Potomac School continues remote learning for rest of the school year

Potomac School Board

POTOMAC – With more than 30 staff, parents and board members participating in a Zoom meeting, Potomac School Board unanimously voted Monday, April 27 to declare an Unforeseen Emergency through June 30 based on the risks presented by the coronavirus pandemic. They will not return to the classroom for the remainder of the year and finish the 2019-2020 school year with distance learning.

All of the board members shared feedback that they received from parents and staff. The staff agreed they would prefer to not reopen the school for the remainder of the year.

Chair Cliff Vann read one letters from a teacher. Some of her concerns included the requirement to learn and implement the new procedures and policies to operate according to CDC guidelines; the unknown of how the state reopening would affect case numbers and the response required if someone in the school tested positive.

"The safety of our students, staff and community is more important to me than going back to brick and mortar buildings and sending my own children back to school with so few instructional days remaining," wrote the teacher who acknowledged the added stress on parents due to unemployment, having their children at home and being required to teach them.

The letter highlighted that new technology has been introduced and teachers have focused on students' wellbeing and mental health. She wrote teachers have supported and accommodated students as best they could and missed their students like crazy.

"The education provided to Potomac students continues to be focuses, appropriate and at the quality Potomac expects," read Vann from the teacher's letter. "It is my opinion that we should continue distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year and should develop a strong plan for reopening in the fall."

Board members shared that parents' opinions were mixed. Many of those in favor of returning, also encouraged the board to give more consideration to the teachers' opinion. For most board members, the majority of the parents they talked to were in favor of not returning or were unsure if they would send their child if the school reopened.

"If people don't send our children we are going to create a double assignment for our staff to both teach kids that are in school as well as try and accommodate the kids that, for whatever reason, are not in school," said Vann.

Vann said he received a lot of feedback that parents are happy with the remote learning.

"Thank you [to the staff] for what you are doing," said Vann. "This is a risk, reward conversation. Overwhelmingly people said the reward wasn't there...and the risk was too great for 19 days of school. People have made the adjustment to the home life and the home schooling at this point and disrupting that momentum for 19 days is not worth it."

The board voted unanimously to continue distance learning through the end of the school year, June 11.

Once they decided not to return to the classroom, the board unanimously voted to implement an Unforeseen Emergency to continue to receive their state funding.

Vann said he feels they will be having a similar conversation in August.

"Figuring out how we get ahead of that and be prepared as a school, a board, to weigh that risk, reward balance is something we need to have on our minds," said Vann.

The board praised the parents for their dedication and Principal John Rouse and the teachers for all the work they have done to make distance learning possible.

"I just want to say how impressed I am with the teachers, John and the staff in pulling this all together, ensuring the technology was in place to facilitate distance learning to the point when parents had the confidence to continue," said board member Steven Van Grinsven.

The next meeting will be May 11 at 7 p.m. Visit http://www.potomacschoolmontana.us/for more information.

 

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