Getting back-packing to school
BY SUZANNE WERRE,
Editor
The Underwood School isn’t using a hybrid form of education this fall where students are attending on-site learning for a couple days, then distance learning for other days.
The Underwood School Board at a special board meeting Aug. 11 adopted its new student handbook, which includes the also newly adopted health and safety plan and the school closure plan required to address the coronavirus.
While other schools have instituted hybrids of on-site and distance learning plans, Underwood has opted to offer either on-site education or distance learning through the Central Regional Educational Association – but there is no combo “hybrid” offered.
There will be, however, “blended learning,” according to Supt. Brandt Dick.
“Blended learning will be when there are positives when some students are still on campus and some are distance learning,” said Dick.
The board also adopted a “school closure plan” rather than a “distance learning plan,” with a goal of avoiding confusion about what Underwood’s distance learning will entail.
The school closure plan will be used only if the school is forced to close its doors for a time because of a high number of positives.
Dick is hoping to have few if any actual closings by using the school’s on-site policies regarding the classes. As much as possible, classes will stick together, Dick informed the board members at last Tuesday’s meeting.
“Avoiding close contact will be very tough in individual classes,” said Dick. “But we are going to try to isolate groups
together.”
This plan, keeping students in their own “pods,” should work pretty easily with the elementary students who can fairly easily have classes, recess, and lunch together without intermingling with other classes.
“High school will be a little bit different,” said Dick. “The toughest one for high school is band because band takes most of the high school kids.
“If somebody in band tests positive we’ll probably end up shutting down for two weeks,” said Dick. “No matter what we do, there’s no way we’ll never be able to completely be sure that nobody will test positive for COVID-19.”
