At the October Board of Education meeting, a phased return to full in-person learning plan was approved, with grades 6-8 starting full in-person on November 30, and grades 9-12 starting second semester.
The spread of COVID-19 has changed since October 15, and our current situation is now different. As we stated before our school year began, our plans are fluid and will need to adapt to respond to new information as it becomes available.
In collaboration with our local health authorities, the District has decided to pause this phased return. We will not proceed with the November 30 return to full in-person plans in grades 6-8. In-person learners in these grades will continue with their current alternating schedule learning scenario. We will continue to monitor our situation and collaborate with our local health authorities on our plans to return to full in-person (with a remote option) starting with second semester for all secondary learners.
Our local health authorities and area health professionals have reiterated that in-person learning is in the best interest of students when effective infection control measures are in place. In addition, they recognize that students are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 in the broader community than they are on school grounds, and that schools provide structure and increased compliance with mitigation measures, including physical distancing, face covering wearing, and hand washing. However, during a time when cases are increasing, local health authorities and area health professionals agree that compromising physical distancing in our most populated schools is not advisable. For now, the alternating schedule allows us to have regular contact with our students, while maximizing our ability to physically distance.
As we have stated before, we desire our students to have the opportunity for face-to-face instruction, so long as it’s safe to do so, and we have the staff available on site. Please help us commit to the best practices we know will prevent the spread of COVID-19: appropriately wearing a face covering, washing hands frequently, practicing physical distancing whenever possible, and staying home if sick. We need the assistance of our entire community to reduce the spread and improve our ability to provide in-person learning.
We thank our students, parents, staff, and community for their ongoing support and flexibility during this trying school year. While we continue to plan for a full return to in-person instruction, we want to reiterate that parents and students should prepare for any learning scenario to become our reality, depending on changing circumstances.