The West Jasper School District last week laid out early and specific plans for the upcoming school year with the thought of COVID-19 heavily on its mind. Students within the district are expected to return to a traditional campus at Bay Springs and Stringer five days a week, with health and safety guidelines in place, as well as with masks on their faces . . . at least for the time being.
The date of return to a traditional campus has been set for August 6. Students were vacated from the 2019-20 school year in March due to the virus.
Even though a return date to the campuses has been established, the district announced Monday there is an alternative for those who do not wish for their children to return to campus. It will require on-point cooperation from students and their parents, and accountability measures will be in place.
West Jasper School District Superintendent Warren Woodrow explained Tuesday afternoon there is an ‘opt out’ of traditional school for parents with students in the district to consider, but it is not one he recommends.
Woodrow says it is essential, especially with younger children beginning to learn how to read, that students return to a traditional setting on campus to be educated in person with teachers.
“I and we, the board, feel like it is absolutely critical that children be in a classroom receiving in-person instruction, and it is especially critical that the elementary children who have already missed significant class time, talking about our emerging readers, that they be remediated and continue their education,” Woodrow explained. “I am very concerned about their reading level. There are some research out there that say it takes years to make up for the time they would have missed. So, I am very concerned with the young children . . . concerned about all, but especially those in their formative years. They are at a critical, formative time. These children are going to suffer tremendous damage, I’m afraid, in their education process, if we don’t get them back in front of a teacher.”
The ‘opt out’ for parents in the school district is definitely an alternative, especially for those concerned or possibly frightened to send their children back to school due to COVID-19, but it is not an option that will eliminate student and parent responsibility with the school district and state.
“We are going to offer those parents that option if they don’t feel safe sending their children to school, or if their children have underlying health issues, we’ll have an ‘opt out’ form,” Woodrow said. “Parents will be informed that any type of alternate education is going to be inferior to an in-person education where a teacher and a student have a chance to interact face-to-face. Additionally, for those children (who opt out), we will have a process where they will have to come to our facilities to take tests where we will safely social distance.”
Parents of students who choose to opt out of the traditional routine should also expect to use Google Classroom, if they are within an acceptable internet range. Otherwise, a paper-and-pencil package will be sent to the parents of the students, or a combination of the two (packages and online) will be used during the education process.
“The age of the child, the subject matter, and their ability to get online will be factors that will have to be worked out,” Woodrow mentioned. “Grading is an issue, so tests will be taken in proctor at our facilities.”
Also, no student involved in the ‘opt out’ program will be eligible for sports activities or traditional ‘in-school’ extracurricular activities.