Hopkins Public Schools officials have outlined a “back to school” plan for the next academic year starting in late August.
Superintendent Gary Wood told school board members students are scheduled to meetin person on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week and reserve Wednesdays for on-line instruction only. Those not comfortable with in-person classes will be given options for virtual instruction.
Wood cautioned, “Do we have all the answers? No, we do not… We know what’s required. This plan was designed with safety in mind.”
The superintendent acknowledged that on-line instruction is encouraged in an effort to keep the student numbers down inside buildings and classrooms.
“There also are concerns about how to handle the youngest students in elementary grades and special education,” Wood added. “But this is something we need to attempt to do.”
Elementary Principal Scott VanBonn said the lowest grades do not have enough technology to accommodate grades K-2.
Wood said he is aware of complaints about virtual leaning last spring, but quoting board member Karen Ryan, “This remote instruction is not what was done last spring.”
The superintendent said, “I’ve gotten a lot of letters from parents who say they won’t send their kids to school if they have to wear masks.”
Ben Brenner said, “Some kids feel that they can’t succeed with virtual learning,” especially those enrolled in advanced placement classes.
Wood was asked what would happen if one student tested positive for COVID-19. He replied that the student would be quarantined and “We would follow the guidelines of the Health Department.”
The superintendent already has purchased hand sanitizer and thermometers and is encouraging members of a local church to provide as many as 2,000 masks.
The Hopkins back to school plan must submitted to the Allegan Area Education Services Agency on Aug. 15.
Seriously? Why bother with taking one day a week off? What does that protect? It’s on on the third day of contact in a row that you can spread the disease? Either acknowledge that full in person instruction is too dangerous and go online or pretend it isn’t and just go back.
Everyone is talking about how the teaching will be conducted in order to bring the kids back to school.
Has anyone thought about how the kids will get to school? Are the buses going to be running? If so, that means 50 or so kids of various ages and grades all on one bus for at least 30 minutes.
What is being done to make sure the buses will be sanitized between runs?
Not all families have someone available to take kids to school themselves. Let’s make sure we aren’t getting the proverbial cart before the horse.
Pack the busses full and let sports go on. Who thinks this is a good idea? Not me. Students must wear masks to prevent the spread in the classrooms and building, rebreathing their CO 2 for hours. Except if you are playing sports….funny how that works. Guess the virus respects the importance of school sports (and has agreed not to spread during practice or games or protests for that matter) but not the academics. Hmm…
Parents have a difficult choice ahead.