Dear Central Public Schools Community,
I am writing to you today to give you an update on our learning model. This is going to be a rather lengthy email, but I wanted to give you all the data and information I am working with in making these decisions.
Central Public Schools will remain in distance learning until January 18 for all grades.
On January 18, grades PK-5 will resume in-person learning at the elementary school per the Governor’s Executive Order.
Grades 6-12 will remain in distance learning until the county numbers decrease and I am able to get the go ahead to bring them back in a hybrid or fully in-person.
January 8th and 15th & February 5th and 26th are now designated as non school days to comply with the governor’s executive order. Here is the updated hybrid calendar we will use once we can resume a hybrid at the 6-12 level.
Elementary school families: we have records of the type of learning model your family was in prior to the “pause” this past month. If you are planning to change how your child was receiving school prior to the distance learning pause, please contact your child’s school. We would like to have classrooms prepared if there are any changes.
Please continue reading for background information on these decisions.
Last week Governor Walz announced a significant change in the state guidance for operating elementary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. The updated MN Safe Learning plan prioritizes returning our youngest students to the classroom and allows schools to welcome back students in kindergarten through fifth grade to all-day, every-day, in-person learning in the middle of January. In this order, school districts do not need to take into account the county number of cases per 10,000. Central Public Schools does need to use the county number in determining the learning model for 6-12 grade students along with consultation from our Regional Support Team.
Planning begins
Re-opening classrooms to support up to 100% occupancy will require schools to implement an expanded series of updated health and safety measures. We have been reviewing these measures to determine what resources will be necessary for implementation, and we are beginning to navigate logistical issues like staffing.
Making a choice
Our elementary school parents also must fully understand how schools will operate in a new in-person learning model as well as what changes are ahead for those who choose the distance learning model. As you can see in the expanded safety measures above, some specialist classes and lunch will be held in the classroom. Additionally, all staff in the school will be wearing both shields and face coverings while working with students. Parents should expect that some students working in small groups will have a plexiglass barrier between them and the staff member. Given that the governor’s team says we should prioritize in-person instruction for the youngest learners, we are exploring ways distance learning may change to ensure in-person instruction is, in fact, prioritized.
What about the staffing issues we ran into mid-November
Our single greatest barrier will continue to be staffing challenges in the event of quarantine for positive or close contact situations. All elementary families need to continue to have a back-up plan in place. Most likely entire classrooms will need to be out of school if there is a positive case. If I were going to emphasize one thing it would be that if anyone in the household is experiencing symptoms, get tested and keep everyone home until you receive the results. The elementary school worked through several scenarios where parents were symptomatic and got tested, while at the same time sending asymptomatic children to school (and later were determined to have COVID-19). This is the worst case scenario for us. If the community wants us to remain open, this single variable needs to improve.
Distance learning continues
After our winter break, students will continue in distance learning until January 18. Because the state is only adjusting its guidance for elementary school students, all Minnesota middle schools and high schools will remain in distance learning until case rates meet the state’s thresholds for reopening. We will continue to work with local and state health officials and the Minnesota Department of Education to understand the conditions under which schools would be allowed to bring back middle and high school students to the classroom.
This pivot for elementary students is yet another example of the ongoing necessary adjustments we anticipated when this year began. Once again, I thank you for your continued support, patience, sacrifice and flexibility.
On January 4, the state is allowing high school and youth sports to begin in-person practices. We will follow the safe learning plan guidelines and understand this could seem inconsistent with other reopening efforts and is noted.
What is Central’s actual COVID-19 data?
Our public health partners have identified a downward trend in the most recent numbers but are not yet certain if that represents a shift in cases or just a lull given the holidays. Our district data has naturally declined as students are out of the building, but we are not confident that the data that is being reported during distance learning reflects the actual numbers within our student population. Please continue to call your school nurse to report illness.
Our Carver County data for the most recent reporting period - 11/22-12/5- is 116.61, almost two times the number indicated by the Governor’s Safe Learning Plan at which districts should consider distance learning for all grades. As a district, we have had 72 positive cases since the start of the school year, students and staff combined, with every building in our district impacted. To date, we have had 667 students - 74% of our student body - quarantined either because of a positive case or as a close contact. We’ve seen the same for 82 of our staff - a total of 58%.
You can view our trend data in the following graphic:
The question now on everyone’s mind is when is it safe to bring our 6-12 grade students back for in-person learning. It’s something my entire team has been wrestling with since we made the decision to shift our model to distance learning. The numbers are still very, very high. We believe based on the current public health data that we would again quickly find ourselves in the same situation as last month, concerned about staffing and other impacts due to positive cases and quarantines. Guidance from our Regional Support Team, which includes representatives from the MN Departments of Education and Health, indicates we should see a consistent downward trend in data before we make a shift.
I see in the news there are new CDC quarantine guidelines, that’s sure to help, right?
The unfortunate answer is not really. Yes there are new guidelines, but individuals would need to meet several conditions for it to apply. Moreover, given the “if this, then that” way the guidelines are written, a school district of our size has no realistic chance to implement it. A student in our system could have three different quarantine timelines simultaneously: one for school, one for work and one for sports. This is not reasonable to track. We will continue to work with public health, but until they offer case tracking support we will continue with the 14 day quarantine.
Again, I will be working with our regional support team to determine the return date for all our students. I want to thank you for your continued support and understanding while we navigate this together. If you have any questions or would like to offer feedback, please feel free to reach me by phone or email.
In Partnership,
Tim Schochenmaier
952-467-7000
tschochenmaier@isd108.org