School board reviews Return to Learn plan
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
Preparations leading up to the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year filled the agenda of the Mount Ayr Community Schools board of directors at their regular meeting held Monday, July 13.
The meeting was the first for new superintendent Jason Shaffer, who officially took over his duties July 1. Shafffer replaces Joe Drake, who retired following 10 years as a shared superintendent between Mount Ayr and Bedford.
Return to Learn plan
Elementary principal Chris Elwood and secondary principal Bill Huntington summarized the district’s Return to Learn plan.
The plan carries three contingencies: fully online instruction model if schools are ordered closed once again; a hybrid online/traditional classroom model; and a fully traditional classroom model.
If schools are closed anytime during the school year, students in kindergarten through second grade would be instructed via the Seesaw online program while students in grades 3 through 12 would utilize Google Classroom. Coursework would be required, attendance would be taken, and grades would be assigned. Students without access to a computer in their home would be assigned one laptop or iPad per family. Cellular hotspots could also be distributed to provide Internet to those without access or with poor access. Elementary teachers would also provide hardcopy packets of materials to anyone who requests them. Emphasis would be placed on teachers producing instructional videos and easily downloadable materials.
The hybrid model would have students split their time evenly between online and in-classroom instruction to limit classroom capacity to roughly 50%. While no schedule has been set in stone, instruction could take place on an AB/AB format Monday through Thursday, with half the students in attendance at school on A days (Mondays and Wednesdays) and the other half coming on B days (Tuesdays and Thursdays). The alternate days would require students to complete online work. Fridays could be utilized for additional individual instruction or makeup days for absences. All other details of a hybrid model would carryover from the fully online model explained above.
At this time both Elwood and Huntington anticipate beginning the new school year in a traditional manner with some limitations. The wearing of masks will not be required for students or staff, but social distancing will be practiced whenever practical. Abundant access to hand sanitizers, repeated opportunities to wash hands, and limiting the sharing of supplies, equipment, and devices are all part of the plan. Elwood remarked the recently completed four-week summer school session was a good trial run for a traditional opening of school in August.
Huntington added that in all cases the district will follow the guidance of Ringgold County Public Health in altering the instructional model as necessary throughout the year.
Other business
In other business related to the upcoming school year, the board:
• approved the hiring of Heidi Kistler as art teacher.
• approved commodity bids from Anderson-Erickson for milk products, Hy-Vee for bread products, and Smith Oil for fuel and propane.
• approved retaining the services of Janette Campbell as board secretary and district business manager and the law firm of Ahlers and Cooney as district legal counsel.
• renewed the transportation, social worker, and human resource director sharing agreements with the Diagonal Community Schools.
• renewed the agreement with MATURA Headstart.
• approved the following bank depositories: The maximum deposit to be $3,500,000 (General Fund) for US Bank, $2,000,000 (School House Fund) for US Bank and $2,000,000 for Wells Fargo Bank of Des Moines, $1,000,000 for Great Western Bank of Mount Ayr, $2,500,000 for Bankers Trust and $500,000 for Iowa Schools Joint Investment Trust.
• approved the elementary and secondary handbooks.
• approved a list of legislative priorities and of the district mission statement.
The board also approved $2185.35 in reimbursement for damage related to the installation of new lighting at the athletic complex.