July 28, 2020 at 12:00 PM - Board of Education Special Meeting

Discussion:  Superintendent Gary Cooper noted administrative meetings have been taking place within the district.  Although Friday, August 14, 2020 is advertised as the first day of school, secondary schedules will need to be altered slightly to accommodate social distancing protocols during student orientations.  Communications Director, Jennifer Sibal, will be providing a formal announcement to update families this week.  Elementary schools will still start on Friday with a regular day.  Kindergarten students always have an early release that first day following the traditional short teacher-parent orientation meeting that takes place after lunch.  Preschool will also release at 1:00 p.m. which is typical of previous years.  Board president B.J. Peters inquired about elementary summer school.  Cooper noted that both Morris and Wiedeman stated that masks have been a non-issue.  Students have done a great job of wearing them, but they are also practicing social distancing protocols to allow for mask breaks.  Brian Copsey asked whether the district had received any staff requests for accommodations.  Cooper indicated two had been received, but neither were leave requests.  Brent Holliday was curious what today's (updated) risk dial color was.  B.J. Peters stated it had dropped slightly.  Next, the team discussed Extended Campus Learning.  Today's resolution has been given careful consideration to ensure that it fit what we want here at Gering Public Schools in terms of attendance, activity participation, etc.  If students opt out of in-person learning, they cannot reenter the school setting until the end of the quarter (elementary) or semester (secondary) dependent on grade level.  Cooper explained that NSAA guidelines were used in the determination, and noted that part-time enrolled homeschool students have always been able to.  He believes that most athletes will want to be with colleagues, so he doesn't anticipate very many students electing this option.  Cooper went on to note "We will likely see students who are concerned about someone in the household who, for example, run cross county or participate in another contact-less activity such as DECA / Speech and want to limit their exposure."  Winn inquired about the filing deadline for Extended Campus Learning.  Kory Knight, Director of Curriculum, advised that it is Wednesday, August 5.  Brent Holliday asked when the options would be communicated to families while Brian Copsey was interested in whether or not a reason needed to be given or if it was open to all families.  After providing details about tomorrow night's community forum, Jennifer Sibal added "Circumstances can constitute an administrator moving a student back to in-person learning if the student is not doing well in the distance learning environment."  Brent Holliday noted that other districts in our area are taking very similar approaches which provides unity.  Cooper stated "We are doing an amazing job across the state in getting as close to what everyone expects to see in accordance with the guidance provided by public health officials.  The theme has almost felt like 'Mission Impossible,' but we always find a way to get the mission accomplished so we can continue providing our students with a great education.  I am confident with the team I work with.  There are big questions, and we will have that all year.  It is my hope everyone settles in , and we can manage the virus so there is continuity."  In response, B.J. Peters highlighted fall sports and the recent football game cancellation.  "It everyone plays a full schedule it will be a miracle," he said.  Peters then advised the board of a recent custodial training hosted by ESU13 which 70 custodians from 15 school districts had attended.  Gering Public Schools has 2 electrostatic foggers on hand with 4 more on the way.  We also have uv lights that will be setup at night to kill everything in a locker room, for example.  Peters noted "There a difference between cleaning and disinfecting."  Cooper indicated that elementary parents are seemingly more concerned, so hand hygiene will be crucial.  Referring to his past experiences in facilities management, Cooper acknowledged that while desks and other surfaces must be regularly sanitized, clean hands will be the most effective measure in controlling the spread of germs.  In follow-up to discussion at the regular board meeting, Cooper advised the school board that First Student has applied for federal aid to help with the cleaning of buses.  Business Manager Tim Meisner stated that the district will be reimbursed for the supplies purchased thus far.  

Discussion:  Curriculum Director Kory Knight recapped recent collaboration with teachers.  Academic focus groups were selected for representation across the board at each building per subject area.  With this, she met with 16-18 teachers at those meetings where they expressed an appreciation for the opportunity to express their ideas and illustrate different components to the current planning.  Through staff and parent surveys, the district discovered that learning management systems had been over complicated during the spring closure.  A structure will be put in place to minimize the number of online tools.  Students will utilize the applications set forth in the plan within the traditional in-person classroom setting to ensure ease of access and understanding if public health mandates closure.  Extended campus learning may be condensed slightly, so that students are not spending 8 hours / day online.  There will, however, be schedules requiring student check-in at designated times for attendance and teacher engagement purposes.  Staff will be receiving in-depth technology training as part of this year's teacher in-services.   Student assessments will take place early this early to identify unfinished learning goals.  Virtual learners will be proctored.  A final draft will be presented at tomorrow night's meeting.  

Discussion:  Meeting was adjourned at 1:14 p.m.