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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Ely students set to return to school in-person on Sept. 8

Keith Vandervort
Posted 8/12/20

ELY – School board members here Monday night approved the administration team’s plan to re-open school buildings for in-person learning to begin the 2020-21 school year amid the …

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Ely students set to return to school in-person on Sept. 8

Posted

ELY – School board members here Monday night approved the administration team’s plan to re-open school buildings for in-person learning to begin the 2020-21 school year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz released guidelines last month on how all state school districts are to approach the school year, using the prevalence of new COVID-19 cases in each county as a starting point for school leaders as they considered which models of instruction they’ll employ this fall.
Schools must adhere to parameters determined by the Minnesota Department of Health in implementing or shifting between three learning models laid out in the 2020-21 school year planning guidance: in-person learning, hybrid learning, and distance learning, using “a localized, data-driven approach” to put student and staff safety first.
ISD 696 school board chair Ray Marsnik introduced the recommendation that both the Washington and Memorial schools will begin the new school year with in-person learning.
“I think we are all in agreement that students learn best when they in school,” he said. “In looking at the plans, I am glad to see that we are taking every effort to make sure that our students and staff are going to be made as safe as possible. In making our decision it is important that we listen to the health and medical experts and not the politicians. That was a concern of mine. The easiest part to all this is going to be opening the school. The hardest part is making sure we remain open. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”
“Throughout the school year, we will need to be flexible and adapt to the fluid nature of this pandemic,” Superintendent Erik Erie said. “The Departments of Education and Health will work with our school district and local health professionals to consistently track the virus to determine if and/or when school may need to adjust the learning plan.”
ISD 696 administrators emphasized that while the Ely learning plan says “all students return to school,” parents have the choice of keeping any or all of their children at home and the district is mandated to provide a distance-learning option.
“This would mean joining their classmates virtually from home and participating to the fullest extent possible,” K-5 Principal Anne Oelke said. “There will be daily expectations.”
Parents must notify the building principal if they intend to utilize distance learning.
Surveys of parents and teachers were conducted in recent weeks to gauge the reception of implementing the learning plan scenarios. For the Ely high school parents, 47.6 percent indicated they were comfortable with in-person learning with additional safety precautions, while 29.4 percent favored hybrid learning plan, and 19 percent favored distance learning.
A majority of Ely teachers (34 out of 42) responded positively to the survey question, “If students returned in the fall are you comfortable returning to the classroom?” Just three local teachers indicated they were not comfortable with returning to the classroom, and five teachers “had serious concerns.”
School board members voted unanimously to approve the administrative team’s recommendation to begin the school year with in-person learning.
The plans were released to district families this week via email and posted on the Ely Public School Website. Administrators are asking families and staff to self-identify their health risks related to COVID-19 so they can accurately create learning plans for all students.
The learning plans for both K-5 and 6-12 students are similar but some differences were highlighted by Oelke and 6-12 principal Megan Anderson.
The following health and safety practices will be implemented:
-Screening and temperature readings for all students and staff,
-Modify arrival/dismissal processes and stagger class and lunchtimes to minimize congestion and use social distancing when possible,
-Avoid large gatherings or congregating before or after school and during lunchtimes,
-All elementary students will have recess every day
-Memorial School will support a “closed campus” for lunchtime and all students will eat lunch in the gym balcony or bleachers,
-Routine cleaning and disinfection will increase,
-Schools will follow MDH/MDE guidance regarding face coverings for all students, staff and visitors,
-Stress frequent hand-washing and good hygiene habits,
-Additional handwashing stations will be designated in the hallways,
-Provide hand sanitizer throughout the buildings,
-Additional staff will be utilized to monitor social distancing in hallways and bathrooms,
-Markings on floors and walls will be installed to visually give guidance for social distancing practices and signage for cleanliness habits such as appropriate hand washing and coughing or sneezing,
-Additional tables, rugs and other furnishings may be removed to accommodate as much social distancing as possible in a full classroom.
School board member Tom Omerza noted that public health information in the Ely area is “cryptically” disseminated from the local hospital and medical clinic.
“If there is a positive test (for COVID-19), you don’t know where and can’t get specifics,” he said. “It seems like Ely has done a very good job. We have people from a lot of different states running around town here. Based on that angle, how the administration could put together a plan is better than the perceived success we have had in containing the virus. I’m feeling good about what we’re doing going into the school year.”
School administrators spelled out the parameters of a hybrid learning plan and a return to distance-learning scenario. More details are available on the school website at www.ely.k12.mn.us.
Other business
In other business Monday, the school board took the following action:
• Approved an amended Joint Powers Agreement with Northland Learning Center to reflect the addition of ISD 2909 Rock Ridge.
• Approved a photography contract with Eric Sherman Images for the 2020-21 school year.
• Hired Sarah Hansen for the Early Childhood Family Education parent educator position for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Approved the Long Term Facilities Maintenance plan.
• Agreed to designate the proceeds of the Hoff Online Auction of surplus industrial arts in the amount of $14,082 to the district’s industrial technology program.