More than 90% of parents and faculty in USD 257 want students in classrooms this fall, provided basic safety measures are taken to protect against the COVID-19 coronavirus.
But the logistics needed to make that possible have yet to be determined.
“We are intending to have in-class instruction and remote learning. How that’s going to look is still a work in progress, but we are going to reach all of our students either in person or remotely or a combination of that,” Superintendent Stacey Fager said.
Surveys were sent to families and faculty members last week, asking if they plan to send their children to school, if they have adequate internet access for remote learning and how the district could improve its remote learning plan.
Of the 681 responses from families, 91.5% said they plan to send their children to school, instructional coaches Briana Curry and Jenna Higginbotham told the school board at their meeting Monday evening.
A similar survey of teachers and staff indicated 92% felt it was important to have face-to-face learning opportunities. Teachers also wanted more technology training.
In both surveys, respondents said they wanted precautions like daily temperature checks, handwashing, smaller group sizes, increased disinfection measures and optional mask wearing.
That’s easier said than done, Fager noted. For example, increased disinfection requires a large amount of cleaning products that are already in short supply. Smaller group sizes may not be possible in classrooms that are already limited in size.
If the district instead continues remote learning, such as was done in the spring when the virus first hit the U.S., parents want the district to provide lessons that are meaningful and not “busy work.” They also want teacher-led videos that can be viewed at any time, because many parents must work and cannot help students with school work during regular school hours. They want students to be engaged, with clear and consistent expectations and consequences to hold students accountable, and improved communication from teachers and staff.
That’s a priority, Fager said. The remote learning plan last spring was intended just to help students finish the school year and, hopefully, learn something along the way. But if the district needs to continue that type of educational model, it must increase expectations for students, require more interaction between teachers and students, and include new content, he said.
“It will cause us to think outside the box and think of new ways to engage our students,” he said.
It’s also possible that the plan could include a combination of in-class and remote learning, such as temporarily requiring a class to work from home if an outbreak occurs among those students. Parents likely would have an option to keep kids home, so teachers would need to develop a plan for those students.
IT’S NOT yet clear exactly how USD 257 — or any district in Kansas or elsewhere, for that matter — plans to structure the next school year.
The Kansas State Department of Education released a draft of safety guidelines late last week, which advises younger students shouldn’t be required to wear masks but older students, teachers and staff should. The guidelines recommend handwashing upon arrival and every hour, no lockers, staggered transition times between class periods and space for social distancing.
The recommendations will be formally presented to the State Board of Education today, with Gov. Laura Kelly to announce the state’s guidelines at a press conference Wednesday.
