For the second time in two weeks, the Saint Paul Public Schools has postponed the return of its youngest students to some level of classroom instruction. The school district considered implementing a hybrid of in-person and distance learning for grades PreK-2 on November 30, but on October 30 it announced that that would not happen before January 19. Though the school district had met all of the internal benchmarks for a safe transition to hybrid learning, a recent surge in COVID-19 cases locally prompted administrators to postpone reopening the elementary schools.
“Our superintendent and our team are doing the best job they can to aim for the ultimate goal to have all of our kids back in school if they want to be back,” said School Board member John Brodrick. “We’re being cautious, and I’m very supportive of the work. If I had an answer, I’d tell it to (Superintendent Joe Gothard).”
Nick Faber, president of the Saint Paul Federation of Educators, breathed a sigh of relief when the decision was announced to postpone the hybrid learning. “It gives us a little bit of breathing room,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been asking for all along—to slow down this push.”
The Saint Paul Public Schools has established five stages for a full return to in-person classroom instruction. Stage 1 has seen special education and special site students participating in a hybrid of classroom and distance learning since October 19. Stages 2, 3 and 4 would implement hybrid learning for students in grades PreK-2, 3-5 and 6-12, respectively.
According to Faber, the implementation of Stage 2 in November would have been premature due to several unresolved issues in a joint memorandum of understanding between the school district and the teachers’ union.
In postponing hybrid learning, the school district was being more cautious than required by the Minnesota departments of Health and Education. State guidelines recommend that schools in counties with between 30 and 50 COVID-19 cases for every 10,000 residents in a two-week period could safely conduct hybrid learning for elementary students. The Saint Paul Public Schools decided to postpone Stage 2 based on a total of 31 COVID-19 cases for every 10,000 residents in a two-week period. That number has since risen to 34 cases for every 10,000 residents.
In a recent survey, the district found that about half of the families with students in grades PreK-2 were comfortable with hybrid learning, and about 20 percent of them felt very comfortable. About 37 percent of the families were uncomfortable with hybrid learning, including 15 percent who felt very uncomfortable.
In postponing hybrid learning, the school district was being more cautious than required by the Minnesota departments of Health and Education. State guidelines recommend that schools in counties with between 30 and 50 COVID-19 cases for every 10,000 residents in a two-week period could safely conduct hybrid learning for elementary students. The Saint Paul Public Schools decided to postpone Stage 2 based on a total of 31 COVID-19 cases for every 10,000 residents in a two-week period. That number has since risen to 34 cases for every 10,000 residents.
The Saint Paul school district is now looking at January 19 as the earliest date for implementing hybrid learning for students in grades PreK-5. That delay concerns educators and parents who are worried about students falling behind with distance learning only.
Heather Mueller, the state’s deputy commissioner of education, advised schools on October 27 to consider other factors beyond the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases before returning to some level of in-person instruction. Those factors include the number of quarantines, the close contacts among school communities, the safety protocols available in school buildings and the number of individuals with flu-like illnesses. “This is what we’re calling the scalpel approach,” Mueller said, allowing school districts and charter schools in the same county to operate with different learning models.
The Saint Paul school district is now looking at January 19 as the earliest date for implementing hybrid learning for students in grades PreK-5. That delay concerns educators and parents who are worried about students falling behind with distance learning only.
In response to those concerns, the school district has made available the computer applications Seesaw and Schoology. In-person academic support is also available for any student who wants it at Washington Technology School, 1495 Rice St. Depending on need and the availability of staff, in-person academic support will also be made available at Central, Humboldt, Harding and Johnson high schools. (For information, visit spps.org/domain/16814.)
The number of COVID-19 cases notwithstanding, Faber is concerned about the lasting effects of distance and hybrid learning on students. “This is an imposition, and it’s going to have an impact on our students’ learning no matter what we do,” he said. “I think the conversation needs to be on what we’re going to do when this is finished.”
— Casey Ek
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