Hoover Schools To Implement Staggered Schedule

HOOVER, AL — As many other school systems have chosen to do to begin the 2020-21 school year, Hoover City Schools has decided to implement a staggered school schedule, decreasing the number of students in school buildings at the same time.

The move comes after nearby systems like Mountain Brook and Homewood chose to use the same method. Since about 30 percent of the parents chose online learning for the first nine weeks, that meant a larger number of students opting for in-person learning. Hoover High School is the largest school in the state, with a student body of close to 3,000 students.

The staggered schedule will have half of the students attending Mondays and Thursday and the other half attending Tuesdays and Fridays, with students using the online platform the days they are not on campus. Wednesdays will be used as a teacher planning day.

This system will be used for the first four weeks of school, after which superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy said the system will be re-evaluated at that point.

"I realize the decisions we’re making are having an impact on families and their ability to get back to work," Murphy said in a statement to the school board. "I have not found the perfect solution. I just found the best of no good options."

Murphy said the system is also prepared to go fully virtual if COVID-19 cases get worse in the coming weeks.

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