A letter to our LEAD families: year-end update from CEO Dwayne Tucker
Dear LEAD Families,
On behalf of more than 300 staff members at LEAD Public Schools, thank you for trusting us and for believing in our mission throughout this unprecedented time. We know that our network is not alone in facing this crisis across Nashville and all of Tennessee. We know that many of you have been impacted by this personally. We are all one extended family at LEAD Public Schools — students, staff, families.
Your support and commitment are invaluable.
Throughout this unprecedented pandemic, we’ve approached our work with two leading principles: 1) we must ensure the safety and well-being of our students and families and 2) we will continue to provide volunteer remote learning opportunities for all students through the end of the school year on May 21.
We have learned a lot as an organization during this extended school closure about the best ways to continue distance learning. Many of our families do not have internet access. As a result, we mailed packets home to all middle school students while we continued to engage every day with meaningful remote learning opportunities online. We also enhanced our website to include frequent updates with both academic and other resources to meet the critical needs of our families during this pandemic.
Over this summer, our goal is to work with each of you to identify service providers who offer free or reduced-cost internet services in the event we have to return to distance learning next school year. With more connectivity and the use of technology, we plan to offer a more robust distance learning program in the event we have intermittent school closures next year.
I know that for many of you, the end of the school year brings celebrations and joy — the culmination of the hard work of students, staff members and families. Out of an overabundance of caution for our students, families and staff members, we have decided we will not hold a physical LEAD Academy graduation ceremony and other year-end activities in May given the possibilities that social distancing mandates will remain.
All of us at LEAD miss our students. We know that not being able to physically be in our schools to grow both socially and academically has been tough on all of us. However, I have seen the many examples of our students engaging with our staff during our school closure and they exemplify our LEAD Ethos: committed, courageous, disciplined, self-reliant and serving others. Our Ethos will continue to lead us through this pandemic.
In my role as CEO, the best part of my job is getting to know our students and families. We have some truly remarkable students who will make a significant impact on the future of LEAD and our city, as well as our state, country and the world in which we live.
I have included below contact information for our Family and Community Engagement coordinators in the event you need any assistance for the remainder of the school year or over summer break. On behalf of our entire staff at LEAD, we look forward to welcoming you back for the 2020-2021 school year.
Sincerely,
Dwayne Tucker, CEO, LEAD Public Schools
Family and Community Engagement Coordinator contact information:
- LEAD Academy and LEAD Cameron: Rania Agaib, 615-479-9743.
- LEAD Brick Church: John Strickland, 615-473-0994.
- LEAD Neely’s Bend: Blanca Cross, 830-212-3057.
- LEAD Southeast Middle and High: Erin Molitoris, 615-584-6649.
In the event you are unable to reach a school Family and Community Engagement Coordinator, please call Corey Burton, the Director of Enrollment and Community Engagement, at 615-525-1614. For Spanish services, please call Marta Sanchez at 615-573-9866.
