Mid-Prairie administrators prepare for students’ return

By James Jennings
Posted 8/13/20

Mid-Prairie administrators are making their final preparations for school to begin on Aug. 24.

They gave updates to the Mid-Prairie school board during an outdoor meeting on Monday night.

High …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Mid-Prairie administrators prepare for students’ return

Posted

Mid-Prairie administrators are making their final preparations for school to begin on Aug. 24.

They gave updates to the Mid-Prairie school board during an outdoor meeting on Monday night.

High school Principal Jay Strickland said that the school will stick with its four-block model and will add an extra lunch shift to help keep students in smaller groups.

Regarding the enforcement of wearing face coverings, Strickland said that he prefers a “menu of options” rather than a “ladder approach.”

“I think a lot will be on a case-by-case basis,” he said.

Middle school nurse Jessica Nafziger said that there has been some discussions about waivers for the mask policy.

“We will look at it on a case-by-case basis,” she said.

At a special meeting last week, the school board agreed to reassess the mask mandate on Sept. 28.

Strickland said that some of the staff is anxious to get the school year started, while others are ready to go.

Saying that it was just his personal opinion, Strickland said, “I think once we dive in, things are going to go well, and people will relax.”

He also reported that the number of high school students who opted for the new virtual learning academy was in the low 20s.

Middle school Principal Marc Pennington said that 28-30 middle school students have opted for either the virtual learning academy or home school program.

For students coming to school, the plan is to keep them in groups that rotate classes.

For band and choir, groups will be about eight students.

East Elementary Principal Robin Foster said that the campus lost 28 second-graders, mainly to the virtual learning academy and home school program.

“The second grade classrooms will be able to social distance,” Foster said.

Each grade level will have recess together in an effort to keep the same groups of students together.

West Elementary Principal Bill Poock said that his school saw about 14% of students choose the virtual academy or home school program.

West Elementary will follow the same recess plan as East Elementary.

Poock added that students will utilize external classroom doors that are built into every classroom to help keep hallway traffic to a minimum.

Amy Shalla, Alternative Learning Center principal and special education director, said that they have been meeting with several families to put together plans that work best for them.

“A lot of families are on the fence as to what they’re going to do,” Shalla said. “The virtual academy doesn’t fit for some families.”

Home School Assistance Program Director Rachel Kerns said that 23 new families have signed up for home-schooling.

“We’ll be reaching out to them,” Kerns said. “We have quite a few families coming to us.”

She stressed that with home schooling, parents are the teachers.

Frank Slabaugh, the interim virtual learning academy principal, said that 131 students have signed up for virtual learning.

He said that he will be meeting with high school students to set up their schedules.

“We encourage them to keep in line with what the high school is offering,” Slabaugh said. “We want to make sure to get the high-schoolers plugged into the right classes.”