Amy Aguero explains how the school district will support families and students with special needs.
Monday evening, in an online public forum, Creswell School District Superintendent Mike Johnson and his senior leadership team did their best to provide clarity and direction under the most uncertain of situations. In fact, by Tuesday afternoon the state released updated guidelines specifically for rural and remote schools.
During the 90-minute, multimedia presentation on Monday – streamed live across Zoom and a YouTube channel – Johnson et al downloaded much more than information. They spoke with sincerity, and were open and transparent with their audience. Their unequivocal North Star is “safety for all involved.” When confronted with hard questions, they admitted there were no easy answers, and in fact, sometimes there were no answers.
But you can believe they are working on them.
This team is gelling faster than a puddin’ pop, and under tremendous duress. New principals in Jenny Collins at the high school, and Julie Johansen at the middle school. Joel Higdon, in his 23rd year with the CSD, offering a steady hand and institutional knowledge. Newcomers such as Chanel Green and Christi Nicholson are making immediate contributions. Amy Aguero, Brandon Standridge and Sarah Hanson – the transportation supervisor now entering her 15th year with the district – all adding their expertise, and elbow grease.
Johnson, sporting a peach-colored, open-collar shirt, was calm and sure in his delivery. His confidence is borne of preparation and hard work. He welcomed viewers with prepared remarks, noting that “the Covid crisis has changed our world in many ways. In ways, we could not imagine.” He said he thinks of the pandemic as an 18-chapter book, beginning last February and running through the end of the 2020-21 school year. “We don’t know what the future chapters will present to us until we get there. We are only in Chapter six.” He assured listeners CSD is ready to adjust, however the story might unfold. “We won’t have answers to all of your questions at this time … Please know we will pivot to any mode necessary.”
District leaders have been mulling over scenarios, creating multiple action plans, anticipating wherever possible and reacting as required. Non-stop since February. Re-inventing education – in the classroom, online and in “hybrid” situations.
Still, Johnson and the others didn’t flash any frustration. They openly expressed gratitude for the patience of students, parents and teachers. “You’ve been mighty gracious to us as we were re-building the plane as it was flying,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to stay together.”
He also reminded: “We ask our students and families to recognize our planning must be fluid. It will depend upon the ebb and flow of the virus.”
So, back to school on Sept. 14 via an online education program. That appears as firm as anything.
“Having a runway going through the Summer into the Fall gives us an opportunity to prepare and provide students with a much more rigorous experience,” Johnson said. Evidence of that preparation is the fact CSD has a device for every student in the district. There are iPads for K-3 students and another 600 Google Chromebooks “so every student from 4th grade forward will have a laptop for learning,” Johnson said.
The superintendent walked the audience through “The Blueprint,” the document that Oregon’s education department required of each district before reopening. Among the highlights:
CSD will partner with Acellus for its online learning program. It’s cutting-edge educational, interactive software. “It engages both teachers and students, and has parent-friendly access as well,” Johnson said. The software utilizes something called “Prism Diagnostics,” which evaluates data and identifies everything from students with similar learning issues to automated, specialized tutorials.
Teacher-facilitated learning will make up 50% of the time; “applied learning” and other engagement opportunities will make up the other 50%. Acellus allows teachers to blend their material into the Acellus platform.
The leaders also spoke to a more “rigorous” experience in CDL vs. the “Distance Learning For All” experience back in the spring. For instance, attendance is mandatory and will be taken every period.
The question-and-answer period included 20 questions, with Johnson promising to answer the rest on the district website’s FAQ page. The questions ran the gamut on how distance learning will impact families, working parents, special ed students, free and reduced lunches, students without houses, and in-person and online mentoring and tutoring.
Yeah, there’s a lot to figure out.
Oh, by the way, Johnson’s answer regarding free and reduced lunches: “We will never turn away a hungry kid.”
Meanwhile, the new state guidelines treat K-3 differently, with less-stringent requirements to achieve in-class attendance. Johnson reiterates the most important thing: “Our priority, simply, is safety,” he said.
“The health and safety of our students, staff and community. What we’ve seen in the metrics is that it’s not safe to bring large groups together. We’ll reassess where we’re at weekly. When we see an opportunity where we can make it safe for our students and staff to come back into the building, then we’ll roll out an in-person hybrid.
“K-1st, then 2nd-graders, then 3rd-graders. There are multitudes of angles on this virus and what happens with it. Our main concern is that if an outbreak happens, we have 20 or 30 kids, parents, vulnerable people who would be really sickened and hospitalized … and maybe worse.”
“This community demonstrated exceptional care for our kids,” Johnson said, referring to the months of critical thinking and mental agility required by so many stakeholders in town.
It appears the same can be said of our district leaders.
Noel Nash is publisher of the Chronicle.
