School principals discuss COVID-19 issues with governor and plan for winter



[ad_1]

“It could provide us with some really specific and urgent data and allow superintendents and school boards to know what kind of decisions they should make regarding the learning model,” said Deb Henton, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. .

Henton says it could also help maintain local decision-making power with school districts, avoiding a statewide distance learning decision, as we saw last spring.

Depending on where you are, the number of cases may have stabilized or decreased, while in other places it is increasing with great concern, so the ability to have local control and flexibility is highly valued by members of our organization, ”she said.

In ISD 728, which serves Elk River and surrounding communities, the superintendent says the numbers make school difficult.

“Between October 26 and November 4, more than 1,515 students and 97 staff members tested positive or quarantined due to COVID-19,” Superintendent Dan Bittman said.

He says not even half of the teaching positions and only a third of absent support staff could be covered by substitutes.

“At the end of the day, we don’t have individuals to drive our children to school, to supervise the classrooms or to teach, and when that happens no matter how many positive cases there are, we can’t just not dealing with the education of children, ”Bittman added.

After launching in-person tutoring to students last month, Minneapolis public schools have suspended instruction due to an increase in COVID-19.

Minneapolis Public Schools Suspend After School Support

“While we were happy to offer the brackets, the recent significant increase in COVID-19 necessitates the need to hang the brackets and essentially move our dial back,” said Minneapolis Schools Superintendent Ed Graff.

In ISD 728, the learning model will change next week, high school students will switch to a distance model, elementary school students will go hybrid, but they are probably not alone.

“There is no reason to believe the numbers will slow down anytime before the end of January, which is why we have announced that for now middle school and high school students will remain in a distance learning model. until the end of January, which just happens to be the end of our first half, ”Bittman said.

“I think that would be the case in the majority of districts in the state,” he added.

[ad_2]

Source link