Anxiety, excitement as new school year begins
Public schools opened Monday to limited groups of students on first day
WAILUKU — Maui County administrators, teachers, parents and students expressed mixed emotions Monday as public schools began the 2020-21 school year — nearly two weeks late — amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some schools, such as Maui High, dove into distance or online learning Monday, but other schools, such as Wailuku Elementary and Lanai High and Elementary, were allowing students to return in groups this week on select days to get oriented to distance learning.
Nearly all Neighbor Island schools will head to an online learning format next Monday until at least Sept. 11. The exceptions, due to issues with internet reliability, are schools on Molokai, which will implement face-toface and blended learning for the first quarter, and Hana High and Elementary School, which will turn to face-to-face learning for grades kindergarten to 5th grade and a hybrid model for upper grades.
Students and teachers have not had in-person classes since March, when COVID-19 shut down schools statewide.
“I was nervous,” said kindergarten teacher Tami Saito at Wailuku Elementary School on Monday morning.
Saito welcomed five students in one group for orientation this week. She had “mixed emotions” of being nervous yet “excited to make the connection with the students.”
Saito said families did a good job of properly preparing students, who wore masks and exercised social distancing. During morning recess, Saito supervised her class and made sure all students were in their designated “square” to play in.
Saito said she has to be mindful of “where I am and who I’m meeting” because she has family members who are at high risk for the coronavirus. At first, she was hesitant about beginning the school year, but with everyone working together, she felt much more comfortable about teaching and being in school.
Parent Chelsea Fernandez, who has a 4thgrader at the school, said the recent uptick in COVID-19 on Maui had her worried, especially seeing 14 new cases Sunday. Monday’s totals were lower with nine new cases on Maui.
“This morning, I was like, ‘carry your sanitizer in your pocket, wear your mask all the time . . . no high-fiving your friend,’ ’’ she said.
After dropping off her son at school, she said she felt OK but will feel better next week when full distance learning begins. Despite her concerns, Fernandez said she has trust in the school, observing its inner workings as treasurer of the school’s PTA.
Wailuku Elementary had designated drop-off times and areas for students to wait. A staff member was waiting for students to arrive and asked them health questions, such as if they were feeling sick or exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Students also had their temperature checked, Fernandez said.
Prior to last week’s announcement of distance learning for at least four weeks, Fernandez said her son really wanted to be on campus to have “that interaction with his friends.” But she struggled with the idea of him going to school, feeling more at ease with distance learning, especially now that it is the only option.
Fernandez has another child, a 7th-grader at Iao Intermediate School. That son wanted 100 percent distance learning so he could “just wake up and go to class right there on the video (screen).”
The Hawaii State Teachers Association, which has been opposed to face-to-face interactions between students and teachers, did not respond directly to questions about its reaction to the first day of school and on-campus visits by students.
The teachers’ union did have a list of schools across the state that were having students on campus and called the visits “not the brief interactions the DOE has claimed are happening.” The HSTA was concerned about the time students spent on campus, more so on Oahu, which has been logging triple-digit new cases daily.
So far, COVID-19 cases have been reported among staff at six Oahu schools — and none on the Neighbor Islands, according to the DOE’s website.
In response to HSTA’s concerns, the Education Department said Monday afternoon that this week is the first phase of the transition to full distance learning and that schools customized schedules to familiarize students with online learning and technology.
This may include limited inperson orientations and training, a drive-thru system to pick up loaner devices, or a full virtual presentation.
“This week is critical for students who need the added support because next week is the second phase, when schools will be implementing full distance learning for the remainder of the four-week period,” the department said.
Special education services that cannot be provided in a distance learning format will be available in person.
Wailuku Elementary School Principal Nikan Arapoff echoed the department, saying that opening up campuses ensure students are equipped for distance learning.
“There are some families at our school, they were not able to get online. We wanted to make sure we don’t leave them behind,” Arapoff said Monday afternoon, after welcoming about 160 of his school’s 600 students to campus.
Parents and students did have the option to opt out of campus visits.
“It was a good day,” he said. Social distancing markers were set up all around campus, he said. During lunchtime, students picked up their meals and ate them in their classroom.
“We were just grateful we were able to just have today, and the next couple of days, while we still have a fairly secure environment,” Arapoff said.
On Lanai, where there continues to be no confirmed cases among residents, Principal Elton Kinoshita of Lanai High and Elementary School said he had a “lot of anxiety,” about the first day of school.
School staff worked all weekend to get the school and equipment ready, he said. The school has 1,200 face shields for teachers and students and 420 desk shields.
Having school opening delayed from Aug. 4 to Monday was a “godsend,” he said.
As students were welcomed back to campus Monday in designated groups, Kinoshita said it was more about assessment than academics.
“You can miss a week of academics,” he said, but if children are not happy or do not feel safe, they will not learn.
He also wants students to feel comfortable using the distance learning technology before the school transitions to online learning next week. Kindergartners will transition to full online learning Sept 8.
As younger students are learning the ropes of digital learning, high schoolers, such as Maui High senior Behlye Laferriere, jumped into the virtual classroom Monday.
“I have mixed feelings about distance learning. I like being at home and being able to work at my own pace and having a little more freedom than I would in a classroom,” she said via Messenger. “But I am sad that my senior year isn’t the traditional and ideal senior year.”
Her classes include algebra II, sociology, graphic design, human physiology, Spanish II and expository writing.
All her classes Monday were live on Google Meet. There were connectivity issues, which she tried to overcome by notifying teachers or asking questions. Her parents are buying a new wireless router to help with those technical issues.
Laferriere is a cheerleader, but due to COVID-19, there are no practices and the traditional fall sports will not begin until the new year.
“During this pandemic, I have been able to go out and do some things at home, such as tumbling and jumping. But the parts of cheer, such as stunting, is something I miss especially because I am not able to do that at home, alone,” she said.