Discussions about the best method for instruction in the spring semester got tense Thursday, as school board members, local health officials, and parents were at odds during the Owensboro Public Schools Board of Education meeting.
Eventually, the Board approved a learning plan that will be “fluid” from week to week, with possibilities of four different models.
However, there was a heated discussion when the Board allowed public comments.
First, though, OPS shared survey results they’d collected from teachers and parents regarding the fall semester’s learning plan and what they’d like to see going forward.
While most answers were relatively similar, about 62% of elementary school teachers surveyed said they did not feel comfortable teaching in-person classes five days a week, while the rest were prepared to try it.
Prior to the meeting, several teachers shared their sentiments against in-person learning with classrooms full of kids with Owensboro Education Association President Gina Davis.
Davis read some of the comments aloud to a packed conference room that included several OPS parents.
One kindergarten teacher said there would be no possible way to enforce social distancing with a classroom of 28 students, while other teachers said they wouldn’t be able to handle the extra cleaning procedures currently in place.
“We know some students are struggling, but that shouldn’t be the criteria for sending our kids back to school,” Davis said. “Kentucky’s number of COVID-19 cases are continuing to rise, and we can’t just go back to normal because we want to.”
While parents of elementary and middle school students said their children’s mental health had been OK for the most part under the A/B model, parents of high school students said their kids were struggling mentally this semester.
OPS Superintendent Matthew Constant presented a learning plan for the spring semester that would remain fluid based on a number of variables. Four different learning plans were presented Thursday, with Constant saying OPS families would receive weekly updates about next semester’s plan up until Jan. 14 — when the semester officially starts.
“The plan OPS has developed is very good. They’ve done great and have been very cautious,” said Green River District Health Department Director Clay Horton. “The trend [of increasing cases] may change, but it may not, too. We are not doing well as a community right now. How do we get more people to do the right things?”
So far, 35 students and staff at OPS had been placed under quarantine, with two staff and one student testing positive. Horton said the lack of COVID-19 cases in the school system primarily stemmed from the precautionary measures taken thus far.
While some medical professionals recommend not fully returning to the classroom, Owensboro Health Vice President of Medical Affairs Michael Kelley, pushed for in-person learning five days a week. Kelley cited a widening “wealth gap” occurring between OPS students and affecting their learning capabilities.
“We need to figure out ways to protect the higher-risk staff,” Kelley said. “Maybe we could use and improve the [available] physical space and be innovative in having school five days a week. I think there’s a lot of kids really struggling, and if you don’t [come up with an idea to have in-person classes every day of the week], I think you’ve missed an opportunity.”
Board member Melissa Decker and Board chairman Jeremy Edge said there wasn’t enough space at OPS schools to feasibly teach hundreds of students in gymnasiums and cafeterias, with Decker calling the notion “not practical.”
“Then we’re losing spaces teachers use. We’re losing gymnasiums and we’re losing stages. These are things that everyone wants our children to have,” Decker said. “We are doing everything we can to make sure we are giving our students the best possible education.”
Kelley went on to say OPS had prioritized sports over education, saying, “We’ve already decided that athletics are more important than academics.”
Decker vehemently denied that allegation, citing the legal and moral differences between choosing to play sports and being required to attend in-person classes in the midst of a pandemic that showed no signs of slowing down.
“Athletics are a choice. They and their families have the option [of participating]. When we put our children in the school, that’s a legal obligation from the state. We have not, as a school system, decided to put sports ahead of education,” Decker said. “I do firmly want our children to be back in school five days a week, but only when it’s safe.”
Upon finally voting, the Board approved the “fluid” plan, with officials saying the plan will be fluid based on various circumstances as it gets closer to Jan. 14, which is when the spring semester officially begins.
The options proposed by Constant are as follows:
- A/B model as experienced in first semester learning
- Modified A/B model that increases in-person learning by adding either another A or B day to each week
- 100% distance learning model (NTI for the A/B model)
- Additional in-person learning (4-5 days per week) will be considered based on the following variables: Grouping of students, positive cases/quarantine, incidence rate map, and facility limitations/capacity
- This option is left as fluid model that could included various combinations of learning methods, even including returning to in-person learning five days a week
For the learning plan on Jan. 14, 2021 and the following week, an announcement will be made Jan. 7, 2021.
