West Ada delays start of school but OKs opening even in health district’s ‘red’ category
The West Ada School District Board of Trustees decided Tuesday to delay the first day of the fall semester in Idaho’s largest district until Sept. 8, giving the board more time to decide how best to conduct classes and educators more time to prepare.
A five-hour meeting about how to proceed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic culminated in a motion to approve a fall plan that would allow schools to operate under the protocols of being in “yellow” Category 2 despite the district’s presence in “red” Category 3. Specifically, this would allow for in-person classes on an alternating schedule even though the guidance from Central District Health in the “red” category calls for remote learning.
But it’s not certain that West Ada will head in that direction. The board will reconvene on Aug. 25 to make a decision as to the level of operations for the first day. The district’s fall semester was supposed to begin on Aug. 27, so the board’s decision Tuesday provided nearly two more weeks of cushion.
The health district points out that all of its categories simply provide recommendations and that the ultimate decisions lie with local school boards. In the “yellow” category, a hybrid plan for students is advised, meaning an alternating-day schedule for at-school learning and online lessons on other days.
For instance, under a plan West Ada has floated, half of elementary and middle school students would attend class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the other half on Wednesdays and Fridays. They would alternate on Mondays. The district’s high schools could follow an every-other-day schedule, meaning groups would be at school three days one week and two days the next.
The half-and-half schedule would reduce class sizes to approximately 15 students to allow for good social distancing, the district said.
West Ada board members acknowledged Tuesday that the school district likely would spend very little time throughout the year in the “green” category, which would allow for schools to be open each day with safety precautions put in place. Members said that as conditions change, they hope to explore options for more regular school days.
“We cannot fail. We have to be successful in whatever we choose,” West Ada Superintendent Mary Ann Ranells said.
Discussion on the possibility of opening with an online-only format brought up concerns about issues including not having enough devices for students to work with from home. Although the district’s plan includes a 1-to-1 technology-to-student ratio, not all of the devices that have been ordered would arrive by the first day of class, board members said.
Central District Health currently has all of Ada County’s school districts — West Ada, Boise and Kuna — in the red category. The Boise School District board was meeting Tuesday night to decide its fall semester plans.
On Tuesday, the president of the Idaho Education Association, Layne McInelly, published a statement asking districts within coronavirus hot-spot areas — such as Ada and Canyon counties — to keep school buildings closed and start classes online. The Nampa School District has taken this step and will be online-only when it starts classes on Aug. 24. The Vallivue district, also in Canyon County, plans to open as scheduled on Aug. 19 with a hybrid plan that includes an in-person, alternating-day schedule.
“It’s an unfortunate circumstance but a necessary decision to protect the lives of Idahoans threatened by a pandemic that shows no signs of abating in our state,” McInelly said.
McInelly said that 75% of students would be attending school in a hot spot this month and that a downward trend in cases is needed before students and teachers go back into buildings.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 8:24 PM.
