April 23, 2021: Remote Learning Program
An update on the 2021-22 Remote Learning program from Associate Superintendent for Instruction Matt Larson and principal Casey Fries.
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Video Transcript
Mindy Burbach 0:17
Hello, I’m Mindy Burbach, communications director for Lincoln Public Schools.
Don Mayhew 0:21
And I’m Don Mayhew, one of your Lincoln Board of Education members. Welcome to LPS board update. This show is an opportunity for us to learn more about what’s happening around Lincoln Public Schools and for you, our community to ask questions.
Mindy Burbach 0:34
If you do have any questions about our topics today, enter them into the chat here on Facebook, and we will answer them during our live show on Tuesday. Don, let’s start with a pandemic update. Thursday, we announced updates to our spring sports protocols effective Friday, April 23. All competition sites are open to 75% capacity for general admission. This is to match the latest directed health measure put out by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department this week. The limit of a certain number of spectators per athlete has been removed. And as per the directed health measure once 75% capacity of the venue is reached, no additional spectators will be allowed admission into the event. And admission will be open to anyone on a first come first served basis. And just a couple more reminders, we ask that all spectators please continue doing that self screening. if they have any of those symptoms, please stay home. We’re asking all spectators to please wear those face coverings at all times over their mouth and nose while they’re at the event even though they’re outside. That’s just one extra layer of protection to make sure we can continue having these events. Limited concessions will be sold. Individuals may lower their mask or take a bite or drink. But then we ask them to promptly return that face covering over their mouth and nose in between bites and drinks. No outside food or drink will be allowed by spectators and also we’re asking them to maintain that physical distance as much as possible. This is just stuff that’s going to help us keep the risk of spread very low in our community so we can we can continue to have those events and and finish off the school year.
Don Mayhew 2:02
I’m glad that we are addressing this. Some of the phone calls that I’ve gotten or communication through social media has been questions from families wanting to know about about these events. And I’m glad that our announcement came right after the the county’s announcement. So good job getting that message out right away. What does this mean now for graduation? Are we looking at that as well?
Mindy Burbach 2:25
Yes, great question. We are looking at that. It does take time because this is not an our venues. It’s at the pinnacle bank arena. So we are ordinating with the pinnacle bank arena and their staff. They’ve been amazing. To submit an updated event plan to the health department for all six high school graduations. Once we get that approved. We expect to communicate with families any of those event changes or attendance changes. Once that process has taken place. We appreciate the quickness and the responsiveness of the health department and the pinnacle bank arena to make adjustments as we go along.
Don Mayhew 2:55
Okay, great, so more information will be coming about graduations. In February Lincoln Public Schools announced their preliminary plans for a dedicated remote learning program next school year. Joining us to give an update on how the planning is going is associate superintendent for instruction Matt Larson and Remote Learning Program principal Casey Fries. Gentlemen, thank you both for joining us.
Matt Larson 3:17
Thank you.
Don Mayhew 3:18
All right, Matt, let’s start with you. This last year, we had to build an option from scratch that allowed for great flexibility for families as students may need to move frequently between in-person and remote learning, due to quarantines and the risk dial changing. Why was this the best option for us this year?
Matt Larson 3:38
That’s a great question. It was really all about continuity-of-learning. As you mentioned, when we began to plan for this year, we had no idea how many students might be impacted by the need to quarantine. As it turned out, through out the year, there were weeks where there were literally hundreds of students moving both to the remote learning program and returning to in-person learning from the remote learning program. If we had set up a dedicated remote learning model, there would have been no way to move those students quickly to remote learning and then back to in person learning and maintaining the instruction for them. So the hybrid model was a lot of work for people and we appreciate the effort everyone put into making it work from students to parents to staff. It was really essential. At the height of that pandemic, it’s really what allowed us to keep school open, keeps kids engaged and learning throughout the entire school year.
Don Mayhew 4:38
Casey, we knew and we’ve also heard from teachers that that hybrid approach that Dr. Larson was just describing. While it provides great flexibility for families. It’s not the easiest environment to deliver instruction. So we move to a dedicated program with dedicated remote teachers for next year. Casey, I know you’ve been working on what that will look like. Walk us through how the remote learning program will look for elementary, middle and high school students.
Casey Fries 5:05
Yeah, thanks, Don. The goal of the Remote Learning Program is to provide a kind of an alternative educational experience for our students and families, you know, as a result of our covid 19 pandemic. Although it’s kind of conducted in a alternative environment or a virtual environment, the typical day for our students is going to be similar to what they’ve experienced as an in-person student. You know, we’ve tried to replicate, replicate a typical school experience, while still, you know, acknowledging that there’s differences given that we’re in a virtual setting. But from you know, the majority of our students, it’s going to be a typical eight to three day, their typical school schedule with their core classes, as long as along with electives, and at aces and specialist classes that they can participate in.
