“We have surveyed parents online about returning to school, and we received a larger response than we ever have had with an online survey,” said East Jasper School District Superintendent Dr. Nadene Arrington late Tuesday night after a school district board meeting in Heidelberg. “At this point we are looking at the safety of all the students, and we will evaluate it as it goes on.”
Arrington presented to the East Jasper School District Board Tuesday night a plan of action for the upcoming school year. The plan, which the board approved, entails three different learning scenarios for students in the district. School is set to begin in the district on August 10, but not all students will be returning to the ‘traditional’ campus setting.
The district has announced three options for learning -- traditional instruction, hybrid instruction, and ‘Oiler Academy’ (complete online learning) -- to all be used at the same time. Traditional instruction, described by Arrington, is face-to-face learning with a teacher. Hybrid combines face-to-face instruction with a teacher several days a week with the addition of online instruction on days where face-to-face is not in place. "Oiler Academy" is completely on-line education. Parental guidance is required, and live streaming education and Google Classroom is in place with monitored student check-ins and time spent on educational work with hybrid and Oiler Academy. All three instruction methods will be used at the same time during the beginning of the school year with different age groups.
According to Arrington, students in Pre-K through second grade will return to a traditional campus atmosphere with face-to-face learning from an educator on August 10, two to three days a week. Those students and staff will observe social distancing, and masks will be required for all staff and students. Students in third through twelfth grade will not be on campus and will follow Oiler Academy, the complete online version of school. With Oiler Academy students are to follow a daily class period schedule, and parental guidance is required with live streaming and Google Classroom learning modules.
Later, on August 24-28, the district expects to somewhat delve further with students in the traditional classroom. Students in Pre-K through second grade are expected to be in a traditional classroom setting five days a week. However, third through twelfth grade students will continue to work completely online off campus. When on campus for any reason, students or visitors should wear a protective mask.
On August 31, Pre-K through second grade is anticipated to continue five days a week on campus, and third grade through twelfth grade will be using the hybrid option or the Oiler Academy option.
Those are the plans the district has in place until the end of August, and Arrington maintains the school year will be a work in progress.
“We are concerned about all of our students and parents, and there has been a rise in the virus in several area states,” she said. “Our main concern is the safety of our students and those around them.”
Arrington went on to say that devices for students doing hybrid and online learning are available for check-out from the school.
In the case of an emergency closure of the school district, Oiler Academy will be the mode of educational instruction. For families who do not have internet access, printed learning packets will be provided.