School working on protocol

Decisions are forthcoming

Parents of students, teachers and school staff all want to know what to expect this coming school year.

So do the decision makers. Four of five Pea Ridge School Board members met for an hour before the regular monthly meeting Monday afternoon to hear from school administrators and discuss the plans for the coming year. But, their rulings aren’t dependent only on local decisions.

When Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Secretary of Education Johnny Key announced last week that school would start no earlier than August 24 and no later than August 26, school officials across the state began scrambling to create new calendars.

As Pea Ridge school superintendent Keith Martin explained to board members, that decision affects the entire year’s calendar that has to be restructured.

“We’re developing the calendar now,” Martin said. “We met with principals and leadership… when they moved those seven instructional days, we have to find the days somewhere. We don’t want to go into June.”

He said administrators would reconsider professional development days, parent-teacher days,

holidays and other items on the calendar to create a new calendar for the 2020-2021 school year.

“We’re trying to make it as painless as possible for our families and our staff,” Martin said.

The governor’s announcement July 9 included a quote from the American Academy of Pediatrics: “… all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”

Hutchinson said “districts must also be prepared to shift to other instructional delivery methods should the need arise.”

Secretary Key, in his announcement July 9, said the end of school would probably still be the end of May the beginning of June and that different days off vary with districts around the state.

In Arkansas Ready for Learning, Hutchinson said the policies should be flexible, practical, adaptable, inclusive and accessible.

“After consultation with Secretary Key and his team… start date will be moved forward from Aug. 13 to Aug. 24 … no later than Aug. 26… to give the school districts more time to make the adjustments ready,” Hutchinson said.

“We’re fully committed to school. We’re committed to on-site instruction,” he said.

He shared a document entitled “Response levels for on-site Learning” which was shared with Pea Ridge board members Monday evening. It qualifies the “reality of what happens when there is a positive case in a school environment,” Hutchinson said.

The guidelines established by the state Department of Education includes “limited response,” “moderate response” and “critical response” depending on the “level of spread of the virus in the community,” Hutchinson specified.

Martin and assistant superintendent Anne Martfeld said there are two options for Pea Ridge students — virtual learning and blended learning. Martin said he will not have a “drop dead date” for selection of which option parents must select. He said if no option is selected, students will be in the blended option which could change at a moment’s notice depending on the circumstances with covid-19.

“Blended, it’s what everyone else is doing. It’s the new normal,” Martfeld said. “We should be able to pivot from on-site to online learning… we will have oneto-one devices for students from grades 2 and up.”

Martin said that at this time, it is believed that 4.5 to 5% of the student body will be participating in virtual learning.

“We are not going to deny people to go 100% virtual,” Martfeld said. “I don’t want anyone to be denied credit.”

Board member Mindy Cawthon asked whether teachers had to prepare two different lesson plans — one for on-site and the other for on-line.

Martfeld said no, the administration is working to help teachers to prepare only one lesson plan and adjust how the lesson is delivered.

“We’re waiting to release anything … working through guidelines and the feedback from the meetings last week and it will go through you all. Then, we will put it out to the greater community,” Martfeld said.

“I’d like to see us get it to the teachers a day before we get it out to the parents,” board president Jeff Neil said.

“Most of the teachers know we’re meeting tonight,” board member Jenny Wood said. “They’re waiting to hear.”

Martin said the school will be “strongly recommending that students wear masks” and will “require adults to wear masks.” He said 5,000 to 6,000 paper masks have been ordered as have 8,000 cloth masks. “We’ll have multiple students who won’t want them but will have their own.”

He said visitors will not be allowed on campus except with a scheduled appointment.

Administrators said they are working to make all lesson delivery consistent and to prepare information to educate parents on how to access lessons. Martfeld said whereas the content will be unique, the structure will be the same.

“We’re working on a parent informational packet. Consistency is the key,” Martfeld said.

Martin said school personnel are working to provide “hot spots” for internet in various places around the community, especially on Gann Ridge Road, for families who have limited internet access.

“Lunch will look a little different,” Martin said. “We will be observing social distancing protocols… there will be some eating in the classroom.

“We will have recess. We’re going outside. We will follow social distancing,” he said, adding that school buses will run, but social distancing may be impractical.

Martin also emphasized that if a student or teacher does not feel well, they must stay home.

“If you or your child is running a fever, it’s not the time to give ibuprofen and go anyway,” Martin said.

“Sometimes school is the best thing in a kid’s life — social and emotional well-being,” assistant superintendent Kevin Ramey said, adding that the school districts are deferring to the Arkansas Athletics Association for athletics and activities. “We’re not doing large gatherings.”

Water fountains in the school will be turned off. School supplies will be handled differently without the former protocol of all students bringing items to be shared.

“Gone are the days of everybody using five Expo markers, of grab and share,” Martin said. “While we want to promote sharing, right now, sharing is not something we’re going to be doing.”

Martin said teachers and administrators are working on how to handle open house which may very well be handled virtually.

Martfield also said homeschool students are in their own category and that virtual students are not homeschooled students.

“Homeschool is still an identification all on its own,” she clarified. “I think it’s important to be careful, to clarify, we’re not providing or pursuing homeschoolers because there are very strict guidelines.”

Martfeld also said that special education therapies can be handled online although assessment can not.

School officials said patrons of the school district should stay in touch with the school’s web site and social media for announcements.