Will kids return to school full-time? Part-time, along with remote learning? Or will classes once again be held online?
Those were the questions parents had who attended the three hour Thursday, August 6, I.S.D. 166 special school board meeting held on the Lyle Anderson football field.
When the meeting concluded, parents left with the same questions they came with because the school board couldn’t make a decision. However, the state has set a deadline of August 13 for school boards to announce plans for how their school district will open in the fall, so the I.S.D. 166 school board will again meet in a special session on Thursday, August 13.
Around the state, many schools have adopted the hybrid-learning plan for middle and high school students. This plan differs from district to district but often calls for two days a week in person and three days online with K-5 attending school in person.
Duluth Public schools’ hybrid plan is a little different. Elementary students will attend two days per week and middle and high school students will attend one day a week.
Most models of the hybrid plan ask that students K-5 attend in-person, but in some cases, elementary students will attend four days or five shorter (than usual) school days. No matter what plan a school district adopts, each district must allow parents the option to keep their children home and attend online classes.
Meanwhile, our Ontario, Canadian neighbors have announced they will hold in-person classes for all students, although there is some pushback from teachers who will have to instruct classes with more than 30 students.
The Minnesota Department of Education “Minnesota Safe Learning Plan” has guidelines for school districts to follow.
In Cook County, the school district is working with a team that includes local health care professionals and school stakeholders to make sure students, staff and workers are safe.
Under the state’s plan, each school district can base its decision on what type of model to follow to start school this fall based on the number of COVID- 19 test cases that have occurred over the last 14 days in a county.
Should a school district decide to open for in-class learning, they must follow the state’s protocols and guidelines on wearing masks, social distancing, personal hygiene, screening, and cleaning practices.
Teachers and school employees who wish to work remotely will be able to do so under the plan if possible.
Through funding support from the state, each school will receive face coverings for each student, educator and staff member.
A COVID-19 testing plan will be available for educators and staff members and school districts will receive money to help pay for additional operating costs like cleaning supplies, transportation, technology, and WI-FI access. The plan also seeks to boost student, family, and educator support, like digital navigation training, translation services, mental health support, and professional development.
Families will have some flexibility under the state’s guidelines. If they are not comfortable sending their child to school, they can opt for a distance learning model. Also, the plan requires schools to provide in-person childcare during school hours for Tier 1 essential workers should the school district decide to go with a distance learning model.
Parents were cautioned that if the county experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases, it would follow the model laid out by the Minnesota Safe Learning plan and shift do a different model as suggested by the program.
Should the school district need help, the Minnesota Department of education and health will work with them to decide which learning model will work best depending on the spread of the virus in the county.
The I.S.D. 166 school board will decide which plan to follow on Thursday, August 13. The agenda will include an update from public health; technology needs for distance learning/hybrid; an update distance learning plan and hybrid, and the school board will be asked to approve a base-learning model.
Leave a Reply