Returning to School During the COVID-19 PandemicSuperintendent Amended RecommendationJuly 21st, 2020

Overarching Goals

Goal 1• Create a safe, return to school environment for students

and staff, where students can actively participate in learning, having their physical and social-emotional needs met in their selected learning approach (hybrid or virtual).

Goal 2• Ensure that every student is able to actively engage in their

selected learning approach (hybrid or virtual), build positive relationships, and demonstrate academic gains.

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Why So Challenging?• Understandable anxiety about health risks for adults and children

• Understandable anxiety about loss instructional time and learning

• Lack of clarity and inconsistent messaging from political leaders and health experts

• Media and social media greatly impacts our thoughts and reactions

• Decisions of other school divisions

• COVID-19 is not clearly understood how it impacts children and adults in a school setting

• No clear metric right now on what determines low, moderate and high risks communities

• Virtual learning and equity concerns

• This is all very new and answers are not as clear as we would all like

• People in Stafford have very strong and diverse beliefs 3

Considering Risk Factorsin Reopening Schools

Lowest Risk • Virtual-only classes, activities, & events

More Risk

• Small, in-person classes, activities, & events.• Students stay with the same teacher, at least

6 feet apart, & objects are not shared• Includes hybrid virtual/in-person class

structures, or staggered/rotating schedules to facilitate social distancing.

Highest Risk

• Full-sized, in-person classes, activities, & events.

• No social distancing, shared classroom materials/supplies

• Students move between classes & activities4

Cloth Face Coverings (Masks)

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• Students, staff and visitors will be required to wear face coverings at all times in all schools, classrooms, buses, and facilities as developmentally appropriate unless exempted due to a medical condition.

• According to the CDC (2020): • “Cloth face coverings should not be placed on:

Young children under age 2;Anyone who has trouble breathing;Anyone who is unconscious or incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.”

• Employees who work in individual offices and areas may remove the face mask when they are alone.

• When appropriate, face shields will be utilized by staff and/or students to meet student and staff needs.

Key Principles for School Re-Entry

• “School policies must be flexible and nimble in responding to new information, and administrators must be willing to refine approaches when specific policies are not working”.

• “It is critically important to develop strategies that can be revised and adapted depending on the level of viral transmission in the school and throughout the community and done with close communication with state and/or local public health authorities and recognizing the differences between school districts, including urban, suburban, and rural districts.”

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(American Academy of Pediatrics: COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry, June 25, 2020)

Factors Driving Final Recommendation on July 14th

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• Build in time to provide emotional and logistical support.• Time for parent engagement and orientation programs• Time to support student transitions and provide orientation programs

(Kindergarten, 6th, 9th grades)

Student and Family Needs

• Time for building/teacher collaboration to plan & locally design on-line learning• Sufficient time for transportation to create, pilot, and adjust bus routes• Sufficient time for distribution of Chromebooks/other technology devices• Creation of school schedules & amendment of IEPs/504s

Staff Needs

• Time to maximize mitigation strategies• Provide the time necessary to assess Covid-19 local and state health data to

determine any trends that might impact our plansHealth Assessment

• Honor contractual obligations• Adhere to the division’s budget

Fiscal Responsibility

Factors Driving Amended Recommendation on July 21st

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• Time to maximize mitigation strategies• Provide time to assess Covid-19 impact on children and adults in a school setting• Provide targeted F2F instruction for certain students based on individual needs

Student and Family Needs

• Time to maximize mitigation strategies• Provide the time necessary to assess Covid-19 impact on children and adults in a school setting• Provide alternative funding sources to help support childcare expenses

Staff Needs

• Time to maximize mitigation strategies• Provide time to assess Covid-19 impact on children and adults in a school setting• Provide the time necessary to assess Covid-19 local and state health data to determine any trends

that might impact our plansHealth Assessment

• Honor contractual obligations• Adhere to the division’s budget• Obtain a commitment from the County to fund all Covid-19 related costs to support a Hybrid

and/or Virtual model including childcare, additional personnel, and mitigation strategies Fiscal Responsibility

• Movement towards 100% VirtualLocal School Board Return to School Plans State-Wide

Projected Additional Unfunded Costs

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*Amounts shown are annual costs.

