Crane switching to remote learning
Decision follows Covid-19 outbreaks at multiple sites
In a special work session Wednesday afternoon, the Crane School District governing board voted 4-1 to transition all district schools to remote learning with on-site support services Monday when students return from Thanksgiving break.
Students will learn remotely for the calendar year’s 10 remaining instructional days before the district’s three-week winter intersession commences Dec. 4.
The district’s target date to return to in-person instruction is Jan. 4 when the spring semester begins, though the date is subject to change based on Yuma
County’s COVID-19 trends at that time as well as the recommendation of the district’s administration and the Yuma County Public Health Services District.
The decision to transition to remote learning was not made out of fear, Crane Superintendent Laurie Doering emphasized, but out of proactivity and a priority to protect the community.
“Our schools are microcosms of the community at large, and we are currently experiencing a storm,” Doering said.
According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) county-level benchmarks for schools – which span a previous
two-week reporting period updated each Thursday at www.azdhs.gov/covid19 – substantial transmission of COVID-19 is considered to be anything above 100 positive cases per 100,000 residents. Data released for the week of Nov. 1 showed 304 positive cases per 100,000 residents in Yuma County.
In terms of percent positivity, ADHS deems anything exceeding 10% as substantial; the department’s benchmark data indicated that for the week of Nov. 1, 17.6% of COVID-19 tests administered in Yuma County were confirmed positive.
Hospital visits for COVID-like illnesses are nearing the benchmark for moderate transmission at 4.9% for the week of Nov. 1, according to ADHS. This particular data set represents hospital visits in the western region of Arizona, consisting of Yuma, La Paz and Mohave counties.
According to Doering, the benchmarks are only one data point the district is monitoring.
“We review COVID-19 cases throughout the district on a daily basis to identify areas that may be at risk of an outbreak,” she said. “If at any time we’ve found that a site should transition to remote learning with on-site support services to mitigate potential spread, we worked with the school administrator and local health department on a plan to transition the school to remote learning with on-site support services on an intermittent basis. All school-based staff are prepared to transition to remote instruction with on-site services.”
Last Friday, Crane School District transitioned Salida del Sol Elementary School to remote learning following a COVID-19 outbreak on site. According to ADHS, a site outbreak is defined as “two or more laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among students or staff with onsets within a 14 day period, who are epidemiologically linked, do not share a household, and were not identified as close contacts of each other in another setting during standard case investigation or contact tracing.”
On Monday, Centennial Middle School transitioned to remote learning due to an increase in COVID-19 cases on site. Doering noted that there was not an outbreak in this scenario; the transition was simply precautionary.
Prior to the governing board’s meeting Wednesday, administration was notified of outbreaks at two additional schools – Gowan Science Academy and Pueblo Elementary School – and had deployed the district’s COVID-19 investigative team to investigate a possible outbreak at a third site.
“We understand that this news may bring additional stress to an already stressful situation, and that staff and parents may be wondering if they are possibly exposed,” Doering said. “Our investigation team has confirmed that all staff and students from Gowan Science Academy or Pueblo Elementary that were identified as close contacts after contact tracing have been personally contacted by our investigation team.”
According to Doering, the four-member investigative team thoroughly reviews each case before decisions are made to transition a school to an alternative learning modality. Information regarding active COVID-19 cases on each campus is compiled by the team and updated weekly at www.craneschools.org under “COVID-19 District Response.”
While the district’s intention was to remain open for in-person instruction, transitioning individual schools to a remote learning format based on specific circumstances and needs within each one, the influx of COVID-19 cases within the district and Yuma County pushed administration to explore a districtwide transition.
“We have been working with our local health department to determine the most appropriate instructional delivery model based on the local level of community spread and our plan to mitigate the spread of disease,” Doering said. “They support transitioning to remote instruction. The latest outbreaks are occurring on campuses where we had very few cases since opening on Sept. 22. With Thanksgiving celebrations and the likelihood of family gatherings occurring... we would be naïve to anticipate that the rest of our schools wouldn’t feel the detrimental impact of increased exposures and cases.”
According to Doering, curbside grab-and-go meals will be available to students each day of remote learning. These services will be provided on all district campuses from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. to all children age 18 and younger. Details on additional on-site support services are still being finalized, Doering said.
For school-specific questions, families can contact their child(ren)’s respective schools via phone. Contact information for each district school is available on the district website at www.craneschools.org. Updated information is routinely posted to the website as well as the district’s social media outlets.
“Our mitigation practices depend on the assistance from staff, parents, students and our larger community,” Doering said. “Mitigation efforts are things that we can focus on internally as students and staff walk through the doors. What we cannot control is what is happening outside of our schools. Yuma County’s increase in COVID-19 cases has breached our mitigation efforts. Due to an influx of confirmed COVID-19 cases, outbreaks and exposure reports reported since just Friday of this past week, we have now reached a crucial time to decide what is best for our district as a whole.”
Doering added that she appreciates the emails and phone calls she’s received from staff, parents and community members on the district’s efforts to treat each school individually and make decisions through the lens of students’ best interests.
“I am proud that we were able to offer a choice for all families within our district community for the instructional model that best met their unique needs,” she said. “However, it is with deep sadness but a strong conviction given the current projected metrics of widespread community transmission and increasing numbers in school-impacted cases... that we transition all Crane Elementary School District schools to remote learning. In January, we can reevaluate our landscape.”
The board’s next meeting is slated for Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. The board will examine available COVID-19 data and discuss holding a special meeting before the Jan. 4 target return date to further examine and evaluate community trends.
“As we all maneuver through this unpredictable trail, I want to remind everyone of our collective responsibility to do our best to mitigate the spread of disease,” Doering said. “I commend the staff, the students and the families who have been diligent in communicating any illnesses with us in order to protect others as well as not attending school when they are exhibiting any symptoms.”