Teacher Cheryl Manbeck, with the Jonathan Alder Educational Association, addressed the school board at this morning’s special meeting. Manbeck reported that the majority of teachers felt fully remote learning was the best option for both teachers and students at this time. She said less than 10% of teachers feel full-time, in person learning is best for students or teachers at this point. Pictured with Manbeck is, from left, board members Shannon Foust, Steve Votaw, Bill McCartney, and Mary Jo Boyd, and Superintendent Gary Chapman. Board member Christine Blacka was also in attendance. (Photo submitted)
Citing both consistency and safety, the Jonathan Alder Board of Education voted this morning to remain in a fully remote learning path through the end of the year, but to allow sports and other extracurricular activities.
School board member Shannon Foust said the “consistency aspect outweighs a lot of the other things that could be achieved” by having students in class full-time or even in a hybrid model.
Board member Christine Blacka said, “I think we can all agree we want our students back in school, but safely.”
This morning’s special meeting was called Thursday in response to the Madison County Health Commissioner’s decision Wednesday to change his order closing the county schools from a mandate to a recommendation. On Nov. 12, Madison County Health Commissioner Chris Cook ordered all Madison County schools to move to a hybrid learning model starting that week. On Nov. 23, the health department mandated that starting Nov. 30, all county schools must go fully remote. Wednesday, the Madison County Board of Health voted to rescind the orders that both closed school buildings and suspended sports and extracurricular activities. In place of the orders, the board issued two public health advisories recommending the same actions. The Board of Health also passed an order to suspend community festivals, events, and gatherings until January 1, 2021.
School officials said the move would allow the decision to close, open fully or operate in a hybrid model to be made at the local school board level. Jonathan Alder School Superintendent Gary Chapman said officials spent Thursday, “soliciting input from our administrators, listening to our teachers and, obviously, not to mention, a full inbox of emails from our parents and several of our students.”
“For lack of a better analogy, it has been a roller coaster of emotions our last three weeks — sudden shifts, unexpected changes,” Chapman said.
The superintendent had teacher Cheryl Manbeck, with the Jonathan Alder Educational Association, address the board. She said 88% of the association members responded to a survey asking what learning method they thought would be best for the teachers and what model would be best for the students.
“These two can be very different perspectives,” Manbeck said.
She reported that 67% of the teachers felt full remote would be best for the teachers and 57% said that model would be best for the students as well; 24% said hybrid was best for the teachers and 31% said hybrid was best for the students; 9% said full, in-person learning was best for the teachers and the students.
She said the perspective is “very different” at the high school than it is at the elementary schools.
Board member Steve Votaw asked Chapman if there were any other options the district hasn’t explored.
Chapman said the district’s options are “limited.”
Votaw encouraged him to look at other options that might allow for more flexibility.
Board Member Bill McCartney said he feels like the district is hearing from a small group of parents who are passionate “on one extreme or the other.”
He said he was surprised to learn that many students and parents do not like the hybrid model and, if they cannot be in school full-time, would rather be in the full remote model.
Chapman said the consistent message from stakeholders has been a desire for consistency and for the board to not make quick decisions. He said moving back and forth between models or preparing for models that never come to fruition cause “stress, anxiety and disruption” for students and families.
The board agreed that remaining fully remote, at least through the end of the year, maintains the stability students, parents and teachers want.
Blacka said “decisions regarding Jan. 4 will be forthcoming.”
Officials said they would discuss next year at the Dec. 14 board meeting, but they might not have a decision even then.
“I know some people would love a clear direction on what we are doing on Jan. 4, but it’s not fair to any of us, to our community, to our students, to make a decision, potentially even by our next board meeting,” Chapman said.
Votaw said it is important for everyone involved to remember this is a temporary situation caused by a specific pandemic.
“This is temporary. This is not the way we are going to run schools,” Votaw said.
He said he believes the district will be fully in-person sometime in the spring.
“We just have to get through this as best we can, give kids the best support we can and then we will get back to normal,” Votaw said. “We all want that.”
Chapman said one of the things officials have learned through the process is that, “we have the ability to be flexible to where we can shut down a classroom in a respective building, we can shut down a building and allow the others to remain in a certain path.”
As the district was working to transition to full in-person learning, some buildings were able to open at full capacity, while others were not.
The district voted to allow sports and extracurricular activities.
“We are able to meet the state and local operational guidelines along with Ohio High School Athletic Association guidelines and we have been doing that since June of last summer,” Chapman said.
Madison County has been at Level 3 (red) and experiencing high incidence of COVID-19 spread on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System for two months. Thursday, the Ohio Department of Health put Madison County on the Level 4 (purple) watch list indicating severe risk to the health and safety of the county from COVID-19.
“Transmission of COVID-19 in Madison County is very high and there are no indications that new infection rates will slow without additional interventions,” according to a statement this week from the Madison County Department of Health.
Cook said he is, “beyond worried about where we are headed over the coming weeks and the healthcare system’s ability to keep up,” adding that “something has to change.”
Board of Health President Teresa Ames encouraged everyone to take three important steps right now. “Wear your mask, distance yourself from others, and don’t gather with people outside your own household,” Ames said. “We need this now more than ever.”