At a Special Meeting of the Douglas County School District (DCSD) Board of Education on Saturday, July 25, we recommended to the School Board that DCSD begin the school year implementing a hybrid learning model which is a blend of in-person learning at school with independent learning and live online instruction (eLearning) at home. The Board voted unanimously to begin the 2020-2021 school year implementing this hybrid learning model with allowance for families to select a 100% eLearning option for their students if they prefer.
DCSD’s Express Check-In process will open tomorrow Tuesday, July 28 at 8:00 a.m. This is where families can register their students for the Hybrid or 100% eLearning option. Your selection will be binding and students will not be able to switch to a different learning option until the end of the first semester.
We recognize that this is a change from prior discussions and proposals, but
current data from the Tri-County Health Department regarding the uptick of positive COVID-19 rates in Douglas County is making it very unlikely that DCSD could welcome all students back to 100% in-person learning next month.
STUDENT ORIENTATION WEEK
The school year will still begin on August 17,
however, the first week of school will consist of student orientation days in which approximately 20% of a school’s students will participate in orientation each day. As a result, each student enrolled at the school will attend one day of in-person student orientation during the week of August 17. Your school leader will be in touch in the coming weeks to inform you of the date your child will be expected to come to school for orientation.
FIRST FULL WEEK OF SCHOOL
On Monday, August 24 the hybrid learning model will begin for students in all grade levels (preschool through twelfth grade). Similarly, students participating in the 100% eLearning option will begin a full day of online instruction on August 24 which will continue each day thereafter consistent with the district’s school calendar.
Students learning through the hybrid model will be assigned to Cohort A or Cohort B
- Cohort A will attend school in-person on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be independent learning from home, meaning students will work on assignments, view pre-recorded lessons from their teachers, etc. (their teacher will be teaching Cohort B in-person on these two days).
- Cohort B will attend school in-person on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mondays and Wednesdays will be independent learning from home, meaning students will work on assignments, view pre-recorded lessons from their teachers online, etc. (their teacher will be teaching Cohort A in-person on these two days)
- On Fridays, all students (Cohorts A and B) will participate in online learning from home. They will receive live online instruction from their teachers on this day.
Your school leader will provide more details in the coming weeks regarding what Cohort your child will be part of and which days he/she will attend school in person.
WHY A HYBRID LEARNING MODEL?
Board Members and DCSD Leadership care deeply about the health and safety of our students and staff. Over the past couple of months, DCSD staff has shared information with our Board of Education from DCSD’s Restart and Recovery Task Force, as well as survey results from staff and parents. The Board of Education has asked tough questions and engaged in productive conversations. Looking ahead to 2020-2021 and planning for the new school year has been an incredible challenge as guidance and data are continuously changing. We are working to balance current data with the need to provide students the public education they need and deserve for a successful future. To say this is a dilemma would be an understatement -- and this dilemma is one that school districts, school leaders, educators and families are grappling with across the United States.
We recognize that students are best served by attending school in person, surrounded by their peers and guided by our talented teachers and support staff. And though 100% in-person learning is not our choice given the current COVID-19 environment, we believe the next best thing at this time is to provide our students and staff with a hybrid learning experience where students can learn in person two days a week, and participate in eLearning three days a week. This will enable us to have smaller groups of students in school each day which makes it more feasible to implement health and safety mitigation measures, allows teachers to continue to build important relationships with their students, and allows students to have some peer interactions.
DCSD Leadership continuously monitors the changing conditions that control how we will conduct school in the 2020-2021 school year and continuously evaluates how best to deliver learning in a manner that addresses the health and safety of DCSD’s students and staff. We had prepared to reopen school using a 100% in-person learning model, along with a 100% eLearning option.
We also were prepared to pivot to a hybrid model or 100% eLearning should health conditions warrant such a change. Now, given the current level of COVID-19 transmission in Douglas County, it is clear that a better approach is to begin school with a hybrid model, and transition to in-person learning when health conditions improve. Several nearby school districts are also re-evaluating their return to school plans with some moving to 100% remote learning and others considering hybrid models.
Relationships are at the heart of a successful DCSD education, and we remain committed to finding ways to connect and support each other. We know you will have many questions and, as decisions are made, we will do our best to provide you with information that will help you and your students.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and partnership.
Thomas S. Tucker, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Douglas County School District
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