CV superintendent reports reduction in quarantines, remains cautious
Chippewa Valley reduces physical education graduation requirements
Chippewa Valley Schools administration remained cautiously optimistic about returning to a standard school schedule in April, as reduced quarantine numbers were reported on March 29.
The Chippewa Valley Schools Board of Education met in person on March 29 at Chippewa Valley High School in Clinton Township, with the community able to join virtually.
Superintendent Ron Roberts provided the board with an update regarding district COVID-19 cases and quarantines. The board approved a two-phase plan for in-person students on March 3. Phase one was scheduled for March 10 to April 16. Phase two was scheduled for April 19 to June 15, the end of the school year. Elementary school students returned to a traditional schedule on March 10, with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning on March 12, 19 and 26 as well as April 16. The plan was for these students to transition to a standard five-day per week in-person schedule. The secondary level began phase one on March 15, a four-day in-person schedule including remote Fridays.
Six classes are held for about 45 minutes daily and a support period is held at the end of the school day. Phase one does not include secondary level in-person lunches, although lunch and breakfast are provided. Phase two includes a return of secondary students to a full-faceto-face traditional schedule by April 19. On March 29, the district additionally launched live streaming for students who are quarantined or who elect to remain home from in-person classes.
Roberts discussed data for elementary, then secondary students. Data for each of these groups was broken into two segments — the week of March 15-22, and the week of March 23-29.
“So in the first week in our elementary schools we had 25 total cases of COVID. And it ranged across our 12 schools of zero to eight cases. And across those 12 schools with the zero to eight cases we had anywhere from two to 13 students in quarantine, with, coming to a total of 124 cases across our school district,” Roberts said. “In the second week which would have been through today, across our 12 elementary schools we had anywhere from zero to four cases with a total of eight. The zero to four cases produced one to 20 quarantines across our district for a total of 98 quarantines across our elementary schools.”
In discussing middle and high school cases and quarantines, Roberts said that Mohegan High School was not in the data, as that school’s cases and quarantines have been minimal.
“The first week in our middle schools and high schools, that is six buildings, we had anywhere from four to 23 cases for a total of 50 across our district. Those four to 23 cases across six schools produced anywhere from 19 to 431 quarantines, for a total of 921 students in quarantine. In the second week, which concludes today, so this is last Tuesday through today. In our six buildings we had anywhere between two and 15 cases for total of 50 again,” Roberts said.
He added that across six buildings, there were anywhere from 10 to approximately 184 quarantines for a total of 608 as of March 29.
“So from last week to this week our quarantines are reduced. In some cases it is still too high of a number. But it is reduced,” Roberts said.
Roberts added about 1,100 secondary level students that are quarantined or choosing to remain at home are using the live streaming. This is about 13 percent of the secondary school total district population, Roberts said. He did not have the numbers for elementary students.
“So that is 13 percent of our students are in live streaming. So taking our attendance from last Thursday to today we had 900 kids return today,” Roberts said. “Four schools have increased or improved attendance from last Thursday to today with an improvement of anywhere from five to 10 percent of students being in. Two schools’ attendance went down from last Thursday, today with a decrease of either three percent or 10 percent.”
Roberts further said although some of the numbers are higher than preferred, the district has created options for students.
“Cases in the community have upticked,” Roberts said. “We know that. They may go the other way, they seem like they eventually do.”
Roberts said that administration is monitoring numbers as April 19 and a return to full school schedules approach.
“Now having said that, for anyone who might be listening, no decision has been made. Nor have we sat down and said to each other this is what we absolutely need to do. Because there is time right now and we need to pay attention to how, what is going on with COVID before we make that decision,” Roberts said.
He did not rule out the possibility that the board could meet prior to April 19 to make decisions about the return.
“I do not want anyone listening to think that it is imminent that anything is going to change from our current plan. Nor is it carved in stone that the next step of that plan will occur. We are where we are and we will make the best decision, if it needs to be different than what is scheduled right now, before April 19,” Roberts said.
Trustee Robert Wojtowicz requested data regarding the percent that tested positive. He also asked for numbers regarding students who had tested positive, specifically what percent became hospitalized. He said this type of information should factor into district decisions.
President Frank Bednard said board bylaws indicate that to make such a request of administration, at least three other board members would have to agree with the request, however Wojtowicz could put the request in an email to himself and Roberts.
During the March 29 meeting, the board also approved two motions relating to physical education requirements. First, the board approved reducing the physical education graduation requirement for the classes of 2021 and 2022 from one credit to .5 credits.
“Chippewa Valley schools current graduation requirements for physical education exceed guidelines outlined by the Michigan Merit Curriculum, which allows graduation with .5 credit in physical education. This adjustment eliminates one potential barrier to qualifying for on time graduation due to the disruption in education caused by COVID-19,” Roberts said. “And I would like to make one comment. This is not reducing our standards. This is only to address the situation in which due to COVID students could not take these classes. But the bulk of our graduation requirements, the total number of credits required to graduate all remain in place.”
The board further approved permanently reducing the physical education graduation requirement from one credit to .5 credits, applying to all district students starting with the class of 2022. Roberts said the current graduation requirements for physical education exceed guidelines of the Michigan Merit Curriculum, which permit graduation with .5 credits in physical education.
“This change would create space in student schedules allowing for greater choice in course selection including options for additional higher-level physical education courses. High school administration and counselors support this revision to CVS graduation requirements,” Roberts said.
Also on March 29, the Chippewa Valley Schools Board of Education:
• Approved awarding a contract for video storage equipment. The board awarded a contract to AVI Systems, Inc. totaling $83,327.56 for the purchase and installation of a new video storage array, or SAN, and associated equipment. The project will consist of the purchase and installation of a new video storage system. The system will integrate with existing video editing system or AVID, which is currently used in the community relations department. Funding will come from the 2018 bond issue program for the purchase, and the project will begin this spring.
• Approved waiving Michigan Merit Exam (MME) testing requirements as a graduation requirement for the class of 2021. Roberts said that this was because the spring 2020 school-day administration of the SAT, ACT, WorkKeys, and MSTEP were cancelled due to COVID-19 in spring 2020.