- Kalamazoo Public Schools
- Trimester III FAQs
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Where is the parent survey link?
Parent survey: English
https://forms.gle/UedEpX5W4q55rgkA8
Parent survey: Spanish
https://forms.gle/ZH8k44vdcGTcsc2d7
The survey will remain open until midnight Feb. 7.
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Will high school students wipe their desks and get to their next class on time? And how can they be assured that their next class has had the desks wiped?
Wiping your desk is built into the end of period protocols. We have purchased non-toxic APA approved disinfecting wipes. Teachers will pause about 5 minutes before the end of the period and make sure that students are wiping down their desks.
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If KPS remain fully virtual can outdoor activities be held on the school grounds in the spring as long as safety measures are in place?
Most definitely. We are helping schools plan those events. We’ve been supporting those since the beginning. You will see more of those 3rd trimester.
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If KPS remains virtual will you allow more students to go to Learning Hubs?
If KPS remains virtual, we will continue to prioritize our most vulnerable students to attend the learning hubs first. If some of those students decline the offer, we will make those spots available to other students. Attending the KPS learning hubs are by invitation only. However, the community learning hubs may be an option for those students who didn’t receive an invitation to the KPS learning hubs.
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Will temperatures be taken of all students when they get on the bus or when they enter the school?
No, we will not be taking temperatures on the bus or in the school. Parents are asked to take temperatures before the child leaves the home. I showed a slide during my presentation that outlines the safety measures we are expecting our parents to take before sending their child to school. We really need our parents to help with the safety of all of our children and staff by following these procedures. The guidance that I showed in my presentation is also on our website under Covid-19. The reason we are not doing temperature checks at school is because it is not recommended by the health department. If someone has taken a fever reducer before coming to school the thermometer will not register a temperature but the child may be sick. Also, people who are asymptomatic may not register a temperature but can still spread the virus.
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How will lunch be served? If they go to the cafeteria will they go through the line to pick their meal items? Can my child bring their lunch?
In some schools, lunch can be served in the classroom, which is the preferred method. In other schools, children will go to the cafeteria for lunch. They will be socially distanced. There will be boxed lunches served instead of buffet style to minimize contamination. Please connect with your individual schools around whether or not your child can bring lunch from home. Apart from the larger safety requirements that are set by the district, each school has autonomy around how they are handling more nuanced safety concerns.
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Will Calvert Learning continue next year?
We will have a virtual learning option for 2021-22 but it has not yet been decided if it would remain the Calvert Learning platform.
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Will schools still be operating on their previous school day hours and schedules?
Yes
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Will learning hubs continue if KPS moves to the hybrid model?
The community learning hubs would continue but the KPS learning hubs in our schools would not continue if we move to hybrid because we will need all of the space in the school.
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Will masks be provided for students who don't have them?
Yes
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Will meals still be provided for students on the days they are not in school? And will meals be provided for students in the fully-virtual options?
If we continue virtually, the meal distributions will continue as they have been. If we move to the hybrid model, meals will be provided while students are physically in school but also available for pick-up for students not physically in school.
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The Governor has indicated she would like all schools to return to some kind of in-person instruction by March 1. If KPS remains virtual, is there a risk that we could lose some state funding for the schools?
No, there is no risk of us losing funding.
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Can KPS just take a break? Considering the new variant and research that says this variant is more transmittable, and significantly more dangerous for children, why can’t we end the school year on March 12 then start back up the week after July 4th? July and August and some of September can be finishing up curriculum from this year and then start on curriculum for next year in September.
This is a decision a school district cannot take. We have to abide by instructional minutes within a certain timeframe set by the state. Unless the state is willing to move to this model, the district will have to operate within the timeframe set by the state.
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Why does the hybrid option not include instruction on the 2-3 days our children are at home? Why can't they “watch” class from home so there is still some structure, routine and instruction on those days. Galesburg schools have implemented a hybrid schedule that allows the children learning from home to watch the in-person lessons. How would our students remain engaged and moving forward when they would only be getting instruction 2 days out of the week under the Hybrid option?
We will not have the option of streaming instruction from the classroom to students at home. This is not a good form of learning. It requires the teacher to plan for and manage two different learning models simultaneously. This causes both students physically in the classroom and those at home to experience less than ideal teaching and learning.
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For the hybrid option, how will the students be divided up for each days? Will it be by the alphabet or by demographics?
We will try to prioritize family choice first. Keep in mind that the students will need to be divided into roughly equal groups. Meaning Group A and Group B will need to have about the same number of students in them so we can socially distance as much as possible. If we decide to go hybrid, we will survey Option 1 families to see which group they would prefer. We will try to keep siblings (or children who have been socializing in pod) together if that’s what a family prefers. We will try to work around child-care options a family may have, etc. We will try to make every effort to support families in what works for them. However, we cannot make any guarantees as we would need to prioritize our safety measures (such as the ability to socially distance) before all else.
