Akron.com

APS may offer fall learning options



DOWNTOWN AKRON — Students in Akron Public Schools (APS) may have three options when choosing their return to school in the fall: a five-day week of remote learning for younger students, similar to this past spring’s format; a five-day week on-site plan with smaller class sizes; or a blend of two on-site days and three remote days.
These recommendations were presented to the APS Board of Education during the nearly three-hour June 29 virtual special meeting. Ellen McWilliams-Woods, Ph.D., APS chief academic officer and assistant superintendent, and Pat Shipe, president of the Akron Education Association, led the presentation on what the district’s schools may look like in the fall.
Much of the APS reopening plans depend on guidelines set by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, the Ohio Department of Education and Summit County Public Health. The governor is expected to issue guidance during his press conference today, July 2.
“We knew that we couldn’t wait to see what happened from the state perspective,” McWilliams-Woods said. “… We certainly had to keep learning from their information, but we knew we had to get a head start.”
Since mid-May, a team of 140 people — teachers, principals, parents and community members — have been studying aspects of fall reopening. During the board meeting, representatives from eight action teams gave recommendations on the following topics:
• Health advisory: Debra Foulk, APS executive director of business affairs, and Tonia Burford, environmental health director of Summit County Public Health, recommended students and teachers remain 6 feet apart in new classroom setups to allow for more space; no more than 25 students per bus; required mask usage, health assessments and taking temperatures; increased cleaning of bathrooms, water fountains and high-touch areas; and limits to large group gatherings.
• School model and instructional recovery: Karen Gegick, APS executive director of teaching and learning, and teacher Sara Leffler shared flexible options for the fall reopening, with all students having the option to study completely online with APS Connected Learning 2.0, a continuation of the learning model from this past spring.
Preschool students will attend on-site five half days per week, with cleaning between morning and afternoon sessions, while elementary students will attend on-site five days per week with a half day focused on reading and math and the other half highlighting art, music, physical education, library time, intervention or enrichment learning.
Third- through eighth-graders will spend two days a week on-site and three days a week in remote learning, and high school students will have a full week of blended instruction, which will include both remote instruction and on-site small-group collaborative projects.
Students with severe disabilities will be 100 percent site-based with their intervention specialists.
Gegick and Leffler also shared recommendations from teachers on how to recover instructional content that may have been lost in the spring and what can be done this summer and next school year. The district has already launched teacher-led math and reading classes for all students, from incoming kindergarten students to high school seniors, as well as Akron After School and special education programs. They can be viewed at bit.ly/3dr5f5B.
• Extracurricular and off-campus trips: Megan Mannion, APS learning specialist for library/media services, and teacher Tina Daniels created a database of all school extracurricular activities and off-campus trips. Based on health guidance, they will determine which activities and trips can safely continue and then create procedures to keep students and teachers safe.
• Athletics: The athletics action team was represented by Mark Black, APS executive director of secondary schools; Joe Vassalotti, APS athletic director; East Community Learning Center coach Marques Hayes, and Ron Linger, of APS Athletic Department Student Services. They said their team will follow safety guidelines from the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and finalize procedures for practices and games. They also will communicate revised eligibility guidelines from OHSAA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association to coaches, athletes and families.
• Mental health and transitions: Tammy Brady, APS director of special education, said her team will provide resources to the district about COVID-19, expand strategies to support the mental health of students, staff and families, and offer support for students with high-risk factors. They also will deploy strategies to help the transitions of students into kindergarten, sixth grade (seventh-grade in the East cluster) and ninth grade.
• Logistics and technology: Howard Lawson, APS executive director of technology services, said once the schools know which students will be attending school on-site, there will be more bus routes to allow for social distancing, extensive cleaning of buses, as well as health checks for students before they board the buses. There will be safety provisions for students who walk, as well as masks for crossing guards.
In-school lunch service may shift to a grab-and-go format with eating in the classrooms, and there will be continued discussions on how to provide meals to remote-learning students.
The team will create new classroom setups to meet social distancing requirements and provide computer repair for Chromebooks provided by the district to students.
• Family engagement: Carla Chapman, APS community relations director, said the district will communicate with families through the summer and school year, provide virtual training for parents on how to use remote learning tools, and help families find community resources.
• State and federal funds: Ryan Pendleton, APS treasurer and chief financial officer, and Michael Householder, vice president of the Akron Education Association, will review the district’s spending related to the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and take as much stress off of the General Fund as possible.
McWilliams-Woods and Shipe said the district’s re-opening team would revise their recommendations, if needed, based on guidance from DeWine, the Ohio Department of Education and Summit County Public Health, and would bring their final plan to the board for adoption at its July 13 virtual regular meeting. APS families will receive a selection form, with a target deadline of July 24, to choose 100 percent remote learning or a blended learning option for their students.
“We also recognize that it’s not smooth sailing from here on out,” Shipe said. “Even once we get into the fall … we have to be able to roll with the punches. … We’re trying to keep the health and safety of our students and staff and families in mind and communicate as much as we can.”
Board members also approved the following:
• final appropriations of nearly $600 million for fiscal year 2020;
• temporary beginning appropriations of nearly $255 million for fiscal year 2021; and
• cash transfers.
The board met for a special meeting yesterday, July 1, to discuss a future levy. The next regular virtual board meeting is scheduled for July 13 at 5:30 p.m. For details, visit bit.ly/2V8oNVk.