Superintendent John Kellogg today announced that families are being requested to participate in a survey developed in partnership with Battelle to help inform district decisions regarding the 2020-21 academic year.
“We e-mailed the survey to all families this past Thursday, June 18,” Kellogg said. “We appreciate their willingness to provide feedback, so with the weekend ahead of us, we’re hoping to achieve close to a 100 percent participation rate by June 23.”
Kellogg said that while families are being asked to reply only once to the survey, it has been structured so anyone with multiple students can share their opinions regarding each child’s return to school.
District teams over the past several weeks have been working on a responsible plan for reopening. The plan is being developed using information already collected from parents/guardians, students and staff, as well as new information obtained from the latest family survey. The district also launched a weekly electronic newsletter for families this week regarding the 2020-21 school year.
School leaders are planning for the opening of school under the premise that there will still be a virus in the fall, there will not be a vaccine by the time school is set to open, and there will be an expectation for teaching and learning to continue. Therefore, a return to school will occur under one of three possible scenarios: 1) Schools reopen under a 100% distance learning model; 2) Schools reopen under a 100% in-person instructional model; and 3) Schools open under a hybrid model with some in-person instruction and some distance learning.
“As of today, there are about 300 various components we are working through regarding our return to school,” Kellogg said. “Things can change rapidly and unexpectedly with the next state order or guidance from health officials, so everything we’re doing now will allow us to be ready to respond to changing conditions and keep families informed as much as possible.”