Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King
As the world deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Coupeville plans to open the 2020-2021 school year with primarily online learning.
Superintendent Steve King released a letter to the community Thursday which said he and the school board are recommending the district start in Phase 2 of a 5-phase plan.
Called the “Remote and Connection Model,” it will incorporate “an improved remote learning model with additional in-person connections for at-school opportunities for specifically identified students.”
The school year is slated to begin September 14.
King’s letter:
Over the course of the summer we have been working on multiple options for trying to reopen schools this fall.
As we think about in-person school models, we are following the guidance provided by OSPI, the Governor, and the Department of Health that was provided in June.
This week we received updated K-12 Fall Guidance for opening schools and a K-12 Decision Tree that provides metrics for districts to make decisions about reopening.
The guidance documents include social distancing, face coverings, daily health screenings, and protocols for incidents of COVID exposure that could result in student and/or staff quarantines.
The K-12 Decision Tree puts Island County School Districts in the “Moderate Risk” category for reopening schools.
In addition to all of this guidance, we have surveyed our staff and families in both June and late July and we have reviewed the data from these surveys in order to best serve all of our stakeholders.
We also have been working closely with our local Island County Health Department, OSPI, district administration, union groups, and other school districts in the region to get as much input as possible in order to make this difficult decision.
We are also mindful of the current public health environment in our state and community.
Unfortunately, the rate of COVID infection and the concerns surrounding it have been on the rise over the summer.
We know we do our best work and serve our students, families, and community most effectively when we are able to teach children in our schools 100% of the time, however, it has become clear that we are just not able to fully reopen our schools to in-person instruction this fall.
Given all of these considerations, it is the consensus of our school board and administrative team that our schools open the 20-21 school year in Stage 2, which we are referring to as Coupeville’s Remote and Connection Model.
Coupeville’s Remote and Connection Model means opening schools on September 14 with an improved remote learning model and additional in-person connections for “at-school” opportunities for specifically identified students.
This would provide targeted students some opportunities for face-to-face instruction with staff, while minimizing person-to-person contact.
The additional Connection services would support students with special needs, English language learners, kindergartners, and other students “furthest from educational justice.”
We will also have a strong focus on supporting our students and families with social emotional health this fall which may lead to additional in-person work with students along with remote support.
Throughout this school year we will constantly review our plans, local health outcomes, and the K-12 Decision Tree in order to make school model changes.
Please see our current plans and stages for our phased approach to reopening on our website:
http://www.coupeville.k12.wa.us/c_o_v_i_d_closure_-_c_s_d
The rationale for this plan is as follows:
The public health environment and concern in regards to public health in our state and local community are not improving.
Opening with any in-person school model this fall will likely lead to staff and student cohorts quarantined due to exposures. It may also lead to extended school closures.
This would create significant disruptions and no predictable teaching/learning model.
Students and staff perform most effectively with a stable, consistent instructional plan where expectations for engagement and learning are clear and implemented.
Deciding on this approach now allows us to continue to focus on improving our remote model based upon the successes and lessons learned from our spring experience.
With more time for training and implementation we are very confident we will deliver a better distance learning model this fall.
Making this decision now allows staff to focus on opportunities for specifically identified students with unique needs such as kindergarteners and preschoolers, English language learners (ELL), students with special needs, and other students “furthest from educational justice” to have some level of in-person interaction with staff.
These will be tightly managed small group or individual experiences, adhering to all OSPI, Department of Health, and Governor’s Office guidance.
The current 58 pages of guidelines for reopening schools for in-person instruction would likely have a significant negative impact on the learning environment in our schools and classrooms.
At the next school board meeting, August 24, the board will be asked to approve this plan.
Sadly, this pandemic has challenged all of us in many ways. We recognize any change to our regular school model creates complications.
We make this decision with the strong belief that it is the safest option for our community as a whole.
I am so thankful for your patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.
Please continue to show compassion and grace for others in our great community of Coupeville.
I am saddened by the negative impacts that this decision has on so many people, but I am passionate and continue to be optimistic that we will eventually refill our classrooms and hallways with our amazing students when it is safe to do so.
I am certain everyone has many questions regarding the above plan; please keep an eye out for more information in the days ahead.
Please stay safe, healthy and take care,
Steve King
Superintendent
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