*Amounts are estimates and subject to change.

Description Hybrid 100% VirtualEnhanced Contracted Cleaning 1,250,000$ 750,000$ Transportation Costs 400,000 - Additional Counselor Hours 98,000 98,000 Altered Meal Distribution in School 40,000 40,000

Supplement Childcare Costs for Staff 1,500,000 500,000 Additional Instructional Needs 880,000 880,000 Supplement Nutrition Fund Balance 750,000 1,250,000 Total Projected 4,918,000$ 3,518,000$

Annual Cost

Continual Improvement and Evaluation of Our Plan

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Health Data

• Local and State health data in consultation with RAHD

• Research and data on Covid-19 in a public school setting

• Number of times a class, school and/or the division closes due to Covid-19 in consultation with RAHD

Academics

• Student engagement and attendance (logs, phone calls, log-in time, etc.)

• Student progress monitoring (task or product based)

• Staff engagement • Staff and parent survey to

evaluate effectiveness

Staff Calendar (No Changes from July 14th)

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Calendar

New staff report

August 3rd

Existing staff report

August 10th

Instructional calendar begins

August 31st*

*Except preschool

Instructional calendar

ends June 16th

(Graduation June 12th)

Preschool

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• During the weeks of August 24th and 31st staff will collaborate among themselves and with parents to discuss instructional delivery model options appropriate for preschool children.

• September 8th an instructional model(s) will be implemented.

• Instructional options could include: • Face to face instruction • Home visit instruction • Virtual instruction • Home learning packages

• Medical or parental exemption requests for 100% virtual will be honored for students

K-12 Vertical AlignmentVirtual Model

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Maintains same schedule regardless of fluctuations in health conditions.

Design of division-wide instructional model to move seamlessly from all virtual to hybrid learning and vice-versa.

Allows students and families to stay connected with peers, a teacher, and their school.

Maintains same pacing for ALL student learning, with flexibility for differentiation.

Elementary School

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• 100% Virtual Instruction for all students from August 31st to October 1st except those in the exempted categories.

• Face-to-face orientation program for students and families during the weeks of August 24th and 31st scheduled by the building principal.

• Health and academic data analysis will occur on September 21st to determine if Hybrid Model/100% Remote Option should begin on October 6th.

• On September 24th the superintendent will announce his decision.

• Exempted categories would include:• Special education as determined by the IEP,• English Learners Level 1 & 2, • Other students as determined by building principals. and• Students with significantly weak or no Internet connectivity.

Elementary SchoolSample Schedule

Synchronous Days (T/W or Th/Fri)

Shift 1 Shift 2 Content

8:00-8:20 9:00-9:20 Morning Meeting

8:20-9:50 9:20-10:50 Language Arts

9:50-11:00 10:50-12:00 Math

11:00-11:45 12:00-12:45 Recess/Lunch

11:45-12:15 12:45-1:15 Science/Social Studies

12:15-12:45 1:15-1:45 Encore/Exploratory

12:45-1:00 1:45-2:00 Review for At-Home/Virtual (*Asynchronous Assignments

Asynchronous Days(M and either T/W or Th/Fri)Morning Meeting 8:00-8:20 (Shift1) 9:00-

9:20 (Shift 2)

Literacy 45-60 Minutes

Math 30-45 Minutes

Science/Social Studies 15-30 Minutes

Encore/Exploratory (Art, Music, PE, Library)

15-30 Minutes

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Middle School

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• 100% Virtual Instruction for all students from August 31st to November 5th except those in the exempted categories.

• Health and academic data analysis will occur on October 26th

to determine if Hybrid Model/100% Remote Option should begin on November 11th.

• On October 28th the superintendent will announce his decision.

• Exempted categories would include:• Special education as determined by the IEP,• English Learners Level 1 & 2,• Other students as determined by building principals, and• Students with significantly weak or no Internet connectivity.

