08/15/2020
Update: August 13, 2020
Dear Parents & Patrons,
I need to take this opportunity to try and explain the decision that was made last night during a Blackfoot School District School Board meeting. Upon my recommendation, the board approved a “soft 2-week opening” for the Blackfoot School District. This means for the first 2 weeks of school, August 25th through September 3rd, we will only have about ½ of the students in attendance during the school day. We refer to this as an A/B schedule. I will do my best to address the common questions which may arise from this decision:
• If students tend to not be significantly impacted by COVID-19 and we have established an online option, why the need for an A/B scheduled start?
Personally, I agree with the statement in this question. However, while we have given all students the choice of face-to-face or online, the fact of the matter is I have not been able to give our staff that same option. Due to this, I have an overwhelming sense of a need to provide them the opportunity to acclimate to this “new” normal. The A/B schedule will help give our staff the confidence they need to be strong effective teachers. The fact remains, it takes both students AND teachers to hold school. I ask for your support in giving our teachers some time to get the secure footing they need for the school year.
• What does an A/B schedule look like?
We will divide the students into two groups: Cohort A and Cohort B. The division will likely be based on household name (I will get to that later). Cohort A will have about 50% of students and they will attend school on Monday and Wednesday for the first two weeks of school. Cohort B will have the remaining 50% of students and will attend school on Tuesday and Thursday for the first two weeks of school.
• When will we know which cohort our student(s) belong to?
We are working on that as we speak. I can tell you that we believe household names between A & L will belong to Cohort A and household names between M & Z will belong to Cohort B. PLEASE, this is our first estimation. I do not believe it will change, but I cannot be for certain. I am confident by the end of the day Monday, August 17th, we will be able to share with families the exact division.
• What if my household contains different names?
This is not an easy answer, but I will do my best. When we enroll students and enter them into our system, we link them to a household. The name of the household is significantly determined by the person who registered the student. If you have multiple names within your household, we will create a method for you to determine the name we have designated as the household name. I will definitely have more information about this in the near future.
• Which days will be assigned to each Cohort?
I am taking a risk with this, but I am confident in stating Cohort A will attend Monday & Wednesday, while Cohort B will attend Tuesday & Thursday. We will have more specifics on Monday, August 17th.
• Is this going to be what we do for the rest of the year?
I will answer this with two statements. First, the school board was extremely adamant in their approval of my recommendation that it would only be for two weeks. In fact, the action that was approved states that unless they take action again, THE A/B SCHEDULE WILL END AFTER THE FIRST TWO WEEKS. I will share this personal perspective; I felt strong enough to make this recommendation knowing it would be scrutinized, I also feel I will be strong enough to say everything we planned is working well, and it is time to completely open our schools. I commit to our parents and patrons that I will not hesitate in making that a reality.
Second, dealing with this pandemic, I have learned we truly do not know what the next day will bring, let alone the next week. However, I am confident in the steps we have taken and truly believe we will have a 100% opening the day after Labor Day.
• What will my children do on their off day?
Students will be given work to complete and return to school the next day they attend. We do not have the capability to offer hybrid learning (half face-to-face, half online). Actually, this is something we can explore on a limited basis with a soft opening. We are prepared to offer full online instruction, but not a hybrid.
• How will this impact BOSS?
The BOSS teachers have chosen to hold their classes every day, even if the brick and mortar schools have an A/B schedule.
These were the basic questions I felt would need to be addressed. If you have more questions, please email me at: [email protected] I will do my best to give daily updates to address the questions I receive.
In conclusion, I truly apologize for any and all inconvenience this has caused. I truly am burdened when actions we take cause frustration or issues for our families. This was not an easy decision, and I am sure it is unpopular with some people. I truly feel it strikes a strong balance between the needs of our students and our staff. Please keep the questions coming, I will do my best to answer.
Sincerely,
Brian Kress
