“Year of Flexibility”: The Great Education Experiment

Safety Measures

Grenita Lathan discusses the extensive safety measures implemented to ensure a safe return to in-person learning. These include physical distancing, signage, and classroom adjustments, despite the changing guidelines from the CDC. She emphasizes the importance of caution and the emotional cost of unsafe decisions 1.

We are not going to become relaxed until we know for sure that there's a vaccine and there's a way to address this virus.

--- Grenita Lathan

Bianna Golodryga highlights the challenges faced by the district in adapting to new guidelines while prioritizing the health of students and staff 1.

   

Decision-Making

The decision-making process for reopening schools involved a communicable disease committee and extensive surveys of teachers and parents. Grenita Lathan explains that the data collected played a crucial role in delaying the start of the school year 2. The district also faced significant challenges with remote learning, including the need to provide devices and internet access to students 3.

Remote learning has posed major problems for us as a district.

--- Grenita Lathan

Lathan also mentions the importance of providing meals to students who rely on school for their daily nutrition 2.

   

Handling Outbreaks

Handling potential Covid-19 outbreaks involves closing affected classrooms, wings, or entire buildings and switching to virtual learning temporarily. Grenita Lathan outlines the protocols for deep cleaning and reopening schools 4. She also expresses concern for students without stable home lives and the need for mental health support.

What keeps me up at night is worrying about children who do not have a stable home life.

--- Grenita Lathan

Lathan believes that the pandemic has fundamentally changed education, emphasizing the need for flexibility and compassion 4.