Crane board votes to resume in-person learning Sept. 22
During a special meeting Monday evening, the Crane School District governing board voted to reopen district schools for in-person instruction on Sept. 22 in order to give teachers one full week to prepare.
During the board’s regular monthly meeting last week, Oct. 1 was proposed as a “hypothetical target date” for reopening – however, board members voiced concern that the date was too close to parent-teacher conferences, which will take place Oct. 6-9, and fall intersession which commences the following week.
On Monday, Superintendent Laurie Doering reiterated that Crane’s return to traditional in-person learning was intended to align with Yuma County’s fulfillment of the “minimal” benchmark criteria set by the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), which differs from the “moderate” benchmarks districts implementing a hybrid model are following in requiring COVID-19 case counts to be fewer than 10 per 100,000 residents with the overall positivity rate and percentage of COVID-related hospital visits fall at or below 5%, all maintained for two consecutive week.
Based on the latest data from ADHS, Yuma County’s cases per 100,000 were 40 for the week of Aug. 30 and 35 for the week of Aug. 6. According to Doering, these numbers have “dropped substantially” since July 19, when the report was 293. Currently, however, this benchmark remains unmet.
After peaking from 2.8% to 10.1% the week of Aug. 23, ADHS reported Yuma County as having a 5.1% positivity rate Sept. 6. Doering added that the data for COVID-related hospital visits is also “trending incredibly low.”
These measurements are anticipated to be part of ADHS’ weekly reports to be released Sept. 17 and Sept. 24. This information is accessible at azdhs.gov/covid19.
“Yuma is one of four counties (including Gila, Graham and Mohave) who have not yet quite met the established benchmarks set by the Arizona Department of Health Services,” said Doering. “Many schools across the state are reopening, leaving some wondering why Yuma has not responded in the same manner. The metrics for most of the counties across Arizona are favorable for reopening, but Yuma County is one of the few who have not yet or previously met the established benchmarks.”
According to governing board Clerk Brenna Paulin, domestic violence, childhood hunger and mental health issues among children have been on the rise since school closures commenced in March. Reports of domestic violence in particular have plummeted, she said, because 70% of these reports come from school staff who provide “a critical lifeline for vulnerable families.” Alerts of mental health issues also often come from the observation of school staff, Paulin pointed out.
“While the official job of schools is to educate kids, every one of us knows that academics is only the tip of the iceberg that is public education,” Paulin said. “We provide a safe haven where kids are loved, nurtured, monitored, fed, appreciated, entertained, allowed to play in fresh air, learn life lessons, laugh and find joy. Our families are in crisis. I was elected to represent the families of Crane and the education of their children; every day our schools remain closed is a day I feel I am failing my job, and it is weighing heavily on me.”
Paulin proposed reopening district schools for in-person, teacher-led instruction Sept. 21. To allow teachers a full week to prepare their classrooms, the motion was made to reopen schools Sept. 22.
“Tw o months ago, at the peak of the pandemic, I would never have even considered proposing a return to school,” Paulin said. “But we are in a different situation now and very close to meeting the (ADHS) metrics. The community of Yuma took things seriously, masked up, self isolated and, by many measures, has taken back our town. People are asking, ‘Why now? Why not hold off until the metrics are green?’ I ask that they weigh the data alongside the community successes we are seeing.”
“A number of local schools, including daycare centers and preschools, have opened with no reported viral spread,” Paulin continued. “Crane Schools has adopted a strong mitigation plan based on public health guidelines. We opened our campuses on Aug. 17 to staff and students participating in our on-site support and, again, had no reported viral spread.”
Paulin emphasized that students are not being forced back into the classroom.
Families uncomfortable with sending their children back to campus are still afforded the option for online-only instruction via the Crane iLearning Academy as well as remote, school-connected learning where resources are available as outlined in the Crane Mitigation Plan, available at craneschools.org/Fall20201.aspx.
As feedback garnered from recent district surveys indicated that a number of families do wish to continue with virtual learning rather than returning to their respective campuses, Paulin said the density of students physically attending would also be lessened, contributing to a safe environment.
“As board members, our job is to make the best decisions possible for the families we were elected to represent,” she said.
“Families will differ in their choice of instruction formats based on the family’s situation and needs,” said board member Terre Catanzaro. “You have my utmost respect for making the decision that best fits your family’s needs. Whether or not you choose to place your children in an in-person school environment or if your children remain in an online learning scenario, I don’t have to know your decision. I honor that decision, and you have my respect.”
While governing board President Sarah Claridge opposed the decision in favor of granting teachers more preparation time than one week, the votes of Paulin, Catanzaro and board members Jim Colby and Dan Farar established Sept. 22 as the district’s official reopening date.
Monday’s meeting can be viewed at craneschools.org/CESDLive.aspx and vimeo.com/456315174.
“We provide a safe haven where kids are loved, nurtured, monitored, fed, appreciated, entertained, allowed to play in fresh air, learn life lessons, laugh and find joy. Our families are in crisis. I was elected to represent the families of Crane and the education of their children; every day our schools remain closed is a day I feel I am failing my job, and it is weighing heavily on me.” — Brenna Paulin, Crane School Board Clerk