The staggered schedules in Lincoln Public Schools high schools — put in place to allow for more social distancing as part of COVID-19 safety protocols — will end after the first quarter and all students will return to school Oct. 19.
The decision is based on conversations with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, which approved of the move, and the assumption that just 70%-80% of students will choose to come to class, with the rest choosing to learn remotely, said Superintendent Steve Joel, who made the announcement at Tuesday’s Lincoln Board of Education meeting.
It’s also subject to change.
“I want to be clear it has to be contingent on local conditions and our work with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department,†he said. “Now we feel comfortable, but conditions can change.â€
Twenty-one percent of LPS students — not counting the high school students on the staggered schedules — are now learning remotely full-time. At the high school level, it’s about 25%, and Joel said some parents may decide to switch their students to full-time remote learning rather than going back to school.
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Called the 3/2 plan, the staggered schedules mean half the students are in school the first two days of the week, the other half the last two, and the two groups switch off on Wednesdays. On the days they aren’t in class, they learn remotely.
Joel said it will be a relief for teachers who will now have to juggle fewer remote and in-person learners. He said he wants to announce the change now so parents have time to plan.
Cases have spiked in recent weeks, with the return of college students, and outbreaks in the prisons. With 76 new cases reported in Lancaster County on Tuesday, the total positive cases hit 5,850.
But officials say LPS, which has had more than 100 positive cases, still has seen no school spread, which means all the positive cases have come from exposures outside the schools, though LPS officials say it will likely happen at some point.
That lack of school spread — and evidence that the protocols officials have put in place are working — is the primary reason they decided to bring all students back, said Joel, who added that many parents have been telling LPS that is what they want.
LPS has met weekly with health department officials, who think positive cases have probably peaked and will begin to level off, Joel said.
“We are at a point now where maybe LPS is literally safer than the rest of the community ... because of everything we’ve put in place,†said Board of Education member Bob Rauner, a public health doctor. “We’ve really proved that essentially masks are the single biggest intervention.â€
Another change: Elementary school teachers who teach “specialsâ€Â — subjects such as music, art and computer —will begin teaching in their own classrooms beginning next quarter, Joel said.
Now those teachers travel to each classroom, so students can remain more isolated with their own classmates. The change also is based on the lack of school spread and confidence in the existing safety protocols, Joel said.
Another change — this one will need board approval — is to give students Nov. 2 off.
LPS already will not be in session the next day because it’s election day. LPS chose to give students the day off because of the potential for a large turnout and many schools are polling places.
That will give students a four-day weekend, and will give teachers another planning day — something Joel said is needed because of the extra stress and duties caused by remote learning.
Joel said LPS officials are aware of the stress on teachers, but noted that a survey found a majority of parents think they’re doing a good job, a testament to their efforts. A majority of teachers didn’t think it was going so well.
In the survey, 65%-78% of parents — it differed for different grade levels — said they agreed or strongly agreed that their students’ remote learning was going well. Between 11% and 32% of parents responded to the survey.
In a similar survey sent to teachers, 56%-59% disagreed or strongly disagreed with that statement.
At the board meeting, Joel also announced changes to the high school graduation schedule.
All six ceremonies will now take place at Pinnacle Bank Arena over Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30. They will also be livestreamed. Before the pandemic, LPS typically held some graduations at Pinnacle Bank Arena and the Devaney Sports Center. They originally scheduled this school year's ceremonies for May 23.
Having graduation at Pinnacle Bank will allow for distancing if that’s still necessary.