State delays start of school year due to pandemic
The state pushed back the start of the 2020-21 school year Thursday to the week of Aug.
24, an almost two-week delay intended to give districts time to make allowances for the coronavirus pandemic.
Most districts were scheduled to start Aug. 13, per a State Board of Education waiver allowing schools to start before the date prescribed by statute. The state education code sets the start of the school year on or after the Monday of the week of Aug. 19 but not earlier than Aug.
14 or later than Aug. 26, Department of Education Secretary Johnny Key said Thursday at the state’s daily COVID-19 briefing in Little Rock. He’s asked the board to rescind the waiver.
Districts can start as late as Aug. 26 under the plan the state announced Thursday.
Key said the state was confident many districts were prepared for the Aug. 13 start but concerns expressed by some districts prompted the delay. He said the additional time allows for delivery of virtual learning equipment needed for the blending learning environment of in-person and remote instruction districts are expected to adopt for the upcoming school year.
The delayed start also gives districts time to train staff in
virtual instruction, he said.
“It’s nearly an additional two weeks to prepare and stay within the statute,” Key said.
Arkansas Education Association Executive Director Tracey-Ann Nelson said in a statement issued Thursday that planning and funding that should be coming from the state have devolved to local districts. She said the threetiered response system the state unveiled Thursday wasn’t informed by input from teachers, the AEA’s main constituency.
“Educators are known for dipping into their own pockets to ensure students’ needs are met, but they cannot be expected to cover the cost of this crisis,” Nelson said. “Students, educators and their families need funding from policymakers to make safe school and campus reopening a reality.
“Unfortunately, in addition to shifting responsibility to districts, our state officials have also given these districts the ability to cut out teachers and support staff from the decision-making process through a series of statewide waivers. As the people who deal most closely with our kids day in and day out, our educators must be included in any decisions about how we safely reopen our schools.”
Nelson said rapid testing, contact tracing, protective equipment, cleaning and disinfecting standards and internet access for all students need to be in place.
“There must be a detailed statewide plan that anticipates a number of scenarios to ensure student and school employee health and safety,” she said.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said unlike the end of last school year, when campuses closed in March, the infrastructure and expertise are in place for schools to safely reopen next month.
“We have more experience with this virus,” he said. “We are better prepared for online learning and training for the blended learning environment that’s necessary. It’s just a totally different environment that we have right now versus what we had toward the end of last school year.”
Key said the state doesn’t plan to do widespread testing of students, opting instead for testing on a case-by-case basis. The wearing of masks by students will be encouraged but not required, he said.
The University of Arkansas System, which wasn’t affected by Thursday’s announcement, in May told the steering committee that advises the Legislature on how to spend the state’s $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief that it plans to test only symptomatic students.
The committee approved a $28.2 million proposal for testing, protective equipment, cleaning supplies and contact tracing for public and private institutions of higher learning.
Dr. Nate Smith, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, said Thursday that the virus’ spread hasn’t been linked to children.
“Adults are the ones who spread COVID-19,” he said. “Children have not been a major part of that. There may be a biological reason for that.”