Jefferson School District revises Back-To-School plan
RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Jefferson School District 251 Superintendent Chad Martin announced the board of trustees revised the district's Back-To-School plan at an emergency school board meeting Tuesday.
The board voted to adjust protocols while the district is in the Yellow or “Moderate Risk” zone by moving to a four-day week with Mondays being a “flexible learning day” for students.
This starts on Monday, October 5, 2020.
With this change, the district will eliminate early release on Wednesdays.
The board also approved a change to the protocol for quarantining students who are in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for the virus.
You can view all the details in a letter from Superintendent Martin below.
Dear Jefferson School District Patrons,
Last night at an emergency school board meeting our Board of Trustees revisited and revised our Back-To-School plan. We have received input throughout the reopening of our schools and have strived to be responsive to the needs of our community and most importantly our students. We appreciate your patience, flexibility and support as we continue to evolve and adapt as we learn more the effects this situation has on our students and staff.
Our teachers have been working hard to not only continue to provide a robust and quality education in the classroom, but also meet the needs of students who are unable to be in class. This has drastically increased teachers’ workload and we found it is unstainable in our current model. Therefore, the Board of Trustees voted to adjust our protocols while we are in the Yellow or “Moderate Risk” zone by moving to a four-day week with Mondays being a “flexible learning day” for students starting on Monday, October 5, 2020. Students will complete their work from home on Mondays. Teachers will maintain limited office hours to support students but will have time to prepare their curriculum for both in class instruction and on-line instruction to support all students. With this change we will eliminate early release on Wednesdays.
The other significant change approved last night is our protocol for quarantining students who are in close contact with an individual who has tested positive for the virus. We will continue to trace close contacts and notify parents, however, if the student who was in close contact was wearing a face covering parents will have the choice to either quarantine their child for 14 days from the last contact, or have them continue to go to school wearing a face covering and have daily temperature checks at school. We feel this change in protocol will allow our students to stay in school while maintaining a level a safety within our schools.
We will continue to learn and adapt as we navigate through these unprecedented times. Again, we appreciate your support and flexibility through the process. We value your feedback and insights. We feel these changes will increase our ability to provide a high-quality education while maintaining a high level of safety. We are appreciative of the support of our patrons and the trust that is put in us to safely educate your children. We will continue to work together to provide safe educational and extra-curricular opportunities for our students.
Sincerely,
Chad Martin- Superintendent
