eLearning, Virtual Days

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) established the Virtual Option for Inclement Weather (known informally as eLearning Days) in 2014 as a response to schools that had the ability to provide high-quality instruction electronically in the event of severe weather that would normally require a school day to be canceled. Provided that a school can meet several assurances, the IDOE will grant the school the ability to provide instruction to students virtually and to count the day as a regular school day. IDOE requires that all activities on an eLearning Day take place as if a regular school day was occurring and all students have access to any individual accommodations or supports as needed.

Due to changes in how IDOE allows schools to make assurances that learning can occur, a committee of teachers and administrators studying eLearning Days felt that we could effectively meet the state requirements. Occasionally FCS has days missed due to inclement weather. This will allow us to avoid using our built-in snow days at the end of the school year. This will also give our students an opportunity to continue learning without interruptions.

For Kindergarten through 12th-grade students, we will be utilizing Google Classroom to post student assignments, facilitate discussions, and submit work. All students are given a district-issued Google Classroom account to access materials and assignments.

In the event of an unexpected eLearning Day, students in kindergarten through second grade MAY engage in learning via packets provided by the teacher prior to the eLearning Day since they do not regularly bring home school issued devices.

No. Although assignments must be posted electronically in Google Classroom, the final product does not need to be submitted electronically (making a list, drawings, written responses).

We understand that not all students have access to a device and/or the internet during the day due to individual situations, such as loss of internet due to inclement weather, child day care, multiple students at home with a single computer, parent availability during the work day, no internet provider at home, etc. Because of this, students will have three school days to complete and turn in any assigned eLearning Day assignments.

All teachers are required to post the agenda for eLearning Days by 9 a.m. and will be available from 9 a.m. until the end of the regular school day by email or ParentSquare.

The expectation from the IDOE is that instruction will continue in the same progression as it would on a regular school day. Thus, depending on the content being covered that day, students may be given information on a topic, assigned activities to practice as a skill, collaborate with partners on a project, or given an assessment to evaluate learning.

Your child’s teacher(s) will be your direct contact for any questions regarding assignments, instruction, or technical support. More information to assist parents/students with logging into Google Classroom can be found below.

Most of our classes are already utilizing Google Classroom as part of their regular instruction. We encourage parents to go through the process with their students at home so that they, too, know how to get support and access materials on an eLearning Day.

We encourage you to contact your child's teacher to learn more about their specific plans for supporting learning on an eLearning Day. 

Franklin Community Schools uses Google Classroom - a free and secure learning network for teachers, students and schools. Google Classroom provides a safe way for us to connect, share content, access classwork, participate in discussions and receive important class information or announcements.  

Using Google Classroom allows you and your child to have access to their digital classrooms at any time using the internet - including devices such as a computer, iPhone, iPad, Android devices and more.

Google Classroom is used as an educational tool and will be used strictly for educational purposes. The site will discuss school-related content only and all staff and students will be held accountable for these actions.   

There are multiple ways for students to access Google Classroom. Google Classroom is best used while running the Google Chrome web browser, however, this is not required. Using your Internet browser, type classroom.google.com in the URL bar.

All of our students have their own personal login credentials for all of the Google services we use in school. Their email address is in the format of [First four letters of the last name] [Last four numbers of student ID] @franklinschools.org. For example, “David Johnson” (student ID 0005001234) would log in as john1234@franklinschools.org.

There are some exceptional circumstances where students may have less than four letters of the last name. These students know of the change and can let you know what their username is.

Students will use an eight-letter password (compound word consisting of two four-letter words) that was provided by FSC. Your child’s teacher will be able to provide login credentials if needed.

Once signed in, students will see all the course offerings. Click on the student's name to open a class page. To jump from one class to another, the three horizontal lines in the upper left-hand corner may be used to return to the main menu.  

Each class page has three sections: Stream, Classwork and People. The section that will be in use most is “Classwork.”

The “Stream” may be used for school-related communication. Schoolwork will be assigned, accessed and often turned in through the “Classwork” section.  

If this occurs and you are using Google Chrome, be sure you are completely logged out of any personal accounts.  If your student is not using their Chromebook, there should be an icon next to the   icons in the upper right-hand corner of your browser. By clicking the profile icon, you should be able to log out of any personal accounts that may be signed in. Then have your student log in again. 

The “Stream” may be used for school-related communication. Schoolwork will be assigned, accessed and often turned in through the “Classwork” section.