*(Editor’s note: Around the time this story was published at 1:10 p.m. on Friday, July 31, an all-call phone call was placed by the Bedford School District to families in the district stating that at least the first quarter of the 2020-2021 year would be done virtually. The board did not vote on the proposal in the public session last night, but approved the proposal this morning. Here is the link to the video of the special meeting from last night, and below is the story that was written before the approval.)
No decisions were made at the special Bedford Board of Education meeting, Thursday, so, technically, starting the year with the hybrid plan is still in effect. Still, Superintendent Andrea Celico and other school officials took the opportunity during the evening to present a detailed look at the possibility of opening the year using virtual education only.
Celico had previously presented this virtual-only plan, called Plan C, at the July 9 board meeting. That option was part of trifecta of plans offered to the board which also included Plan A, or beginning the year with every student at school, and Plan B, the hybrid plan. The hybrid plan would have students spending part of their week at school, and part of the week at home doing their learning virtually. It was the plan the board approved unanimously during that earlier meeting.
But as Covid-19 cases increase in Ohio and across the country, the “correct” decision on how to open the schools — a decision which has been left for each school district to decide on its own — has becomes more mirky. Celico said that the situation remains “fluid” as information from officials changes often.
She quoted Governor Mike DeWine, who said this week that he didn’t think there was enough information to decide which is the right decision or wrong decision in terms of schools opening.
“We have a governor, we have a president, who are surrounded by the top officials,” said Celico. “We have Cleveland Clinic here, (and) we have University Hospitals. We have top advisors that the governor has access to, and yet superintendents are left to make these decisions on opening up schools. … I might have a title of “Doctor” but I’m certainly not a medical doctor … So this is what we are faced with, and all we can do is make the best decision that we think with the information that is presented to us.”
Celico admitted that views about the nature of pandemic itself have caused division in the country.
“We have experts that don’t agree. We have politicians that don’t agree about what is happening in the world,” she said. “And we have people who run the gambit between this being a hoax to treating this extremely seriously. So we are respectful of everyone’s viewpoints. It is still going to polarize groups … but we are here tonight to hear about our options and what we have in the best interests of our students and staff.”
Celico listed a few factors that led her administration to take a closer look at the all-virtual model over the past few weeks. The commitment survey sent home to families in the district asking for their preferences between Plan B and Plan C had about 1000 responses representing some 1500 students. While this is not even half of the student population, the numbers came down 44 percent in favor of the hybrid model, and 56 percent in favor of going all virtual, and that number stayed fairly consistent across grade bands.
A second factor she mentioned was that the American Federation of Teachers had just approved the possibility of “Safety Strikes” for its members if teachers did not feel secure in heading to work. Celico said she has had a great working relationship with the Bedford Education Association, but that the national group’s move was concerning. Also, in a recent teacher survey, Celico said eight or nine Bedford teachers had made requests about safety worries and she expected that number to go higher.
The last factor she mentioned was that not only is Cuyahoga County is in Level 3, meaning high exposure and spread, but Bedford’s Zip Code, 44146, is one of the areas in the county that has the highest incidents of spread.
Celico mentioned that they were waiting on news from the County Board of Health concerning sports for the fall, and also its recommendation about starting schools in general. And as if to underscore the “fluid” nature of the whole this decision-making process, a text came in — while she was speaking — that said the health board had just made its decision: It recommended that all schools in the county start virtually, and that extra-curricular activities, including sports, be discontinued.
With that in mind, Celico went on to present a basic overview of the all-virtual option before handing over the microphone to other administration officials who filled in the details in their particular areas of expertise. Celico said there were a few populations in the district that would still be better served with in-person instruction, including students in Career and Technical Education, special education and preschool, and that the district is looking at ways for that to still happen and follow health guidelines.
Celico also stated that she would like to see extracurricular activities continue in some form through virtual means so students can continue to have a way to interact during the all-virtual plan. She has voiced before her deep concerns about students getting isolated when they don’t have face-to-face contact with others during the school week.
“Again, we truly believe, (and) you heard me say this the last time, how fearful I am of this recommendation (Plan C),” she said. “But knowing the other costs — that is, the safety and security of our students — it’s just so sad … that our students would be missing out on being in-person. But one way to stay connected would through extracurricular activities.”
Others parts of the all-virtual option included:
– Professional development for teachers from August 24 to September 4, with school still beginning after Labor Day.
– Every student in the district would have access to a computer device.
– The curriculum and grading would be consistent with those used for regular in-class teaching.
– Teachers will be expected to be present at the school, and they will teach virtually from their classrooms.
– Attendance will be taken frequently during the day before each class period or subject.
– Some class learning will take place in a live full-group setting (synchronous) while other instruction might be assigned work students will do on their own or with support (asynchronous).
– Grade PK through 3 would be using the SeeSaw teaching platform, while grades 4 through 12 would be using Google Classrooms. Teachers will also be encouraged to use a list of other best-practices computer sites with the students to encourage active learning.
– The district’s technology department will be offering in-person training, with social distancing, for parents on how to help their students be successful in the virtual classroom. The department will also have the capability to help families with computer issues remotely.
– If school officials find that some students are not participating effectively in the virtual-learning process, members of the district’s supports services team, such as social workers, mental health therapists and school counselors will be called on to help find solutions.
– The free lunch program will still be offered.
Celico said that the decision of how to start the school year is the toughest one she has had to make in her five years as superintendent. She said she hoped that in the next week, that the board would be able to digest all of the information presented about the virtual option and recall all of the aspects of the hybrid version from the previous meeting, and perhaps vote again next week on a solution.
