The Centralia School District School Board approved the reopening plan for the upcoming school year which plans to begin with a full distance learning model at their special board meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier this month, Lewis County Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood recommended that all public and private schools in the county offer only distance learning to start off the 2020-21 school year.
“We are following the guidance from the health department… at the end of the day they’re the medical and scientific experts and we are the education experts and so if we don’t follow that then — trying to be good stewards of not just the money but of our staff and our students — we’re putting our district at a risk that really is not a recommended step,” said Centralia School District Superintendent Dr. Lisa Grant.
The Chehalis School District has also announced it plans to begin the school year with a distance-learning model, citing data on Lewis County COVID-19 cases and guidance from Lewis County Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood and the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
“With this new data in mind, our school board asked for a briefing by our local health department at the board work session on Aug. 4,” wrote superintendent Christine Moloney in a letter to parents. “After this briefing, it was decided that there is no realistic choice other than to delay the beginning of face-to-face instruction.”
Chehalis classes will start Sept. 1. More information on Chehalis School District reopening plans is available at https://chehalisschools.org/blog/2020/08/03/drafted-reopening-plans-for-school-board-review/.
Grant said the decision to start the school year fully online wasn’t the decision that anyone wanted to see but felt it was the best decision to keep staff and students safe.
“We are not asking parents to be the teachers. We know that’s a struggle. This is not homeschooling. This is a rigorous model and it’s also not perfect but we are committed to continuing to make it better,” said Grant.
She described the online learning model as meaningful, robust instruction with consistent contact with teachers that will not look like the instruction provided in the spring when school initially closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Centralia School Board member Beverly Clark said she felt it was important that the public understand all of the factors that went into making the decision regarding the reopening plan — including discussions with the district’s insurance company about the risks of defying the health department’s recommendation.
“Yes, if there were a case and something were to seriously happen and somebody sued us, most likely our insurance company would say, ‘why did you choose to defy and tell us that you have more expertise than the medical experts?’ and honestly, that’s the kind of stuff that could bankrupt a district,” said Grant.
Grant said the district is submitting both the fully online learning plan, to start the school year, and a hybrid plan to be approved so that the district is ready to go later in the year when in-person learning is deemed safe.
The instruction will include live videos with teachers, prerecorded videos, virtual group work and guided and structured individual work. The plan includes special education services.
“The current recommendation from the health department says that we can bring in limited groups of students of up to five students at a time. So we are looking at some of our populations that receive special services like special education, English language learners, students experiencing homelessness and figuring that out,” she said.
Grant said that the minutes of services included in the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) will reflect the plans that were put in place in March before the school closure. Special education teachers are going to meet with each student’s family to figure out what type of service would best support each student.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided and there will be pick-up points at each school within the Centralia School District.
“The other thing we are really working on — and we know this is a challenge for families especially for working families — things like childcare are a huge concern. While we know we are not childcare providers, it is the structure of our system that allows parents to work during the school day and now that’s been disrupted,” said Grant.
The Centralia School District has been working with childcare providers, such as the Boys & Girls Club, to see how the district can support childcare options and provide resources within the community.
The district has asked schools to start finalizing the details of their schedules so that the structure of the school day can start to be shared with families.
“We don’t want kids sitting with their face in the computer all day long and that isn’t the recommendation. We do want structured learning and activities so that kids are clear, parents are clear and they can plan around that,” she said.
The district will be holding virtual Q & A sessions, posted on the district’s Facebook page, on Thursdays through the end of August and those may continue if the demand is there. Questions can also be asked on the reopening page of the district website. Grant encouraged families to voice their concerns and ask questions because it helps the district address problems and frame decisions.