Don Mayhew 5:50
What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced as you have worked on building the schedules?
Casey Fries 5:57
Truthfully, the biggest challenges have actually been logistical. You know, as I went through the hiring process for the program, I’ve realized that there is a large percentage of our teachers that have a passion for making sure all students are receiving a high quality education. And that doesn’t stop in the remote setting. So the logistical side of figuring out where all the teachers will teach from where, you know, the supplies and materials will be exchanged at and even how to build a sense of community amongst the students and staff has kind of has been probably will continue to be some of the biggest problems.
Don Mayhew 6:33
What are the student expectations in the program?
Unknown Speaker 6:38
While the majority of the student expectations are similar to what they would be for an in person, student, you know, the Student Code of Conduct still applies for our students in a remote setting. Some of the changes that students that remote program will see going forward is there will be an expectation for students to have their cameras on. We know and we have learned from this past year that it’s much easier to gauge a student’s level of engagement, their understanding of the material with having that camera on being able to see their face, there also be an expectation of students being able to have a quality or conducive work environment that they can work from at home, similar to what they would have in school. And then, you know, and probably most importantly, at some of the the lower levels, younger elementary students, it’ll be important that there’s a, an adult or a guardian that’s able to kind of help troubleshoot some problems that might arise, whether that’s technology or finding materials, those type of things.
Don Mayhew 7:33
One of the questions I’ve been getting on social media is if students will be able to participate in extracurricular activities.
Casey Fries 7:42
Yeah, they will. And you know, in particular, that comes up a lot when talking about the high school experience. And, you know, we’ve known for a long time that the extracurriculars really kind of makes a well rounded experience for our students. And just because a student or family is choosing to participate in a remote program, we don’t want to take away those opportunities that we know kind of make that experience a great one for them.
Don Mayhew 8:08
So early on, we asked parents for a very early commitment. Now we’ve had a chance to lay some of the groundwork, I understand that we are going to give parents another opportunity to decide if this is the right program for their child. Casey, what is the process if they have signed up for the program, but now want to go back to in person next school year?
Unknown Speaker 8:31
Yeah, and we know that February commitment, it was, as you know, a moment in time where we’re asking families to make a decision here starting on April 23. For a week, we’re going to kind of communicate with the families that had signed up for the remote learning program to we’re going to kind of re-solidify their commitment to the program. If a family chooses to opt out of the program or has decided you know that in person learning is the route they want to go. They will just reach out to their home school and contact a registrar and let them know that this decision they made
Don Mayhew 9:03
so that communication just happened through the home schools.
Casey Fries 9:06
Correct.
Don Mayhew 9:07
Matt, what about this school year, I know that our numbers have been going down. How many students right now do we still have in remote learning.
Matt Larson 9:15
As of last Friday, we had 5537 students in grades K through 12, who were still involved in remote learning program. That’s the low for the year. It’s about 13.9%. We hit our peak around December 4, where we had well over 9000 students and nearly one in four students were remote learners at that point time. And from that date on we’ve steadily gone down in the number of remote learners. As I believe community conditions have changed and as parents and students became more comfortable with in person learning realized it was a safe environment. And we’ve certainly been very happy to have those students returned to in person learning and look forward to having even more of them back in school next year.
Don Mayhew 10:00
Is there a deadline right now for parents to switch this year between in person and remote?
Matt Larson 10:05
That’s a great question. And that date is May 7, there’ll be to only two weeks of school left once we reach May 7. And given the movement in and out, we want to make sure everybody settled for those final two weeks of school, there will be an exception to that sure, would have to be quarantined, then we would still allow them to become a remote learner back to our fundamental reason for having the model we have to ensure that continuity of learning, but May 7 will be the last date either move back and forth for any reason whatsoever.
Don Mayhew 10:37
All right. Very good. Casey and Matt, thank you both for joining us today. We appreciate your time to answer the many questions about Remote Learning Program for the next school year. Thanks, gentlemen.
Matt Larson 10:46
Thank you
Casey Fries 10:47
Thank You for having us.
Mindy Burbach 10:49
Don, another great interview with Matt Larson and Casey Fries. And again, just as a reminder, we are sending an email out to those Remote Learning Program families who have registered for the 2021–22 school year. So please be watching your email this weekend for that information that’s coming in about how to opt-out if you’ve decided you want to change and go back to in-person learning. And if you have any questions about what you’ve heard here today, you can ask on our Facebook page or on our website lps.org by clicking on the blue contact us button, and we will work on to answer your questions on our next episode.
Don Mayhew 11:19
And don’t forget to join us for LPS Live Board Preview on Facebook Tuesday, April 27 at 5pm before our regular board of education meeting. You can find the agenda for our board meeting on our website. Thanks for joining us today.
Updated April 23, 2021