DPI issues guidelines for reopening schools, districts

As schools try to prepare for the upcoming year, the Department of Public Instruction released guidance this morning as to how school districts could move forward regarding the pandemic.

SCHOOL AS WE KNOW IT WILL BEDIFFERENT THIS FALL.THEDEPARTMENT OF PUBLICINSTRUCTION RELEASED GUIDANCETHIS MORNING... ON HOW SCHOOLDISTRICTS COULD MOVE FORWARDDURING A PANDEMIC.MARY JO OLAREPORTS.THE STATE PUBLISHEDGUIDELINES FOR REOPENINGSCHOOLS IN A DOCUMENT CALLED"EDUCATION FORWARD."ULTIMATELYDECISIONS ABOUT STUDENTS'LEARNING ENVIRONMENT...IS UPTO SCHOOL DISTRICTS WORKINGWITH LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS.THE GUIDE INCLUDES INFORMATIONON INFECTION CONTROL ANDMITIGATION...CONSIDERATION FORSPECIAL EDUCATION AND ENGLISHLANGUAGE LEARNINGSTUDENTS...AND SAMPLE LEARNINGSCENARIOS.

FOR EXAMPLE...ITPROPOSES A 4-DAY SCHOOL WEEK...ALLOWING FOR DEEP CLEANING ONTHE FIFTH DAY.

THERE'S ALSO AWEEKLY ROTATION SCENARIO...WHERE HALF OF THE STUDENTS REPORTTO IN-PERSON CLASS FOR FOURDAYS...THE OTHER HALF DOESVIRTUAL LEARNING...THENALTERNATING.

DPI ALSO ADVISESELEMENTARY STUDENTS COULD COMEBACK TO SCHOOL BEFORE OTHERGRADE LEVELS...SECONDARYSTUDENTS WOULD CONTINUE WITHVIRTUAL LEARNING.

DEPUTY STATESUPERINTENDENT MIKE THOMPSONSAYS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES INREOPENING SCHOOLS--ARELOGISTICS...AND THEUNCERTAINTY OF THE CORONAVIRUS."Parents are going to haveto be partners and all this.They're going to be partners,ensuring they don't send theirkids school sick, they have toensure that if there'sprotocols in place that theschool wants to have in placefor kids like wearing facialmasks that the parents aresupportive of those efforts."HEADING INTO THE FALL...THOMPSON BELIEVES IT WILL BE A BETTERLEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAN THESPRING...SINCE THIS TIMESCHOOL LEADERS HAVE TIME TOPLAN.A DRAFT REPORT INDICATESM-P-S IS LOOKING AT OPTIONSRANGING FROM FULL REMOTELEARNING TO FULL IN-PERSONINSTRUCTION AND EVERYTHING INBETWEEN.WE'LL GET INTO THOSEDETAILS COMING ON TMJ-4 NEWSAT 5.MJO TMJ4 NEWS.