District 25 modifies plan to start school

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - At Tuesday's special meeting, the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 25 Board of Trustees approved PCSD 25 administration’s recommendation to start the 2020-2021 school year with a blended, conservative approach.

PCSD 25 elementary schools (K-5) will start the year with the modified traditional instructional model.

In this model, elementary learners will be grouped in cohorts and receive face-to-face instruction five days per week.

Secondary schools (6-12) will start the year with the hybrid instructional
model.

In this model, secondary learners will receive both face-to-face and remote instruction five days per week.

Secondary learners will be grouped alphabetically to attend Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday with Wednesday being a remote learning day for all.

"PCSD 25 has learned over the past several months that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with the many challenges associated with COVID-19 in schools. We remain steadfast in our commitment to approach the 2020-2021 school year with the flexibility and agility outlined in our PCSD 25’s Roadmap for the 2020-2021 School Year. From the beginning, our ultimate goal has been to start school in-person and stay in-person as long as possible. National trends for reopening schools across the country, as well as feedback from PCSD 25 staff and families, indicate that starting more conservatively is worth our consideration.

A soft opening will allow us to ease into the school year, identify any further operational adjustments that may need to be made, and evaluate any spikes associated with reopening schools to inform our decision-making for how best to proceed. Our focus continues to be how best to fulfill our educational promise while prioritizing the safety of our learners and our staff."

“Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 leadership is taking a proactive approach that helps to ensure educational growth for learners, while also reducing risk of the spread of COVID-19 to learners, faculty, and staff, and thereby, our community. SIPH supports their approach 100%,” Southeastern Idaho Public Health Director, Maggie Mann said.

Additional topics addressed at the special meeting include the following:

• The SWIM programs have been reinstated at each PCSD 25 high school for 20-21.

• Due to Idaho State University’s decision to temporarily suspend use of Holt Arena, PCSD 25 will continue all high school football programs by leveraging their own athletic facilities to their maximum potential and maintain home-field advantage. Highland and Pocatello high schools will play games at Iron Horse Stadium and Century will play games at Century’s football field.

The timeline to reevaluate and determine if the district can return fully to in-person, stay in our current models or transition to remote learning will be on Friday, September 4.