D91 pushes back first day of school to Aug. 31
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IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls School District 91 Board of Trustees voted Thursday night to push back the start of classes for all students from Aug. 26 until Aug. 31.
Board members say the delay will allow educators a few extra days to prepare and implement plans for online teaching. It will also align the Idaho Falls School District 91 start date with Bonneville Joint School District 93.
The board discussed three options during the meeting: starting school on the planned date of Aug. 26, delaying until Aug. 31 or postponing the beginning of classes until Sept. 8.
Each member shared pros and cons about each proposal but unanimously agreed that Aug. 31 was the best option. The board voted 3-2 on Aug. 12 to hold classes in-person Monday through Thursday and online Friday.
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Superintendent George Boland said administrators would be “ready to roll” with whatever plan the board decided on, but explained the district’s online academy has had an “overwhelming” number of enrollments.
“I believe at midnight last night, when we pulled (the numbers), we were close to 600 elementary enrollments and a total of close to 1,000,” Boland said. “It’s going to challenge us in terms of making sure we have the capacity to meet the need.”
Board members noted that since March 17, when classes were last held in-person, COVID-19 had made planning for the new school year difficult. They all agreed that most students are anxious to get back in the classroom.
“We’ve got to get back to normal. We can’t let this virus run our lives. We’ve got to run our own lives,” said trustee Larry Wilson.
For the past week, groups and individuals have voiced their opinions for and against the four-day in-person teaching plan. A previous reopening schedule would have started the school year with groups of students alternating two days in-class and two days online learning at home. Friday would have remained a catchup day.
“Teachers, Parents, and Patrons United,” an advocacy group opposing the new plan, hosted an “Occupy Rally” Wednesday outside the district office and on Thursday, the Idaho Falls Education Association held a rally against the proposal.
RELATED: Teacher’s union and advocacy group criticize D91 reopening plan
On the other side, the group “Teachers and Parents for Education Now” sent an open letter to the Board of Trustees expressing support for the plan. You can read it here.
Members of the public were not permitted to speak at the meeting and the only item discussed was the school start date, but following the vote, trustee Paul Haacke asked to make a statement.
“Walking out of this room, there will be some that will be upset. There will be some that will be happy and there will be some that may not be too passionate about which way we went,” Haacke said. “But we’re a community…We need to agree to disagree sometimes. We need to understand that people are trying to do their best – each one of us.”
Board of Trustees chair Lara Hill issued a reminder following Haacke’s statement that the board is made up of volunteers.
“We have families, we have jobs, and we are putting those aside to try to do what is best for this district,” she said.