Junction City moves forward with students in mind

The Junction City School District is one of five public school districts in Union County that is planning its 2020 - 2021 schedule with health and safety protocols in place to both educate and help protect students, faculty and staff during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Area schools are dipping their toes in tepid waters in preparation for the upcoming school year in the midst of an ongoing public health crisis that stunted the spring semester and has kept students off-campus for five months.

Robby Lowe, superintendent of the JCSD, said the Dragons’ Ready for Learning Plan team has worked the entire summer to come up with learning options that will prepare approximately 700 students enrolled in the district for on-site or virtual classes.

Student orientation was scheduled for Aug. 18. Instruction begins Aug. 24.

Lowe and Jay Green, president of the Junction City School Board, said the effort involved teachers, administrators and residents of Junction City to come up with a plan that best suits the needs of the community.

“The district is offering two virtual options that are supported with district-provided technology,” Lowe said.

Parents and students may choose the Traditional/Blended

Learning Option or the off-site Virtual Learning Option, which comes with a secondary component — Low-Tech Learning to accommodate students who do not have Internet access.

With the Traditional/ Blended Learning Option, students may report to their respective campuses for daily, in-person instruction. The curriculum also includes enhanced learning through digital content and the use of Google Classroom.

The Return to Learning Plan offers “maximum flexibility” for parents and students, Lowe said, adding that the JSCD will adhere to safety guidelines under the guidance of the

Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), the Arkansas Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“For on-site students, we have maximized space in our buildings and classrooms. We anticipate on-site classrooms to have adequate room to achieve distancing when practical,” Lowe said.

On-site students will be expected to practice social distancing, masking and personal hygiene protocols. JCSD has also taken several steps to prepare for the safe return of students, faculty and staff.

“Our older buildings have been retrofitted with hot-water handwashing stations. We’ve also added touchless water-bottle filling stations since communal water fountains will be turned off and covered,” said Lowe.

“We have placed COVID signage (throughout) the district, along with social distancing markings. All staff has been provided appropriate (protective personal equipment) and cloth masks will be provided to all students,” he continued.

Lowe said the district has stocked up on an array of sanitation equipment, including floor scrubbers and touchless hand sanitizing stations, faucets and flush valves in student restrooms.

The JCSD has been on heightened alert for the spread of COVID-19 after reporting two cases on the Dragons’ football team Aug. 5.

Extracurricular activities were immediately suspended and were to have resumed Monday.

“There have not been anymore confirmed positives at this point. All facilities have been deep cleaned and disinfected,” Lowe said late last week.

Students who are enrolled in the Traditional/ Blended Learning program may transition to virtual, or off-site, education at any time.

By Aug. 13, approximately 30% of the JCSD student body had enrolled in virtual education, in which teachers will provide realtime, daily instruction and follow the district’s curriculum with virtual lessons and live classroom teaching via GoGuardian.

Students will use Google Classroom.

For the Low-Tech Learning option, teachers will provide daily instruction through recorded lessons and assignments provided to students on a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive (sometimes called flash-drive or a thumb drive).

“The virtual side of our Return to Learning Plan has some amazing components. Virtual students will be able to participate in class in real-time. They will interact with fellow students who are in class and with the teacher,” Lowe said.

“Students can also elect to complete recorded lessons and submit assignments electronically before midnight each day,” he further explained. “Teachers are diligently working to create engaging blended lessons to accommodate multiple learning styles.”

Green made similar statements, saying, “The work to make the virtual option as flexible as possible and to secure the campus for on-site instruction is a testament to the dedication of the staff of the district.”

“For many, virtual education is a great option. Our ability to provide this to parents with the degree of flexibility we’re offering is amazing,” Green continued.

With another wave of COVID-19 outbreaks predicted for the fall in the United States, Lowe said the JCSD is prepared to pivot to total remote learning if necessary.

“As always, the district is looking for ways to better meet the needs of a diverse community. We pride ourselves on being available to the parents and stakeholders in the community,” he said.

For more information and updates, visit the JCSD website at www. junctioncity.k12.ar.us or the Dragon Educational Network (The DEN) page on YouTube.