While schools remain closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, The Children’s Guild Alliance schools in Maryland and Washington, D.C., continue to implement distance learning designed for students with disabilities, providing special education and related services and achieving 85% student engagement.

“Every day missed is a day you don’t get back, especially for our students with disabilities who need consistent, predictable structures and interventions,” said Kathy Lane, chief of educational services for The Children’s Guild Alliance. “We took action immediately following the school-closure announcements, reaching out to every student across our schools and providing them with Chromebooks, Wi-Fi hotspots and the tools needed to continue their education while also ensuring they had access to meals.”

The Children’s Guild Alliance operates special education day schools in Baltimore and Prince George’s County, Monarch Academy  public charter and contract schools with Anne Arundel County Public Schools and The Children’s Guild District of Columbia Public Charter School.

Teachers reach students using online platforms including Google Classroom, Google Hangouts, and Google Meet as well as i-Ready online assessments and individualized instructional programming. Small groups of students connect with teachers and each other daily during morning meetings, lunch groups and multiple 20- to 30-minute instructional periods. They study English and the humanities in the morning and science, technology, engineering and math in the afternoon with a social-emotional wellness period in the middle of the day. 

“We set a high expectation for ourselves and students right out of the gate.”

“We set a high expectation for ourselves and students right out of the gate,” Lane said. “Students benefit from a regular routine and continued learning, but we also haven’t lost sight of our greater mission of serving the whole child. We serve children with special needs and they require our best, now more than ever.”

The Children’s Guild Alliance provides teletherapy for families, including one-on-one coaching for parents. The schools have safely continued mental health counseling, behavior intervention for students, mental health, speech and occupational therapy and other services virtually without a reduction in services.

“We are committed to serving our families, pandemic or not, and have developed strong relationships with the parents and caretakers of our students,” Lane said. “Many sit down with their children during instructional time, which is one reason we have seen such high participation rates. Most of our students look forward to interacting with their educators and therapists online as they seek to connect with those who care for them and to provide some sense of normalcy in an unusual and dynamic environment.”

The Children’s Guild Alliance schools created continuity of learning plans for distance learning for students with disabilities with individual education plans (IEPs), which outline educational goals for each student. These individualized continuity of learning plans guide the establishment of learning schedules, virtual lessons and classroom websites, interactive videos, regular communication and staff feedback on student assignments and assessments.

“I’m so proud of what our teachers and students have accomplished under such challenging circumstances,” Lane said. “They’re responding well to distance learning, staying engaged and participating regularly. We’ve created a multitiered system of virtual support and personalized learning that puts kids first.”

Monarch Academy Annapolis, a public contract school with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, named Shae Johnson assistant principal. Johnson will serve as one of the school’s two assistant principals. He brings more than 20 years of experience in education, school administration and educational coaching in both public and private, elementary, middle and secondary schools.

“I’ve spent my career honing education strategies, growing as a leader and coaching teachers to help them provide the absolute best education for our students,” Johnson said. “I’m excited to bring what I’ve learned to a school as innovative and effective as Monarch Academy Annapolis.”

Prior to joining Monarch Academy Annapolis, Johnson was an assistant principal and academic facilitator at Imagine Lincoln Public Charter School in Temple Hills, Maryland, where he supervised teachers and staff, developed curriculum, instructional strategies and lessons and facilitated professional development. He previously held the positions of vice principal and interim principal, leading the school of 380 pre-K through sixth grade students.

Earlier in his career, Johnson was dean of students at St. Vincent Pallotti High School in Laurel, the oldest co-educational college preparatory Catholic secondary school in the region. He also served as a teacher with Baltimore City Public Schools. Johnson held internships as a human services specialist with Children’s Trust Neighborhood Initiative in Washington, D.C., and as a teacher’s assistant at Kenilworth Elementary School in Bowie, Maryland.

Among his community service activities, Johnson has volunteered with fundraising and marketing for the South Baltimore Learning Center and has mentored students at Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Justice’s Thomas J.S. Waxter Children’s Center and Potomac High School. He has also directed basketball camps for students.

Johnson holds a Master of Education in educational leadership from Concordia University and Bachelor of Science in social work with a minor in sociology from Bowie State University. He lives in Glen Burnie.

All Children’s Guild Alliance’s schools are currently closed and providing distance learning for students participating in summer school/ESY programming. Our headquarters and conference center are currently closed. Our staff is working remotely and maintaining regular operating hours. View our resource, Talking to Children about COVID-19 and Managing their Social and Emotional Needs. We want to ensure all children have access to meals while schools are closed. Maryland and DC are offering free weekday student meals at many sites. DC is also offering grocery pickup for families at select school sites.COVID-19 prevention and FAQ’s can be found on CDC’s website.