07/17/2020
Dear ECHL family,
We want to thank you for entrusting your child/children to the ECHL these past two weeks as the lab re-opened following approximately three months of being closed due to COVID-19 and SFA’s directives to protect its students, faculty, and staff by transitioning to remote teaching and services. Now that we have completed two weeks of welcoming children and families back to the ECHL, we want to affirm that we are committed to providing continued services throughout this summer and beyond.
You are aware that Dr. Lori Harkness, the long-time director of the ECHL, has submitted a letter of resignation, effective Monday, August 31. Dr. Harkness requested to utilize vacation days that she has earned, so her last day at the ECHL is scheduled for Friday, August 7. We are grateful for her services these 25 years and wish her well as she steps into her new responsibilities with Nacogdoches ISD.
You may also be aware that SFA has developed a voluntary separation program for employees whose age plus years of service meet the “rule of 80” and who are, therefore, eligible to retire. As designed, this incentive separation program seems to be enticing to a number of employees across the university, including employees within the ECHL. So there is a possibility that a few of our teachers may take advantage of this opportunity.
Dr. Brandon Fox, chair of the Department of Education Studies, and I stand committed to providing high-quality services for children and families at the Early Childhood Lab. We do not believe there will be any interruption in services related to leadership transition and teacher transition at the ECHL. We are developing a transition plan for the immediate circumstances and will present that plan to SFA Provost Steve Bullard soon. We are also developing a reorganization/restructuring plan for the long term and will present that plan to Provost Bullard later in the fall 2020 semester.
The ECHL, first and foremost, is a valuable asset of the academic programs in the Department of Education Studies. But the ECHL also serves a community outreach purpose, and Dr. Fox and I remain committed to that purpose.
Dr. Fox and I want our ECHL families to have access to information and to know how we are sustaining the existing services while we transition to meet the changing circumstances in which we find ourselves. Ms. Ronda McClain, instructor in the Department of Education Studies, will be stepping forward to provide administrative support as we move forward. She will begin working with Dr. Harkness next week to ensure a smooth transition.
Should Governor Abbott or local authorities issue stay-at-home directives, the ECHL will honor those directives. In the meantime, we will continue to adhere to the SFA-approved Reopen ECHL Guidelines in relationship to COVID-19. I believe these guidelines have been provided to you, but please let us know if you need this or additional information. Dr. Fox and I are available to meet with families, to respond to emails, and to accept phone calls. Please feel comfortable reaching out to either one of us or to both of us and know that it is our plan to ensure that an outstanding educational experience is provided for the children placed in the care of the Early Childhood Laboratory.
Dr. Brandon Fox, chair
Department of Education Studies
[email protected]
936-468-2904 Dr. Judy Abbott, dean
Perkins College of Education
[email protected]
936-6-468-1410 (office) or 936-645-7828 (cell)
Respectfully,
Dr. Abbott
Judy A. Abbott, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
James I. Perkins College of Education
Stephen F. Austin State University
PO Box 13023, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, TX 75962-3023
936-468-1410
