Some in-person instruction, some online in Sumner Bonney Lake schools in ’20-21
The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is giving parents options for next school year.
Staff presented a plan to the school board on Wednesday night that would have in-class instruction for kindergarten to third grade four days a week, and fourth to 12th grades would alternate between in-class and online learning throughout the week.
All-virtual classes also would be an option. The school district plans to email parents to ask if they are interested in the Online Learning Academy, rather than sending their children to school.
The district needs to gauge the interest in fully online classes to determine how many students would be returning to class.
Superintendent Laurie Dent said it’s been an incredibly tough journey.
“I’d be lying if I said this didn’t keep me up at night,” Dent told the board.
As of current state orders, masks would be required for students who attend in-person. Cleaning procedures would be more rigorous. The district would add custodial staff, purchase screening equipment, provide more hand sanitizer or more time to wash hands.
Grades K-3
With a state cap on kindergarten through third grade class sizes at 17, the district could bring back all students safely all day from Tuesday to Friday.
On Mondays, time would be set aside for students who need support.
“Why not have school on Monday? All staff, including specialists would be used to reduce class size,” spokesperson Elle Warmuth said in an email. “Time on Monday would be allocated to teachers for professional learning, planning and collaboration. In addition, Mondays would be spent supporting students in distance learning.”
Grades 4-12
Between space and class size, the higher grade levels would use a hybrid model. Students would be divided into two groups, Group A or Group B, for in-class instruction two days a week and distance learning for three days a week. The groups would alternate days, one with Tuesday and Thursday at school, the other with Wednesday and Friday.
All students would be online Mondays.
“Mondays are set aside for both distance learning and access to live Zoom sessions offering additional support from teachers,” Warmuth said.
If many elementary students’ parents opt for the Online Learning Academy, there is a possibility 4th and 5th grade students could get more face-to-face instruction, she added.
Parent feedback
The district used town halls and a survey to ask parents what they want.
The results presented to the board Wednesday showed face masks as a top concern. More than 52 percent of respondents said their child wearing a face covering was their primary concern for returning to school.
Seeing as face masks are required, the district asked parents what they would choose for their children’s education. An estimated 60 percent said their children would attend and wear a mask. Most others said they would choose full-time digital learning or home school their children.
Knowing that about a third of parents would be interested in continuing virtual education and see face coverings as a concern, Dent proposed a digital option to families.
The details of the separate program have yet to be worked out, but Dent said there is a possibility that students participating in the online academy could rejoin their classes at the end of the semester.
