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June 23, 2020 Update
Kuna Parents
I have an update for you on our preparations to reopen schools this August and invite you to provide feedback.
Monday, we met via a Zoom town hall with parents who volunteered in last May’s parent survey to review our draft plan to reopen. I was joined by Central District Health Department’s Gina Pannell to help answer questions.
To put it simply, our plan is to reopen with students at school and also offer an online option for families who need this.
Here is a link to the video where I reviewed the draft plan. The district’s draft reopening plan identifies key areas for schools to address in their preparation for next year based one of two conditions:
Yellow: “Proceed with caution @ school.” This is our new normal until a vaccine is developed.
Red: “Stay safe @ home.” This would be deployed if needed because of a closure, but would be very different from last spring.
Some key areas to be addressed in school plans include:
- Prevention including:
- Lessons in hand washing, hygiene, etc.
- Opportunities for frequent handwashing and/or use of hand sanitizer
- Use of physical distancing of students to the extent practical in classrooms, cafeterias, buses, events, etc.
- Recommended use of face coverings by students, staff and visitors as appropriate and practical
- Use of district policy on sick students and staff
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitization
- Integration of digital learning including:
- Assign a device for every student to use in school and take home if necessary during closures
- Use digital learning tools such as Google Classroom and Schoology daily when schools are in session
- Use of virtual classrooms if needed to support physical distancing of students
- Provide an online school option for those uncomfortable attending school in person
- Prepare to shift, if we close, to online education with new learning, graded student work, and daily interactions with teachers
One of the common questions from our town hall attendees was: “Did you consider … “ four day weeks, A/B schedules, morning/evening sessions, etc.” The answer is “yes,” we did. As we reviewed options, we concluded and believe the best option to support learning, students, and our families is to hold school every day and “proceed with caution.”
We know from last year to expect conditions to change and our plans to adapt. We fully expect change and resiliency to be the hallmark of the coming school year. We also know that more than ever, we -- parents, community members, and schools -- will work in partnership as we all do things differently but strive to keep students in school every day working with their teachers.
I invite you to learn more about the draft plan by reviewing the video and the PDF, and please take a moment to share your thoughts on this form: https://forms.gle/ZdnRQktbpHR8CL8PA by 5 p.m. Friday, June 26. We also are working on answers to some frequently asked questions and will share those soon.
Stay safe!
Wendy Johnson, Superintendent
En Español: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/62D7TQ6
Past closure updates from Superintendent Johnson to patrons and employees.
January/February 2020