MINOCQUA – The Lakeland Union High School board of education voted yesterday to adopt a model for the 2020-21 school year that calls for in-person classes, five days a week, with virtual learning at home as a backup plan or as an individual option.
District Administer Rob Way walked the board through the multi-facet plan that outlines various procedures to ward off any COVID-19 threat, including wearing of masks in school if social distancing can’t be achieved. “The purpose of this plan is to provide a framework for opening next fall, “ he said.
In-person learning, five days a week for all new students will be Tuesday, Sept. 1, and for all students on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
The district’s charter school, Lakeland STAR Academy will follow the same schedule. The district administrator said the plan is subject to change, depending on health issues, as well as to better meeting the needs of students, staff and parents. “Everything with this plan is malleable,” he said. “We can’t control everything. As new guidance is received from national, state and local leaders and experts, we will update to reflect the most basic information and guidance so that students and parents know what their options are.” While Way said, “face-to-face instruction is much better than virtual instruction,” students uncomfortable about returning to the physical school can opt for virtual schooling.
In case the school building would be closed (due to COVID-19), the school would switch to remote learning with “live” teacher instruction via the Internet throughout the day. Newly seated board member James Wescott said the administration should put more details out very soon about the virtual schooling option so that students and parents can make an informed decision if they choose that.
A back-to-school planning committee, which followed state Department of Instruction’s guidelines and Oneida and Vilas county health departments’ recommendations along with the school nurse’s input, developed the plan. Way said, “Seventy-six percent of school districts in Wisconsin” are planning in-person instruction this fall. Administration also used feedback from surveys sent to parents and other caregivers to craft the reopening document.
At the meeting onset Karen Simpson and Nicole Filizetti, both parents, addressed the board with concerns and questions, some of which were answered by the discussion of the reopening plan. Wescott said there were “a lot of gray areas” in the document, implying certain administration directions could be misconstrued or challenged. “Keep it black and white as much as possible,” he said. It is “expected” that “students and staff will wear masks in hallways, common areas, etc., but not while seated at desks spaced six feet apart and not while engaging in physical activity,” according to Way.
In many cases, LUHS class size ranges from 15 to 18 students in large rooms, he explained. Students riding buses will also wear masks. In certain cases due to medical issues, required mask wearing could be waived. To minimize time spent at lockers, the administration has reversed its new policy and will allow students to carry backpacks to classes. There will be Plexiglas to minimize contact in specific areas, availability of face shields, and bottle filling stations (no water fountains), along with “deep cleaning” as needed. Parents are urged to monitor their child’s health, especially when it comes to fever, coughing, etc. during the school year. “There will be COVID cases in the communities and school,” Way predicted.
Families should be prepared in case of short-term or long-term closure due to an outbreak of COVID-19. The Oneida County Health Department would do any contact tracing, he added. The administration isn’t planning to do any temperature checking of students arriving at school because of time and training constraints, cost of test equipment and privacy issues.
There will be a fall sports season, however delayed. Some events such as concerts or pep rallies could be cancelled or postponed. Parents are being asked to provide more input by Aug. 7, said Way, adding that the district will put the planning document on their website. His goal is have a 24-hour turnaround time to answer questions.