Large turnout for back to school community forum

RITZVILLE – A Zoom meeting community forum for Lind Ritzville School District Superintendent Don Vanderholm to present back to school details had 131 in attendance August 11.

School will begin August 31, with Distance Learning only for all students.

Vanderholm said the school district has purchased software containing pre-recorded lessons. Edgenuity Courseware, for students in grades six through 12, and Accelerated Learning for grades K-5 were purchased for $30,000 each.

Vanderholm said the first two weeks of school will be made up of half-days only. Teachers will use half the day to meet either in person or virtually with parents and students, and the other half of the day will be used for professional development planning times.

An additional two weeks of half-days will be utilized in the event the school district chooses to return to on-campus learning.

“We will have to do a whole new set of orientation in small groups,” Vanderholm said. “The elementary school could take several days to walk them through all the protocols.”

Vanderholm said Fridays would also be set aside for teacher planning all year, with teachers available for office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. A community member submitted a question asking if teachers would be available outside of school day hours for parents who work, and Vanderholm said that would need to be discussed with staff, who were still on summer vacation.

The school district will continue with standards based grading, and if a student needs to be off-campus for 14 days, it won’t affect their grade.

“With making online platforms our curriculum, when students are on campus it will be in blended learning classrooms online, so no matter if they are in school or at home, they can continue back and forth with the same learning,” Vanderholm said. “So teachers won’t have to send work home.”

Vanderhomlm said the school district will be purchasing a professional application to make the entry process run more smoothly once the school district returns to on campus learning. He said families who have the ability to do so can load it onto their phones to go through the health screening check at home. Paper copies will be sent home for students unable to access the application online. Vanderholm said verification of the daily screening process will be required before students can board school buses.

Vanderholm said masks will be required to be worn by all students over the age of five, and can’t be taken off even after seated at their desks six feet apart. He said any doctor’s notes will suffice as an excuse to not wear one, and the county health department will need to review those on an individual basis. Vanderholm said Adams County Health Officer Dr. Alexander Brzezny stated very few individuals will be allowed exemptions.

Vanderholm said updates to the back to school plan will continue to be posted to the school district’s website.