Marshfield School Board Approves Reopening Plan for the New School Year
Tuesday, July 28th, 2020 -- 9:09 AM
(WDLB) -Marshfield Middle and High School students will go back to class part time this fall, while elementary kids will head back to their facilities full time.That was the recommendation from district administration approved on a unanimous vote by the Board of Education last night. Under the "Return to Learn" plan outlined during a nearly-four-hour meeting in the Marshfield High School Commons, Superintendent Dr. Ryan Christianson said M-H-S students will be divided into four groups that will attend classes in-person once every four days, while doing distance-learning the three days in between. At the Middle School level, the student body will be divided in half, and attend in-person classes every other day for a seven-period schedule instead of the traditional nine. At the district's five elementary schools, 4K-thru-sixth-grade students will attend in-person classes all day every day for starters. Christianson says students and their families will have the option of full-time virtual learning if they feel uncomfortable sending their kids back to the classroom. If students do choose to attend in person, they, along with their teachers and principals, will be required to wear face coverings at all times.
Should the coronavirus pandemic take a turn for the worse, Christianson has the authority to move away from this plan, and institute greater restrictions on in-person class time. Christianson told the board he'll be watching absentee rates very closely those first few weeks. As part of the district's physical-distancing strategy, Christianson said his intentions are to not use lockers for students, meaning they will have to accommodate kids having backpacks so they can take their items with them to further limit movement amongst students during the school day. A recent survey of district families indicated 65-percent had a desire to return to traditional in-person instruction, while 27-percent favored a blended approach between in-person and virtual learning. The remaining eight-percent said they did not favor the concept of their children going back to classrooms this fall.
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