Middle SchoolSample Schedule

Synchronous Days (T/W or Th/Fri)

Asynchronous Days(M and either T/W or Th/Fri)

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Block Time

Class Meeting & Block 1 10:00 - 11:10 am

Block 2 11:15 - 12:15 pm

Lunch 12:20 - 12:50 pm

Block 3 12:55 - 1:55 pm

Block 4 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Block Time

Class Meeting & Block 1 10:00 - 11:10 am

Block 2 11:15 - 12:15 pm

Lunch 12:20 - 12:50 pm

Block 3 12:55 - 1:55 pm

Block 4 2:00 - 3:00 pm

*Most students will take six classes for the semester in an X/Y hybrid block model, with some semester long courses and some year long courses.

High School

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• 100% Virtual Instruction for all students from August 31st to November 5th except those in the exempted categories.

• Health and academic data analysis will occur on October 26th to determine if Hybrid Model/100% Remote Option should begin on November 11th.

• On October 28th the superintendent will announce his decision.

• Exempted categories would include:• Special education as determined by the IEP,• English Learners Level 1 & 2, • Certain CTE and STAT courses, • Other students as determined by building principals, and• Students with significantly weak or no Internet

connectivity.

High SchoolSample Schedule

Synchronous Days (T/W or Th/Fri)

Asynchronous Days(M and either T/W or Th/Fri)

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Block Time

Class Meeting & Block 1 10:00 - 11:10 am

Block 2 11:15 - 12:15 pm

Lunch 12:20 - 12:50 pm

Block 3 12:55 - 1:55 pm

Block 4 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Block Time

Class Meeting & Block 1 10:00 - 11:10 am

Block 2 11:15 - 12:15 pm

Lunch 12:20 - 12:50 pm

Block 3 12:55 - 1:55 pm

Block 4 2:00 - 3:00 pm

*Most students will take four classes for the semester in a 4x4 block model, with the exception of certain year-long courses, where the student could have more than four.

Parent Return to School SurveyTop 3 Concerns for Fall Semester 2020 (June 2020)

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Value Percent CountInternet issues (No access or slow/unreliable access)

6.1% 568

We need a personal computing device or additional devices (Chromebook, laptop, or desktop)

12.4% 1,156

Whether or not my child(ren) will make sufficient academic progress

76.4% 7,136

Childcare Needs 19.9% 1,855

Having the needed materials (pencils, paper, etc.) for any level of at-home learning

2.6% 241

What the school experience will be like with social distancing

66.9% 6,251

Access to sports, music, and extracurricular activities

44.7% 4,179

Parent Return to School SurveyInitial Preferences for Virtual Only Model (June 2020)

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27%

3%4%

65%

Yes, for my students at all grade levels

Yes, for elementary only

Yes, for secondary only

No, I want as much in-person instruction as possible

72%

28%Hybrid Virtual

n=13,966

n=5,561

Supplemental Registration Form Overarching Requests for Hybrid or Virtual

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70%

30%

Hybrid Virtual

n=5,420

n=2,345

Elementary School Program SelectionRequests for Hybrid or Virtual

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70%

30%

Hybrid Virtual

n=3,443

n=1,444

Middle School Program Selection Requests for Hybrid or Virtual

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74%

26%Hybrid Virtual

n=5,113

High School Program Selection Requests for Hybrid or Virtual

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n=1,772

Staff Feedback on Timelines24 Hour Pulse Survey on Beginning Hybrid Model

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739, 22%

596, 18%

802, 24%

1,210, 36%

Begin the school year with two weeks ofvirtual with some face to face optionswith the full launch of both the Hybrid (2days a week of face to face) and Virtualinstructional options on September 9th.

Virtual instruction only for all students,with certain exceptions based on studentneeds, until at least October 1st, with theplan to reevaluate in advance of theSeptember 22nd Board Meeting.

Virtual instruction only for all students,with certain exceptions based on studentneeds, until November 3rd, with theoption of a hybrid model beginning afterthe first quarter.

Virtual instruction only for all students,with certain exceptions based on studentneeds, until the second semester.

n=3,347

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• Staff will be better versed in virtual instruction.• Students will be provided greater flexibility and multi-

modal delivery models.• Learning disruptions due to illness, long weather

closings, and other potential disruptions will be minimized.

• Greater potential for vertical and horizontal instructional and professional development articulation.

• Greater potential for school divisions to collaborate and leverage experts in many different fields.

• Other

Thinking PositivelyAbout 100% Virtual

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