School Board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, political or religious beliefs, genetic information or any other basis prohibited by law in its educational programs, services or activities or in its hiring or employment practices. Retaliation against an employee for engaging in a protected activity is prohibited. The Board also provides equal access to its facilities to the Boy Scouts and other patriotic youth groups, as required by the Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act. Lack of English skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation. The district may assess each student’s ability to benefit from special programs through placement tests and counseling, and, if necessary will provide services or referrals to better prepare students for successful participation. Applicants/individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may call the District’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Officer, 145 Park Street, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435, 850-892-1100, ext. 1111, for assistance.

The Walton County School District has a need to augment traditional communication methods with the use of social media channels. This need primarily stems from public demand and the rapid growth of social media used by other local, state and federal governmental entities and is an indication that social media can be used effectively to enhance constituent communications. The use of social media presents opportunities to individual schools and departments, as well as the District as a whole. In general, the District supports the use of social media technology to enhance communication, collaboration and information exchange to meet the mission and goals of the school district. The Walton County School District has a variety of social networking and media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to meet the mission and goals of the school district. Through "Let's Talk!", Walton County School District has a new communication feature. Parents, students, and other stakeholders can text questions to 850-204-9667. Text submissions are immediate, and a staff member should respond quickly. With this new number, the district will be able to provide a quick response for any issues or concerns that may occur with virtual learning. The link below will be utilized to reach our district communication platform “Let’s Talk!” https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/contact Clarify roles and responsibilities of school personnel assigned to communicate with stakeholder groups. District Staff communicate with school­based administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and community. Principals communicate with teachers, support staff and parents. Teachers communicate with students and families. Define the scope of communications to be sent to stakeholders along with a schedule for such communications to ensure coordination. The Walton County School District Communication Team meets regularly to ensure multiple modalities for communicating with students and families are being utilized. These include but are not limited to: Remind Let's Talk Online Communication System EPIC Van Visits Parent Conferences Microsoft Teams Home Visits Video Releases Tutorials Text Messaging FOCUS Messaging System Phone Calls WCSD Approved Social Media Platforms Approved Social Media links for schools and departments include the following: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Any other social media platforms are not approved or recognized for use by Walton County School District employees and/or students. WCSD Social Media Disclaimer The Walton County School District Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Youtube pages are maintained for the purpose of communicating with the parents of the children we serve and the Walton County School District community. The Walton County School District Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Youtube pages are provided for the school district community to share information on specific school district topics of interest. These pages will be updated to share as much as possible about the Walton County School District and the achievements of the students and staff, as well as other relevant school district community information. The LEA will develop model communication scripts to ensure consistency with message, publish guidance for stakeholders and ICPs on the charter school or LEA website leading up to and throughout the duration of extended school closures. The LEA will keep all stakeholders updated on district and school websites during the duration of extended school closures. https://www.walton.k12.fl.us/

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