Cd'A schools consider full-time return

COEUR d'ALENE — As new COVID cases decline, the Coeur d'Alene School District is looking to bring students back to in-person instruction full time.

In a correspondence sent to families Tuesday night, the district announced that a special meeting of the board of trustees has been scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 25 to discuss a potential change to the current operating status under COVID-19 safety protocols.

"With the decline in new COVID cases in January and other promising trends in the pandemic, the district is evaluating whether to discontinue Wednesdays as a remote learning day," the correspondence reads. "If approved, this would return students to a full schedule of in-person learning, with the exception of students enrolled in our online K-12 eSchool who attend remotely full time."

District officials are monitoring COVID case trends and, if the trends hold, would likely bring to the board a recommendation on the Wednesday change.

If the recommendation is approved, students could be back in class five days a week as early as March 3. Late start Wednesdays will be implemented, so the school day will be one hour later and bus routes will operate an hour later Wednesday mornings. This one-hour delay gives teachers and staff time for collaboration and professional development.

During the special meeting, trustees will consider the advantages of having students back in classrooms on Wednesdays, key metrics for determining the current risk level and any continuing need for a remote learning day in considering this change.

Having Wednesdays as remote learning days has been beneficial for a number of reasons in the past few months, officials said.

"This has been a key day for teachers and staff to regroup and prepare for ways to better serve students learning in person or remotely throughout the pandemic," the correspondence states. "Teachers have used the time to focus on lesson planning, grading and other class preparation — work that shifted to Wednesdays as their daily prep time was constrained due to the extra duties and demands of administering COVID protocols."

Wednesdays have also been used for one-on-one meetings with students and parents/guardians to provide needed assistance. Originally, Wednesdays were designated for custodians to deep clean, but much of that work is now accomplished through daily routines. Cleaning and sanitizing will remain a high priority.

The board has already received numerous emails from teachers, many of whom have reservations with eliminating remote-learn Wednesdays. Many are asking about the benefits that would be lost, such as time for teachers to work with struggling students. Other emails showed a mixed response.

"As parents we firmly believe that our child would benefit greatly from being physically in school 5 days a week," one message reads. "It is time to start reinstating a sense of regular life."

"I know that you are considering having the kids return to school on Wednesdays. I would kindly ask that you consider not doing this," another message reads. "With all the changes in the kids' school schedules, Wednesdays have been the constant. It's a day to regroup, a day for them to catch up on the homework."

One high school mom responded with a request to keep Wednesdays as virtual learning days to provide breaks from masks.

"Wednesdays provide a reprieve from having to wear them for at least one day during the week," she wrote. "Also, Wednesdays have become a valuable time for my high school student to meet with teachers that she is unable to schedule with on regular school days."

If a surge in COVID cases hits the community or affects individual schools, it may be necessary to reconsider the operating status and reinstate measures intended to lower the risk of virus transmission. This could include a return to remote learning on selected days of the week, as well as temporary building closures.

Email trustees@cdaschools.org to submit public comments.