By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
GREAT BEND — As online enrollment begins for the Great Bend school district July 15 and in-person enrollment in early August, parents will have two options to choose from for their child’s education. Do you want your child to attend on-site school in a traditional classroom setting with health protocols or remote education from home with USD 428 staff monitoring?
The first draft of restarting school in Great Bend was revealed at Monday’s Board of Education meeting as the district prepares for the first day of class on August 20.
USD 428 Assistant Superintendent John Popp noted there is a hybrid model of learning that combines the on-site and remote education but will only be used if required by elevated public health concerns due to COVID-19.
"With our hybrid learning, half of the kids would be in the building one day and the other half the next day," said Popp. "On day one, these kids get instruction and day two they would be home doing homework and watching videos on lessons. Essentially, teachers would be teaching the same lesson two days in a row."
The hybrid option would only go into effect if stricter restrictions come from the Barton County Health Department or state mandates.
Based on survey results, Popp anticipated between 10%-15% of the K-12 student population to participate in the remote learning. Popp and Superintendent Khris Thexton noted there has been no talk on shortening the school year as students will still be required to complete 1,116 classroom hours.
All staff members will be required to wear masks or other facial coverings and students will be strongly encouraged to wear a mask.
"If they are wearing mask there is much lower likelihood they will be asked to quarantine," said Popp. "Just think about one kid in the high school. One kid exposes eight teachers to a potential 14-day quarantine. From a staffing standpoint, we cannot afford to not have our teachers and staff wearing masks."
- Regular handwashing and enhanced hygiene practices will be required and monitored.
- If children rotate classes, the room and equipment will be cleaned and sanitized prior to the next group’s arrival.
- USD 428 is still looking at lunchroom protocols with older children eating in their classrooms and others required to eat at the same tables each day.
- Non-essential visitors will not be allowed in the buildings until further notice.
- All school events such as assemblies, open houses, plays and concerts will be postponed or redesigned for an online format.
As the district is encouraging students to wear masks, USD 428 ordered 10,000 masks that will be available to students. Administration hopes students choosing to wear masks will eventually bring their own.
USD 428 plans to finalize their restart plan by the end of July.
Hear the entire discussion below on the restart plan from the USD 428 Board of Education meeting July 13.