The Rockwood School District is formulating a plan for pre-kindergarten through second-grade students to return to school for five day in-person learning, but as of Friday (Sept. 4), district officials had not decided when students would return.
“At this time, I believe a gradual phase-in of elementary students by grade level would be the most appropriate course of action and also the safest,” Superintendent Mark Miles said during a press conference on Friday at Rockwood’s Administrative Annex in Eureka.
The first day of school for Rockwood was Aug. 24, when the district’s nearly 21,000 students began classes entirely online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a Board of Education meeting on Thursday (Sept. 3), Miles discussed the gradual phase-in plan. He said pre-kindergarten through second-grade students would return first, then third- through fifth-grade students. followed by the rest of the student population.
“We'd like to begin as early as possible, hopefully in September,” Miles said. “Be assured as soon as the school district has a definite date and direction, we'll keep you informed.”
Miles said the goal has always been to get students back in classrooms as soon as possible.
“The primary consideration is the health and safety of our students and looking at those transmission rates,” he said. “The health rates of those ages zero through 9, the data would indicate those are the safest ages of students to bring back to our schools first.”
Miles said the district has received both positive and negative feedback from parents since the start of online school on Aug. 24.
“We've also received some feedback related to Canvas (an online learning program) and our youngest learners, not having experienced that sort of technology before, having some difficulties maneuvering through that online learning platform,” he said.
Board of Education members voted 6-1 Aug. 6 to only offer online instruction when the school year started. Board member Tom Dunn cast the dissenting vote.
The original plan to re-evaluate students returning to school was the end of the first quarter, which is Oct. 23.
Miles said after Rockwood opens up classrooms to students again families who would like to keep children home still will have the option for 100 percent online learning.
He said students will have the option of bus transportation, but Miles said parents will be encouraged to drop off and pick up students.
Rockwood has 29 schools, including Eureka High School, LaSalle Springs Middle School, and Eureka, Blevins and Geggie elementary schools, as well as three early childhood centers and an individualized learning center for high school students.
Read more about Rockwood’s plan for reopening classrooms in the Sept. 17 issue of the Eureka Leader.
