Chippewa Valley Schools begin livestream learning
District offers livestream classes for quarantined, at home students
Chippewa Valley Schools quarantined students and those interested in learning from home now have a new option: Livestreamed classes.
“We have flexibility with school attendance this year, according to state law,” Superintendent Ron Roberts said.
Chippewa Valley Schools (CVS) began livestreamed lessons for students on March 29.
“It is not only for quarantined students. Livestream is for students whose parents are concerned about their safety and choose not to sent their child to school,” Roberts said. “We tried to create an option to get us through the end of the year and meet the needs of our families.”
In messages to parents on March 24 district officials announced the plan, indicating that COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Macomb County schools such as Chippewa Valley Schools.
District messages also indicate the district is continuing to monitor COVID-19 cases throughout its schools and if concerning trends or widespread transmission occurs among students, inperson learning could be paused. Schools remained open as of March 24, however.
“We
are
concerned, we always pay attention to the numbers,” Roberts said. “We think doing this (livestreaming classes) will kind of address that issue…We will have some students whose families prefer that they stay home, but they don’t want to miss their education. Participating in livestream will allow us, with the students that remain and want to be in school, to social distance to a greater degree in classrooms.”
At the elementary school level, students can view livestreamed courses in math, English Language Arts, and specials. Science and social studies assignments can be found on Schoology. At the middle and high school levels, livestreaming is offered for every class. Students who join classes via livestream must follow all expectations of classrooms and student codes of conduct. Roberts said teachers will provide links to students for Microsoft Teams, allowing them to livestream their classes.
He added that in order for students not to be marked absent, their families should contact their school and indicate their student will be learning via livestream. Parents of high school students can contact attendance, while middle and elementary parents should contact school offices, Roberts said. He also acknowledged that this will require teachers to once more make adjustments as they teach, blending livestream teaching with in-person teaching.
“Teachers really have had to make adjustments on the fly, and this is another adjustment,” he said. “We hope it will last to the end of the school year. It is beneficial to families and students.”
During the livestreamed lessons, students will be able to view but not directly interact with teachers while classes are in session. Those with questions can email teachers or use designated teacher support times to request assistance.
Students currently enrolled in the Chippewa Valley Virtual Academy (CVVA) will experience no changes in their program. Roberts said these students use a different livestream.
“We have two plans. There is the totally virtual plan and the plan for all other kids. The plan for all other kids has changed over time from remote to hybrid. We have had them full face to face. There are increased cases right now. We think this is best to address the needs of those who need to be in school, that it is the best way for them to learn, that their families feel they need to be in school and those that are not comfortable in a classroom now,” Roberts said.
Students in need of computers can contact their school’s media center. Roberts said that the district has plenty of devices for students who need them,
Quarantine guidelines for K-12 students are determined by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Macomb County Health Department. CVS registered nurses work with the Macomb County Health Department to determine which students must quarantine.