The Hopkins Board of Education Monday evening voted to continue the hybrid model for school attendance in the middle school and elementaries, but the high school building will be shut down between Wednesday and Dec. 8.
The move follows the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announcement Sunday night in attempts to stem the recent alarming spikes in the Coronavirus. Junior high and elementary students will attend in-person two days a week because studies have shown they are less impacted by Covid-19 and there are fewer issues with child care.
Superintendent Gary Wood pointed out that elementary and middle school students have been said to have better than 90 percent interaction rates with the hybrid.
Hopkins, like Wayland, has followed the hybrid model used by most schools in the Allegan Education Services Agency since the start of the academic year.
One parent, Katie DeMann, presented the other side of the issue to the board. Though she said she understands the teachers and school officials are doing the best they can with limited resources, the hybrid “has been a struggle” for parents.
“I really feel the kids need interaction with their teachers,” insisting rural Hopkins’ technology isn’t up to the challenge of providing children with quality education.
In other business at Monday’s meeting, the board:
- Ratified a one-year contract agreement with Hopkins Education Association. Hopkins teachers also have ratified and representative Jacob Oster told the board, “It had a lot of unknowns” particularly with state budget uncertainty.
- Ratified a three-year master labor agreement with the kitchen staff.
- Approved a rental agreement on the Wise Farm with Timmer’s Family Farms and a three-year land lease with Burton Brenner for the Schwartz property for farming.
- Decided to move its next meeting from Monday, Dec. 21, to Monday, Dec. 14, because the former date is so close to the Christmas holiday.
