Coronavirus

Providing Education During a School Closure

• The District will provide instruction to all students. This will primarily be accomplished through the use of online learning and District-issued devices, such as iPads/Chromebooks and incorporating distance learning principles.
• This will require the full cooperation of students, teachers and parents to make this instruction meaningful and in compliance with the full expectations of Minnesota statutes.
• The Flex Learning Day schedule will be the source of families to access assignments.

Availability of Technology

• The District has provided all students with iPads or Chromebooks.
• Those students who need to borrow an iPad or Chromebook from the school should begin taking the computers home with them at the end of each day, starting immediately, in order to assure that they are ready to use them if the order to close their school happens prior to the start of school the following day.
• In order to access instruction through the use of iPads/Chromebooks, students will need to log in according to specific directions by their teachers.

Grading

• Grading and assessments may be modified for the students, but it will be intended that this model of delivery (Flex Learning) will be equivalent to what students would have in school.
• Individual teachers will be responsible for grading the work of their students and recording those grades.

Attendance checking

• It will be important to the State of Minnesota that schools keep accurate attendance records.
• Attendance must be taken by the teacher and records of attendance will be kept. Some ways attendance will be verified include:
• Logging in to the class page(s) on the district’s/school Moodle/Google Classroom sites.
• Email exchange/text exchange/phone call with the teacher.
• A parent may verify attendance; a documentation process is developed and retained by the school as part of the student’s attendance record.
• Activity in classes (pages accessed, discussion participation, formative assessments completed).
• Work submitted during the Flex Learning Day.

Instruction when the teacher is unavailable

• There will be cases when teachers are unable to teach on a given day, and instruction will need to be provided by another teacher.
• The instructional plan will continue to be in place even when the teacher assigned to the students is unavailable.
• If there is no replacement teacher available on a given day, parents will be notified of that situation and the options for continuing instruction.

Meeting State Requirements

In the event that the technology used to deliver instruction does not adequately meet the requirements of Minnesota statutes, alternative solutions will be implemented.

• In the event that the District’s plan for using iPads/Chromebooks does not sufficiently meet District expectations or Minnesota statutory requirements, the District would need to extend the school year beyond the scheduled last day of school long enough to meet State requirements.
• There is a small difference in the number of the District’s scheduled days in session and the statutory requirement for time in session, and that would enable the District to meet some of the time away from school without making up time.
• It is not possible to estimate before a closure event how much time would be required to make up days required by law.

Working During A School Closure

• Working conditions for employees may need to be altered, and the respective employees will be informed of plans and any changes that will affect their work and attendance at work.
• The requirements for employees will vary depending upon the nature of the school closure. In the extreme case of all schools in the District being closed, the descriptions below will apply.
• If a single school were to be closed, the descriptions below would apply only to staff in the school closed; and employees may be reassigned as necessary.
• If there were a modified plan by the Department of Health whereby just some students were quarantined, there would be a new plan developed to meet the special conditions of the Department’s expectations.
• Teachers will be available throughout their normal work day, including time before or after school, as assigned. In addition to the time for delivering instruction through the Flex Learning Day schedules, teachers need to expect students reaching out to them for assistance with lessons during the normal workday.
• Times for students to contact their teachers with assignment questions will be established by each principal of any schools closed.
• Teachers who need to take time off during any of the e-learning days will need to inform their principal, and alternatives for the students will be determined by the District.
• Special Education teachers will need to work with their students through assistance from the students’ parents.
• In the event that the closures involve less than a full District shutdown, teachers in the closed schools may be reassigned to schools that are open.
• It is expected that all teachers will assure their readiness to deliver instruction through the use of the Flex Learning Day schedule during a crisis due to the Coronavirus.
• The District will schedule times before any emergency arises for teachers to practice the e-learning model with their students, and teachers will be expected to implement those plans.

• Office assistants will not be expected to perform duties during days that school is not in session during an emergency closure, but there may be an expectation that evolves during the closure by which these staff members will be needed to assist with communications between parents/students and teachers or administrators.
• Office staff members who are in closed schools may be assigned to open schools in the District in the event that not all schools are closed.

• Paraprofessionals assigned to assist classroom teachers may be assigned duties by the respective teachers to assist students in completing their lessons.
• Other paraprofessionals will not be expected to perform duties during days that school is not in session.
• If the closures involve less than a full shutdown, paraprofessionals may be assigned to open schools in the District.

• Food service staff should consult with Taher, Inc.
• Custodians will not be expected to perform normal duties during school closures, but they may be given special assignments as the need arises.
• If any staff member were needed to perform unexpected tasks, they would be recalled to the job site.
• These staff members may be assigned to open schools if not all of the District’s schools are closed.

• Our buses will run routes for any open schools in the District, as modifications will be made due to any closed schools.
• If the entire District closes, obviously, there will be no need for bus service.

• Principals, counselors, social workers, and Teacher Instructional Coaches will be assigned alternate responsibilities if their respective school is closed.
• The Community Education administrator and program managers report to the DACS unless they have been quarantined. They will be needed for communication and program support.
• This could include assignments to open schools if the respective administrator, counselor, social worker is not under quarantine themselves.
• Counselors and social workers will be able to stay in contact with individual students via phone, email and GoogleHangout during a closure.
• District-wide administrators will report to the DACS, unless they have been quarantined due to contact at schools or events. All will be needed to assist in communications with parents and employees.

• The District will assure that employees will be paid on time during any emergency. Minnesota statutes do prohibit the District from paying employees who do not work. Several contracts with employees provide various leaves that may be used in order to receive regular pay.