The Wautoma Area School Board held their monthly meeting on July 13, in which more answers regarding the reopening process were discussed. A full plan highlighting procedure for the upcoming 2020-21 school year was presented by District Administrator Tom Rheinheimer.
During his presentation, Rheinheimer explained that he, along with members of the WASD Administrative Team, met with the other Waushara County schools and the health department in June. Following that meeting, it was determined that a survey would go out to all parents and guardians to rank the reopening plans from first choice to third choice.
With 492 households responding the first choice was to send children K-12 to school daily, with all of the other students attending, with 60.1% of families choosing this option. Various safety measures will be in place and whenever reasonably possible, physical distancing will be implemented, but due to the school setting it is not possible to ensure it at all times. Facial coverings are recommended, but not required.
The second option was an alternating day or hybrid schedule. Students would be split in half, with one group attending Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday potentially. Again, face masks would be recommended in the building, but not required. The majority of families chose this option as their second choice, with 65.6% of votes going towards the situation as the second solution. Only 27.7% chose this as their first choice, and 7.2% chose this as their third choice.
The final option was a total virtual learning experience for families not feeling comfortable sending their children to school due to COVID-19. Students will be held to the same academic expectations as in the school setting. Majority of parents chose this as their third option. Virtual learning was the third pick for 70.9% of families, first choice for 16.7%, and the second choice for 12.4%.
With that in mind, the Board made the decision students will all come back to school in the fall. Families who are not comfortable of having their children in the school setting will be able to choose the virtual learning option.
Moving onto the reopening focus, the Board was presented with the three main focal points. The first focus this upcoming year is infection control and mitigation. In order to make the upcoming year possible, families and staff will need to complete a self-health check before entering the building or boarding the bus. A list of what to check for will be sent out to families.
Attendance structure will be different this year. District and Building Level Administration will work with families and staff members in a proactive manner during times of illness. With that being said, if a student or member of staff were to become ill in the building, a clear and concise protocol will be set in place.
Hand hygiene will be of utmost importance this year. There will be sanitizing stations, and physical distancing will be implemented whenever possible. There will also be an increase circulation of outside air into the buildings, which is being raised by 10% this year.
Visitor restrictions will be set in place as well. Open House will be virtual this year, with students being able to view their new classrooms from home. Protocols will be communicated with parents, along with a set of alternative solutions.
Another big change to the upcoming year will be seen within the use of internal areas of the school buildings. Facility requests of community use will not be approved, indefinitely. Field trip requests will also be denied for the 2020-21 school year. Any approved fundraiser that require face to face contact will be postponed or not approved.
Increased sanitation is to be expected in the building and on the bus, with a focus on high touch surfaces, and a constant supply of facemasks and cleaning supplies will be restocked throughout the year.
Transportation of stu-dents, such as the school bus, will also look different this year. Bus capacity of 22 students will be attempted this year. This might mean double routes for drivers, but a different solution is being looked into for the year. Assigned seats will be implemented to ensure as much physical distancing as possible. Siblings will be able to sit together as needed. Students will be required to wear facial coverings on the bus, and the bus drivers will be provided with masks and will be recommended to wear them.
Wautoma Area School District wants to put a focus on social and emotional health of students coming back. The staff will review training to promote mental health structures, in order to address any anxiety and trauma situations for students and families.
The teaching and learning model in-person will have a traditional grading structure. Learning gaps will be identified through district and classroom level assessments. There will be a focus on a well-rounded education, including recognizing the importance of art, music and physical education for students.
Following the school reopening presentation, Penny Meek and Jessica Anders presented the new learning platform that will be implemented for the 2020-2021 school year. Schoology gives administration the ability to access classes to see the curriculum being taught. This particular learning management system also gives notifications for students, parents, and staff, for assignments due and turned in and will be useful to providing an efficient learning experience.
Schoology also allows videos to be enbedded into the lessons, along with links to resources, which provides a diverse learning environment. Schoology will be a much more useful virtual learning option and will also be implemented in the building so students can get used to the new program. Teaching staff will be training on the new program this week as well as during their August inservice.
Schoology will be used for families choosing to have their children learn virtually. The students will be held accountable and will be held up to the same standards as an in school learning environment, and cellular data hotspots will be provided to those who need it.