Winooski School District to reopen schools with a hybrid model
Winooski schools will reopen September 8. Photo by Laura Meyer.
A difficult conversation hovers over the shoulders of school districts around the world this fall—how to return to the classroom.
“It’s an impossible decision. It’s impossible to please everyone right now and to make the right choice for everyone,” Winooski School District Communications and Development Director Emily Hecker said.
The Winooski School District is returning with three prepared learning models: remote, hybrid, and in-person. The models will be applied based on the current health data and instruction from Vermont Agency of Education and the Vermont Department of Health.
Due to Governor Scott’s new orders, the school start date has been pushed back to September 8, allowing more time to prepare for the return.
“Our current plan is to open with a hybrid model, which means that the district will be divided into an A group and B group,” JFK Elementary School principal Sara Raabe said.
Raabe explained that the A group will attend in person classes on Mondays and Tuesdays while the B group does remote classes at home. Wednesday will be a remote day for all students, allowing for a deep clean of the building, an organization day for the teachers, and a targeted intervention day for students. Group B will then attend in person classes on Thursdays and Fridays, while Group A attends classes remotely.
“One of the main reasons for hybrid is that it cuts the numbers down, which allows for social distancing and better interactions with kids to help them wash hands and keep things like that going,” Raabe said.
Additionally, WSD is offering remote classes for families who do not feel comfortable with the hybrid model.
Hecker expressed that responses from parents are varying. Some parents depend on sending their children to school in order to work, while other parents are afraid of what the health data is showing.
“Let’s be honest, the best thing for students is for them to be in the building with their peers with their teachers learning. We can make remote learning a strong option, but the reality is being in the building learning with your teachers and your peers is the best way of learning. I’m a principal—that’s why I believe in public school,” Raabe said.
“When I talk to my staff, they want to be in the classroom with kids. That’s why they chose this profession, they want to work with kids. We have to make sure everything is safe for that to happen,” she added.
Both Raabe and Hecker stated that WSD needs to have a fluid reaction to the changing health data. They are trying their best to be flexible and support their students, families and staff.
“Kids are the center of what we should be doing, but that doesn’t neglect the fact that we need to look at our staff as well and figure out what is safe for them. You don’t know what underlying health conditions people have, you don’t know what they’re going home to—you could live in a multi-generational household,” Raabe said.
The return to school adds an immense amount of stress for everyone involved. Parents are scrambling to arrange childcare plans. Raabe worries that her staff is overworked from preparing for 3 return models.
Students, too, have a mix of emotions about returning to the classroom.
“From what I am hearing from parents and guardians, students are coming into this new school year with so many different emotions: confusion, excitement, worry, happiness, apprehension, et cetera. Given the vast range of feelings students have as they begin this school year, it will be important to start the year by building a sense of belonging by being compassionate, showing empathy, and validating feelings,” JFK School Counselor Sarah Murphy said.
Moving into the school year, WSD administrators plan to keep focus on equity concerns, along with student and staff health.
“Our hope is to continue to provide an equitable education to every student in our district while keeping every student, staff, and community safe,” Hecker said.
