Issaquah School District E-news
September 25, 2020
Kindergarten-3rd Grade Learning Model Survey - Response Required by October 1
Dear ISD Families,
As the District continues to plan to phase in our youngest learners by bringing back kindergarten and 1st graders for in-person learning by October 15, followed by 2nd and 3rd graders approximately three weeks later, and then the older grades possibly phasing in after that, we are asking families with students in kindergarten through third grade to make a commitment to a specific instructional model for their child/children: remote or in-person hybrid. This commitment for your student’s learning mode is through the end of the second trimester, March 17, 2021. At that point, families may be given the opportunity to change their commitment. This commitment is critical in order for the District to create transportation schedules and to match student needs with the appropriate staffing resources. Staff will also communicate their individual decisions about returning to in-person instruction based upon their personal situations.
We acknowledge that our teachers and students make positive connections. As a result, the District will give strong consideration whenever possible to maintaining the teacher-student connections that have been made this year as we evaluate student and staff assignments. We recognize this commitment from you is an important decision and want to provide you as many details about the two instructional models as we can at this time. At the same time our window is not wide in order to make an appropriate plan; we need you to complete a survey for each of your children in kindergarten through 3rd grade by Thursday, October 1, 2020, 5:00 pm.
Full Remote Learning
If you choose to remain in 100 percent remote learning, students will follow the current daily schedule. Your student will be assigned to a class with other 100 percent remote students. While this assignment may be with all the current classmates, there is also the possibility that the class may be a mixture of current classmates and some students from other classes. Your student’s current teacher may or may not remain the same based upon the need to assign teachers to in-person or remote learning, depending upon the teacher’s decision, based upon their personal circumstances. If we are unable to match the student desires and the teacher’s decision and a teacher change is necessary, the District will give strong consideration to providing a teacher from your student’s home school, though we can’t guarantee it will be possible. All students will be taught by Issaquah School District teachers.
In-Person Hybrid
Your student will attend school four days per week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) for approximately 3 hours per day in either a morning or afternoon session assigned by the District. Wednesday your student will be learning remotely. While in person, your student will receive direct instruction from their classroom teacher in core content areas. The other half of the school day, your student will be in remote learning, working independently on assignments and activities provided by the classroom teacher and accessing physical education/music/library specialist instruction. As with the full remote learning, teacher and student assignment may need to change and the District will continue to give strong consideration to the current student-teacher connections, although we can’t guarantee that such maintenance is possible. This hybrid model is necessary to ensure appropriate physical distancing in the classroom and during learning activities. Further, students and staff will be required to wear face coverings while indoors and practice appropriate healthy hand hygiene. Recess time will be provided during the in-person block. No lunch will be served. District transportation will be provided. Students will have their temperature taken daily and parents will complete a daily attestation confirming their students do not have COVID-19 symptoms and have not been exposed to COVID-19. We may need to rapidly transition to a full remote learning model if a student or staff member contracts a confirmed case of COVID-19 and then remain in a full remote model for a period of time, as advised by Public Health of Seattle King County. Once the crisis clears, students would then return to the in-person hybrid model.
Please note that such a delivery model and resulting schedule need to be bargained with the Issaquah Education Association.
Click here to take the Kindergarten-3rd Grade Learning Model Commitment Survey. Thank you for participating in the survey,
Ron Thiele
Superintendent