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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

While Chilton County Schools is offering core classes through online avenues or packets mailed to students, LeCroy Career Technical Center has developed plans to help students despite the building being closed due to COVID-19.

“We have had all of our instructors to send out to our students enrichment packages, so that they can be working on things that they can do at home,” Career Tech Director Dara Norman said. “There are some things that they can do through YouTube videos, online applications and things like that to keep their knowledge going as far as what they can learn through career tech.”

Any hands-on projects that classes had planned are no longer possible. However, instructors will contact students, despite the physical locations being closed.

LCTC is making everything possible available to students to complete their credentialing in their field.

“There are some tests that we are going to have to work with the students to have them either come back and do later on or something like that,” Norman said. “The tests that a lot of them would be taking for their CRIs (Career Readiness Indicator) and their credentialing are not our tests, they are actually industry tests.”

Students must meet the guidelines in order to qualify to take the test. Some students may not have reached this level before in-person classes were canceled, while others had already completed the necessary steps.

“The students that have got to the point where they can do those credentialing tests — we are going to give those students that opportunity to come back to be able to do that, and our instructors will work with them on being able to do that,” Norman said. “It is great that we have already completed some of those credentials, but the other credentials we will do all that we possibly can to help those students be able to get those credentials whenever they are able to do that.”

Dr. Shannon Walker, assistant principal at LCTC, said some training students need to complete can be done online. OSHA training is one of them.

“A lot of students are going to be sent a link from OSHA, so that they can complete that training,” Walker said.

The restrictions on meeting have impacted all of the classes the school offers.

“With career tech being so hands on, all of ours have been affected,” Norman said. “Watching a video isn’t the same as actually putting your hands on it and doing it, but in this particular time, we are just going to have to do the best we can with what we have.”

Seniors will be given opportunities to complete all of their program requirements before this fall.

Application for LeCroy classes for next school year had already been completed before classrooms were closed as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. Letters have already been sent to those who have been accepted.

However, a second round of interviews will be held at the beginning of next school year.

“We were already going to do that before the pandemic hit because of things that were going on in the county,” Norman said.

Walker said the school will continue to “do the best that we can for the kids. (It’s) all uncharted waters” continuing instruction during a pandemic.