Back to school

Wyoming’s schools will be taking a tiered approach to reopening for the fall semester, said Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow last week. The work done by an education task force to ensure that schools can open safely despite the ongoing pandemic has been revealed in the form of a “Smart Start” document for local districts.

Within this document, local school districts have been provided with guidance for the next school year that’s dependent on the level of COVID-19 infection in the community and ranges from how to limit student interactions and introduce daily screening to keeping potentially sick students from coming to school, encouraging parents to provide transportation and eliminating self-service at mealtimes.

“I hear one question and one question only in every conversation, and that is: will the schools open in the fall?” Balow said during a press conference. She noted that this question is almost always followed by the person’s opinion that the schools really need to open – and that she couldn’t agree more.

Smart Start is a framework that includes requirements, recommendations and considerations to ensure the schools can open and provide a quality education, said Balow. She stated that the efforts to create that document have been immense because education underpins so many other aspects of Wyoming’s communities.

Tier I of the Smart Start plan reflects the situation in this state as it currently stands. Schools will be open to students with some new health precautions, such as social distancing.

Tier II would involve a combination of in-person instruction, intermittent potential closures and quarantining of some students and staff. Tier III would be the full closure of school buildings to students, as occurred at the end of the last school year.

The plan is split into sections addressing each district’s plans for the three tiers: communications, safety and wellness, school operations and instruction and technology. Crook County School District (CCSD) has been working on its reopening plans for some time, also focusing on a tiered approach that will be appropriate locally.

“There weren’t any major surprises, but there are some challenges that we are still trying to iron out,” says Superintendent Mark Broderson, CCSD. “I am comparing the state’s requirements to our draft now to see that we have everything we need.” 

The state’s official requirements will now be factored into CCSD’s reopening plan, he says.

“We have our next Pandemic Planning Committee meeting on July 8,” he says, noting that he also has time scheduled with Crook County Public Health. “We hope we will come close to getting everything covered. Most of the staff is off for the summer, so the individuals serving on the committee are doing so on their own time, which is greatly appreciated.”  

Balow reminded Wyomingites last week of the hard work done by school districts to respond to the pandemic when it first arrived. What has been done, she said, has never been done before, and “education stayed open for business”.

This was not without its challenges, she said, as nobody was prepared to shift to an online learning environment literally overnight. Some students did falter, she said, while others who count on school for food, safety and stability found themselves alone and the state was not able to continue testing and accountability measurements.

“But there were also moments of inspiration,” Balow said. Some students and teachers found more success than ever before, she said, while every district within two days was providing food and went “above and beyond” to make sure the students were fed.

“Teachers found new ways to engage students and families and families were more engaged than ever,” Balow said. As Wyoming looks at reopening its schools, she expressed confidence that success will be found not only in reopening but transforming the system to better address challenges faced and incorporate those successes.

Much of the decision-making will be left up to the districts, she said, because, “Communities know best how to address your own unique challenges.” The key goal is that schools are prepared to quickly and efficiently adapt in response to their individual challenges, and technology will be a fundamental part of the tiered approach.

Being able to pivot between the three tiers will take training for everyone, she said, stressing that everyone must take responsibility for stopping the spread because the virus will be with us for a long time.

In terms of getting those who fell behind back on track, Balow commented that everyone in the nation is grappling with this right now and there has certainly been a gap for all students. Across Wyoming, she said, we are already seeing things like summer learning academies, libraries providing academic “boot camps” and some schools deciding to open early for students most at risk of failure to make up time.

At the policy level, said Balow, the Wyoming Department of Education will continue to look for ways to support schools as they do that, but the bulk of the work and effort needs to be done at district level because nobody knows the kids like their parents and teachers.

“Remediation is already taking place and it will continue to take place,” she said.

As plans continue to be formulated for the fall, Broderson reminds the community that schools are adapting to a situation that has been changing by the day.

“We are working in uncharted waters and this is a fluid document that will change with the conditions of each community and the county,” he says. “The safety of our students, staff and families remains a priority.” 

The goal for CCSD, Broderson says, is that, “We want our families to feel comfortable sending their kids to school.”