Holy Spirit Catholic School offering in-person and remote learning for upcoming school year
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POCATELLO — Another local school has released its plans for the 2020-21 school year with the goal to keep students and staff safe and healthy.
Starting Sept. 1, Holy Spirit Catholic School in Pocatello will begin a “phased return” to school. This means they’ll have one-third of the students attend their first day of school on either Sept. 1, 2 or 3. On Sept. 8, all students who are learning in-person will attend school. The only exception is for Kindergarten students, who will start as planned on Aug. 31.
“Our number one priority is to deliver the high-quality educational experience, that is the hallmark of Holy Spirit, in the safest way possible,” Principal Karianne Earnest said in a news release. “As a Catholic school in this wonderful community, we have a duty and responsibility to show care and love to our neighbor, and we do that with our diligent practice and execution of this plan.”
The school will clean and disinfect high-contact areas, have an isolation area for anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, hand-sanitizer stations, student and employee health screenings, temperature checks, social distancing in all classrooms and cloth face covers or face shields will be used.
“We want to help prevent any burden on our infrastructure here in Bannock County that might be possible when large groups start gathering,” Earnest told EastIdahoNews.com. “We felt that doing a lot to prevent the spread of illness was a really important service that we could do in our community.”
Along with in-person learning, Holy Spirit will also provide a remote learning option for families that would like to keep their students at home. Families who choose to participate in this option will work with a dedicated remote learning coordinator to help with schedules, assignments and communication.
Students can choose in-person or remote learning instruction at any time during the year.
“We felt that it was important for families to feel as supported as possible during this time of uncertainty,” Earnest said. “We’re committed to providing our high-quality academic experience, and to try to keep that experience as equitable as possible, whether that happens in face-to-face learning or whether that happens by students learning remotely.”
The school will evaluate the plan on a regular basis and modify it as circumstances change.
“We’re looking forward to seeing all of our students back, safe and healthy,” Earnest said.
To view the plan, click here.
More COVID-19 news can be found here.
