Here are the issues Whatcom schools face as they open, which is this week for one district
With the new school year approaching, Whatcom public school districts have put together detailed reopening plans to submit to the state, describing their safety measures and remote learning schedules.
The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is requiring public school districts to submit their plans two weeks before the start of their school years. The plans must cover issues from attendance and schedules to physical distancing and health screenings.
All Whatcom school districts have committed to remote learning at the start of the school year in accordance with a strong recommendation from the Whatcom County Health Department.
Bellingham Public Schools, Lynden School District, Nooksack School District and Mount Baker District plan to start the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 8. Meanwhile, the Ferndale School District and the Meridian School District plan to start on Wednesday, Sept. 2, and the Blaine School District intends to start the year on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Health requirements
Each district must plan for proper physical distancing on campuses and buses, according to planning documents. Students and staff must be able to maintain six feet between all persons with few and limited exceptions.
Although all the districts are planning for remote learning at the start of the year, many are anticipating allowing students to return to campuses as conditions change. When students return, they can expect spaced-out seating and lines in classrooms, drop-off and pick-up zones and when receiving meals, documents show.
Everyone at schools must wear face coverings with few exceptions for those who have a condition preventing them from wearing one, according to the documents. Schools must also have sufficient masks on hand to accommodate those who arrive at campus without a mask.
Additionally, districts must ensure frequent hand washing and conduct daily health screenings for students and staff, according to the documents.
Ferndale School District, for example, will have students and staff complete their health screening through an app that logs the screening data into a daily report for school administrators, their planning document reads. This way, administrators can flag people who have not completed their electronic screening at home and screen them at the school.
Schools must also allow accommodations for high-risk employees, follow cleaning regimens for campuses and buses and report any suspected or known cases of COVID-19 to the Whatcom County Health Department, the documents show.
Education expectations
The districts must also ensure there are 180 instructional days and the required number of instructional hours in their school calendar with some flexibility for potential closures, according to the documents.
Attendance must be taken daily regardless of whether there is in-person, live remote or independent learning, the documents show.
Each district must provide the state with a description of their weekly schedules that conforms to the requirements. Here are the schedules each school described in its planning documents.
Bellingham Public Schools
▪ For elementary schools, there will be live learning four days a week and asynchronous learning, such as prerecorded lessons or independent activities, five days a week with one day reserved for family meetings, office hours and professional collaboration.
▪ For middle schools, there will be daily live classes including two 40-minute live academic classes and one 30-minute live enrichment class. There will also be daily independent learning including one 30-minute independent enrichment block and two 75-minute independent academic blocks with some flexibility for live teaching during these blocks. Additionally, academic teachers will available for office hours daily from 1:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m and enrichment teachers will be available from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
▪ For high schools, there will be daily live classes from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and office hours and other group work from 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Each day will have four class periods, but students will complete eight classes over a semester.
Ferndale School District
▪ For elementary school, students will begin and end the day with Zoom meetings. In between these live learning periods, students will access their Google Classroom, an online learning management system, to work on assigned activities. The schools will also offer physical education and music lessons. Additionally, teachers will suggest activities and art breaks throughout the day to limit screen time.
▪ For middle school, there will be a traditional six-period day including math, science, English language arts, social studies and either physical education, health or career and college readiness class. Students will access their virtual classrooms through Canvas, an online learning management system, and teachers will connect with students via Zoom every class period. There will also be advisory periods throughout the week and students will be encouraged to take breaks for physical activity.
▪ For high school, there will be four periods a day with students taking four classes in their first nine weeks and four different classes in the next nine weeks. High school students will access their virtual classrooms through Canvas and teachers will offer lessons through Zoom. There will also be advisory periods throughout the week and breaks will be encouraged throughout the day to limit screen time.
Blaine School District
▪ For elementary school, there will be six hours of online instruction each day with live and prerecorded or self-directed learning. The last two hours each day will be reserved for elective courses with teacher-directed learning.
▪ For middle school, the instruction schedule will be similar to that of elementary school students but there will be four class periods per day.
▪ For high school, there will also be a similar 6-hour schedule but students will have five class periods per day.
Lynden School District
▪ For elementary school, students learn core subject areas in live online format four days a week. In the afternoon, learning switches to an asynchronous format with prerecorded lessons and activities. One day a week will be entirely prerecorded lessons and activities.
▪ For middle school, there will be live online learning throughout the day in core subject areas and elective classes four days a week. One day a week will be entirely prerecorded with activities provided.
▪ For high school, students will have a daily schedule with four periods that will occur at the same time with direct instruction from teachers. Rather than rotate classes daily, the schedule will rotate classes every four-and-half weeks so students can complete a total of eight classes in a semester.
Meridian School District
▪ Elementary, middle and high school will start the year by learning remotely in a rotating schedule originally envisioned for a hybrid model combing in-person and remote learning. In this schedule, half of students attend in-person classes on Monday and Tuesday, the other half on Wednesday and Thursday and all students learn remotely on Friday. In the fall, students will be grouped accordingly and follow the same general schedule, but without in-person classes until it is safe to do so.
▪ For elementary school, classes will be arranged by content area and there will be class meetings to support students socially and emotionally.
▪ For middle school, students will virtually attend six classes including math and English each day, and science and social studies that will rotate each semester. The last two classes will be rounded out with elective courses that will alternate for each of the two days students are expected to virtually attend class. These elective courses will also rotate two-to-four times in a year.
▪ For high school, students will attend three classes a day for four-and-a-half weeks at a time for a total of six classes. Although students will learn remotely, the general schedule and class groupings will follow a previously planned hybrid model combining in-person and remote learning, enabling the district to transition to this model when it is safe to do so.
Mount Baker School District
▪ The Mount Baker School District has not yet released its planning document, which is not due until Tuesday, Aug. 25. However, the district does intend to provide remote learning in a synchronous and asynchronous format, according to a post on their district website.
▪ For high school, the district plans to have students work on four classes at time. Junior high and high school students can expect their schedules likely a week before school starts, once the district finalizes their weekly schedule, the post read.
Nooksack School District
▪ The Nooksack School District has not yet released its planning document, which is due Tuesday. However, before switching to remote learning in the fall, it planned to offer a remote learning option. In that option, teachers would instruct students with live or prerecorded lessons and there would be group or individual check-ins through Microsoft Teams, an online group management system.
Meeting special needs
Additionally, all schools are expected to help students meet their technology, hardware and connectivity needs to succeed, according to the documents. Each district has approached this differently based on student needs with some offering Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots for checkout.
Schools are also expected to support students who receive incomplete grades and those who require additional support due to their background or condition. Likewise, districts are expected to universally screen students to understand their strengths and needs, according to the documents.
This story was originally published August 24, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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