A survey Lincoln Public Schools plans to send to parents Thursday offers a glimpse of the scenarios the state’s second-largest district is considering for school this fall.
The survey will ask parents which of the following options would work best for their families if the COVID-19 situation is severe enough that schools can’t operate normally:
* Students go to school every day for half a day.
* Students attend school every other week and attend classes via Zoom on the weeks they’re home. Students at home wouldn’t be on Zoom all six hours, but for a more limited time.
* Students participate in all classes virtually via Zoom conferences at specific times.
Matt Larson, associate superintendent for instruction, stressed that no decision has yet been made and the district is following guidance from the Nebraska Department of Education, the CDC and local health department.
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Now, a state department of education website called Launch Nebraska that offers guidance on school this fall says group size should be limited to 20 people until further notice.
Based on that and other guidance, LPS officials are planning for a situation where they’d reduce school size by half.
They’ll follow the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department’s “risk dial,†which gauges the severity of the coronavirus spread. If the dial is in green, it would be safe enough for school to operate normally. At the other end of the spectrum (red), students wouldn’t be able to be in school.
What LPS officials are trying to work through now is what school will look like if the dial falls in the middle (yellow and orange) ranges. Now, the dial sits on orange (severe).
LPS recently sent parents a survey to gauge how they thought remote learning went in the final quarter this spring, the results of which the district is still tallying.
Now, officials want to gauge what scenarios of a staggered school day would work best.
“We are going through a process, knowing we are going to need to open school,†said Superintendent Steve Joel. “We want to open school.â€
LPS executives are meeting twice a week with health department officials and are in the process of putting together an advisory committee with parents, business leaders, medical and public health officials and staff.
And they want to know what would work best for as many parents as they can reach with the survey. Parents should fill out the survey by midnight Sunday.
Among the questions is whether parents even plan to send their children to school in the fall if classes are held in-person.
Larson said they’ve heard from a small number of parents so far that are concerned about sending their students to school in the fall, especially those with underlying health issues that would put them at greater risk.
He said the district likely would give parents the option of virtual education for those who do not want to send their children to school if it’s open.
There are many other details to work out: how to eat lunch, have recess and P.E.
Right now, it’s likely students and staff would wear masks, and Joel said the district is looking for distributors to get masks for students. It also plans to buy thermometers so it can check temperatures as needed, though it’s unlikely all students would be checked every day, he said.
The district hopes to announce a plan for fall by the first part of July, Joel said, though the situation is fluid enough it could change, so whatever plan officials arrive at must be flexible.
“The problem with a plan, as we know, is that guidance will change,†he said. “We need enough flexibility to adjust.â€