In an open letter published Friday, July 17th on the Riverside Beaver County School District website, the district Administrative Team published the district’s return to school plan, including information on transportation, face coverings and the district’s cyber program. The statement reads as follows:
The 2020-2021 school year is rapidly approaching, and our Pandemic Response Team is actively developing plans to accommodate a high level of rigor and curriculum delivery while also ensuring that all staff and students are safe to return to the buildings. It is imperative to note that Riverside families and students have been, and will continue to be, at the heart of our decision-making during these uncertain times due to COVID-19. As a district, it has been our desire to emphasize flexibility and compassion during the stressful events surrounding our nation, and we appreciate the support and patience that we have received in return. Our ultimate goal is to return with a feeling of normalcy with our students in the classrooms, connecting daily with their teachers and peers. This is a process that will require assistance and understanding as many of the mandates and regulations we must abide by present obstacles for both young and older students. As highlighted in our Health and Safety Plan, we will have established procedures and protocols to ensure the well-being of our students and staff as well as a commitment to deliver a rigorous and robust curriculum.
As we have collectively learned this year, these are uncertain times; therefore, situations remain fluid. It may be necessary for the state to impose directives upon us at any time. The choice to be open, closed, or operate in some modified manner may not be a local decision. Our team feels it is important to be upfront with our planning so our families can make an informed choice based on the current information and so that each family has an opportunity for a choice in this matter. Our normal has changed. However, our students–your children–deserve as normal an experience as we can provide. While understanding that the variety of scenarios we may face in the upcoming weeks and months are uncertain, all available options are designed around the following guiding principles:
- Promote social distancing for student and staff safety by reducing the number of students in a classroom at a time.
- Provide parents/guardians with viable options for the transition of their child(ren) safely back to school.
- Prepare for the potential to transition from in-person instruction to a virtual learning environment on sho rt notice with little to no interruption in academic rigor and expectations.
We believe that no one can make a better decision for a child other than his or her parent. We will defer to our families to make the ultimate decision for their individual student(s). The following regulations and plans have been formulated in response to the parent survey as well as directives mandated by the CDC and other governing bodies of our educational system.
2020-2021 RHS School Calendar Hybrid AB Model (1st 9 Weeks)
Return to School Plan
The Riverside School District tentatively plans to welcome all students back to school through a face-to-face instructional model this school year; however, several challenges (busing, cafeteria size, social distance requirements) will need to be solved and information about all families intentions will need to be gathered to enable us to confirm our final decision. Our desired plan is to allow all students in grades K-5 to attend school daily while our students in grades 6-12 will attend every other day. To support this hybrid model, all families have been separated alphabetically so that siblings attend on the same days. On A days, families with the last names A-K will attend school on campus; on B days, families with the last names L-Z will attend school on campus. (School Hybrid Calendar) Additionally, asynchronous and synchronous instruction will be offered to those students in grade 6-12 to ensure they are receiving daily interaction and instruction on the days in which they are not physically in the building. This decision results from our attempt to mitigate potential health issues as well as accommodate the required social distancing. We also recognize that many students will need more one-on-one attention due to the abrupt end to the previous school year. With this model, all teachers will have decreased class sizes to address each student’s personal achievement needs.
We emphasize that some aspects of this proposal are in the early stages of development. Offering synchronous learning opportunities will be a slow process for both teachers and students. We will continue working to solve the problems that arise with the implementation of a blended learning environment due to the inability to test this type of instruction prior to the start of school. Also, in order for students in grades K-5 to attend daily, we will need to space students at a 3 foot distance to accommodate space for everyone. Consequently, masks for these younger students will be required.
Riverside P.A.W. Program
We have also discovered that for some families, the risk of underlying medical conditions for their children or other personal choices make online learning an appealing option. We strongly encourage any family who desires an online option to remain a part of the Riverside family and enroll in the Riverside P.A.W. Program. It is important to be aware that this option utilizes Riverside’s professional staff using the district curriculum, a course of study created with your child(ren)’s needs at the heart of its development. The students who participate in the P.A.W. Program may continue to participate in all athletics, extracurricular activities, and receive a Riverside diploma. It is also beneficial for students who later decide to return to the traditional school setting since there would be no gap of instruction due to the alignment of the P.A.W. online curriculum with the curriculum used in our classrooms.
Face Coverings
Currently, any student in grades K-5 will be required to wear a protective face covering during school hours, if a minimum of 6 feet social distancing cannot be obtained. This decision does not come easily; however, we have determined that the potential of having all kids in these grades attend school every day is more important than the potential inconvenience of everyone wearing face coverings. Be aware that in these grades, teachers and staff will establish mask routines and mask breaks throughout the school day, to make the experience as comfortable as possible while encouraging the required safety practices for all. It is also imperative that families begin the process of helping the younger students become more comfortable and acclimated to wearing a face covering and seeing their teachers and other staff members in face coverings, and protective gear. There are several resources families can utilize to help decrease the anxiety or stress associated with this change to their everyday routine. We will continue to provide support services within the building for student access.
While at school, students in grades 6-12, who are operating under a hybrid model, will be required to wear a protective face covering when unable to social distance. These times would include, but not limited to, the following: riding the school bus, transitioning in the hallways between classes, and any other moment when a 6 foot social distance cannot be maintained. As of now, the classrooms for grades 6-12 have been arranged so that all students can safely remove their masks in the classroom and during lunch periods. Should this mandate be lifted moving forward, we will adjust accordingly and move towards the recommended use of face coverings.
Transportation
Transportation has been one of our biggest concerns and barriers to overcome as we planned our return to school for the year. Currently, we are only able to seat one student per seat on each bus. We are continuing to offer student drivers access to parking passes and assigned spots in the student lot as well as implementing a new system for student pick up for the upcoming year. This pickup system allows parents/guardians to easily pick up their child(ren) without entering the building. We are also encouraging families to commit to providing transportation for their child(ren) if possible. The assistance and willingness from families who have this ability to aid us in the efforts to social distance is greatly appreciated. We will be altering the school day schedules district-wide in order to accommodate the modifications we are required to make for transportation. We will have updates to these schedules once we receive the results of the survey included in this letter of correspondence.
We understand that our students and families may have questions regarding any of the variety of topics related to our return to school. It is our hope to provide clear defining answers to all concerns and questions within the next couple of weeks. As we continue to adjust our plans for specificity, we ask that all families complete a survey for each child who will be attending Riverside in the fall. Please complete this survey by Friday, July 24, 2020. The Riverside Beaver County School District is dedicated to providing the best we have to offer, and we value the continued support and flexibility that we have developed over the course of many years. If you can foresee any upcoming problematic issues with division of students in the hybrid setting, transportation, or other concern, we encourage you to contact your child(ren)’s building administrator. We will be happy to assist you in finding a workable solution. As we partner together and navigate through the unpredictable future, we will maintain our strong relationships and will continue to be responsive and adaptable to the changing demands of
our community and nation.
Sincerely,
Riverside Administrative Team
THIS IS SO STUPID K THUR 5 STUDENTS SHOULD NOT BE WEARING MASK ALL DAY IN SCHOOL. CARBON DIOXIDE IS NOT GOOD FOR THE HUMAN BODY.