Area schools are working through closures related to the Covid-19 pandemic
Area schools are working through closures related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On March 16, Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a recommendation for Iowa schools to close for four weeks in order to slow the potential spread of the virus. All the schools in the immediate area followed the governor’s recommendation for closure, and closed for either two or four weeks.
One of the questions facing area districts has been how to educate students who are unable to attend classes. Red Oak superintendent Tom Messinger outlined the plan that the Red Oak Community School District is following during this four-week closure.
“At this time we are continuing to monitor the guidance and recommendations from the Iowa Department of Education. Currently they are stating we are not able to mandate any work from students at home during the time off,” Messinger said. “There are many things to take into account, such as accommodations for special education students and the ability for all students to access online learning from home. Staff were scheduled for spring break last week, and we will be resuming talks next week with updated information and making some additional decisions on how to best proceed.”
Many of the schools are using online resources to provide educational opportunities for students while they are home, and to help them fill their days. Messinger said Red Oak will be looking into those options this week.
“Being on spring break last week, we have not held conversations with teaching staff. There will be some conversations next week with our teaching staff on resources and recommendations. Our top priority this week has been setting up procedures which meet the recommendations of state and national level officials through this time of emergency and to make sure we had a plan in place for making sure kids had food available during the time off school,” said Messinger.
Messinger added one thing they know is that it will have an impact on curriculum.
“The administration has discussed that anything we provide for work at home would not be new learning. We would focus on maintaining their skills from when school was in session. New learning will be difficult for a couple reasons: the inability to require work, and no supports in place to help struggling students through new content and skills work,” Messinger explained.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has stressed the importance of slowing the spread. Messinger said that is the main focus of the district.
“We will continue to follow those recommendations. We are operating our custodial, maintenance, and food service responsibilities under those recommendations. Deep cleaning is a high focus. In the event of a case in our district, we will work closely with state and national officials to operate under their guidelines and recommendations,” said Messinger.
Also, Messinger said the four-week closure is not school vacation where people should proceed with the attitude it is the same as summer vacation. Red Oak and other cities in Montgomery County are in a time period where things are different. People are being asked to behave differently. It is for everyone’s well-being. How everyone emerges from this situation is up to everyone across the entire country.
While Reynolds recommended the closure of the schools be for a four-week period, Messinger said he and other administration officials have discussed the possibility that Iowa will follow the path of other states in the U.S., and keep school closed for the remainder of the year.
“There definitely is that possibility when you look at what other states are doing, such as extending their leave or cancelling the remainder of the year. I would just ask that people be respectful of their neighbors and the community during these times. Schools do not have all the answers for the time being; no one does. We are learning new information on a daily basis, and we will continue to do so. We want to resume school as soon as it is deemed safe and wise to do so, but until then, we will focus our efforts on supporting the community and our kids,” Messinger said.
Chris Fenster is superintendent of the Southwest Valley School District. Fenster said at this point, instructors are not planning e-learning opportunities, as some of the families in the district do not have access to Wi-Fi or computers. However, there are resources for families who wish to home school children for the next four weeks.
“If parents choose to home school or provide other learning opportunities at home, they may look on our webpage at southwestvalley.org and hit the Covid-19 hub tab and there are resources for them,” Fenster said.
With such a long gap from the last time class was in session until the districts potentially reopen, Fenster said what happens with the curriculum is still undecided.
“I don’t know what impact this will have on education for our students or staff. When the time comes closer to resuming classes and it is safe to bring the teachers back, then we will give them notice of this and we will begin to decide how to proceed,” said Fenster.
Fenster added the district will evaluate weekly at their administration meetings what they can get back to doing or when personnel can return. Right now lunch is curbside to go with a skeleton crew helping prepare them. Administration and business managers are working some days remotely and also passing out the lunches. Using caution is key.
“First and foremost, we want the students to be safe and understand that this Covid-19 scare will pass and things will return to normal eventually. I feel bad for our seniors, because they are missing a month of their last year in high school. We have informed all the students we want them to remain at home and not gather in the parks, friends’ houses, or other areas,” commented Fenster.
Also, Fenster said the district has yet to determine what procedures will take place if the schools are kept closed for the remainder of the school year.
“We are taking it day to day here at Southwest Valley and ensuring our kids are fed on a daily basis and our employees are taken care of as well,” said Fenster.
East Mills superintendent Tim Hood said staff at East Mills prepared learning opportunities away from school during the shutdown. Elementary teachers sent work home and planned for continued materials to be available, if the need arises. All elementary students were encouraged to check out two library books but were not sent home with Chromebooks. Junior high and high school teachers sent work home with students as well as worked on setting up information in their Google classrooms. Students were sent home with their Chromebooks and chargers to work on E-Learning assignments they received from their teachers. Students were anonymously surveyed for Wi-Fi access and any student with internet access issues met with an administrator to develop a plan.
Hood said his district had compiled a number of online resources for elementary students to use over the next weeks of the closure.
“East Mills Elementary has created a list of online resources for parents and students that is available on the Elementary Facebook page. The online resources are updated as more become available. 7-12 students have their Chromebooks and chargers to work on E-Learning assignments,” said Hood.
Hood said it will be the decision of the teachers what happens with instruction following the month-long break in curriculum.
“At East Mills, we do what is best for kids. Teachers make similar decisions when students return from summer break. It will be necessary to assess and evaluate students as well as look ahead to determine the critical information students need in order to be successful as they move forward in their educational journey,” commented Hood.
Hood added, decisions regarding a return date, curriculum, sports, graduation, and other school activities remains an ongoing conversation with Mills County Department of Health, the East Mills School Board, as well as Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education.
Essex superintendent Mike Wells said following the district’s closure, staff members worked quickly to determine alternate methods of learning.
“We are providing online learning for Essex children using our school platform. Any students in the area that are not being educated can contact me at mwells@hamburgcsd.org or at wellsm@essex.k12.ia.us and we will provide resources for them. We do not want kids to lose out on two months of learning,” Wells said.
By using this method, Wells said, students will keep caught up to date on coursework and won’t face any gaps when classes resume.
“We plan on continuing to teach our school curriculum and expect our students to complete all assignments, tasks, and tests. We will cover 100 percent of our curriculum and students who meet grade level/subject level standards will be promoted next year, those who fail will not,” commented Wells.
By keeping the kids focused, Wells believes that will help keep students at home, and prevent risks for coronavirus spread.
“We expect students to continue to learn via our online system. It’s not a vacation, just a different placement,” said Wells.
Iowa Representative David Sieck was one of many Iowa lawmakers who worked quickly to pass legislation when a closure seemed imminent, and the Statehouse was fielding questions regarding make-up days.
“The Legislature passed a bill through the Appropriations Committee that did a number of things related to our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Included in that bill was certainty for schools, which waived the four weeks of school that Governor Reynolds had recommended be cancelled,” said Sieck. “Legislators had been receiving many questions about whether these days would have to be made up, so to provide that certainty, we passed this legislation. The Legislature also included a piece in the bill that gives Governor Reynolds the ability to waive school days on a statewide or case-by-case basis after the initial four weeks. The law setting the number of days for a school to be in session was not changed, the legislature simply waived the days for the 2019-20 school year.”
The state of Kansas made the decision to cancel classes for the remainder of the school year. If the State of Iowa were to follow Kansas’ path, Sieck said those decisions remain up to Gov. Reynolds, as it is unknown at this time when the Iowa Legislature will be back in session.