Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 wants community feedback on upcoming school year plan
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — Another local school district announced its plan for the upcoming school year and is asking for the community’s feedback.
On Monday, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 released its draft for the 2020-21 school year. The final plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees on July 21, but from now through Monday, people can go online and share their feedback, questions and concerns about the plan by clicking here.
“We feel like in this time, it’s important to have everybody understand the scenarios we are looking at for the fall before the board makes a decision,” district spokeswoman Courtney Fisher said.
The plan was created with guidance from Southeastern Idaho Public Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Idaho State Department of Education and Idaho State Board of Education, according to the draft.
“PCSD 25 has developed a strategic plan for the 2020-21 school year to help us effectively address any scenario related to the unpredictable nature of COVID-19,” the plan states.
It is made up of three different categories:
- Low/No Spread: Regular school schedule with a focus on preventing the virus.
- Minimal/Moderate Spread: There are two different instruction models under this category. One, the school schedule may include modified traditional instruction, which means school buildings would be open, but the schools would implement alternate in-building schedules. They’d also take enhanced preventative measures such as limiting and prohibiting partner/group work. The second instruction model is hybrid, which consists of being part-time in the school building and doing remote learning part-time.
- Substantial Spread: School buildings would be closed, and students would participate in remote learning.
The plan explains that along with implementing the three categories, staff members would be required to wear masks/face coverings/face shields. Students would also be highly encouraged to wear them when at school as well.
“The district will be sensitive to the needs of learners and staff with medical issues that make wearing a face-covering inadvisable,” the plan says.
Other safety measures mentioned in the plan include having increased access to hand sanitizer, sneeze guards being installed in the main offices and digital thermometers being available at each school.
“We have adopted some standard operating procedures we feel are important to address as a community to keep learners and staff safe,” Fisher told EastIdahoNews.com. “Those will be implemented no matter what level we’re at.”
There are also options to complete coursework using alternate methods. For more details, including stipulations, click here.
“We will offer a high-quality, rigorous and comprehensive educational experience for our learners, whether in-person or online,” the plan says. “Standard grading practices will apply.”
The first day of school is Aug. 24.
For more information, follow the district’s Facebook page and website.