The district has given families the option to change their child’s learning method following each nine-week grading period. The first window to switch begins Sept. 29 and runs through Oct. 1.
Now, officials are tasked with transitioning students who have chosen to opt out of remote learning in favor of in-person school or vise-versa. Schools may also have to reassess protocols to ensure they are continuing to keep all students and staff safe, Branum said.
“As you can imagine, it is incredibly challenging to figure out how to switch students between methods, and it is absolutely imperative trying to keep consistency for our strategies and procedures,” she said.
The district will look at each situation to determine what is best for the students and teachers, Branum said.
“We will literally go classroom by classroom, grade level by grade level [and] campus by campus,” she said.
Currently, the district has 86 students attending a school outside of their zoned campus due to capacity issues and teacher restrictions, Branum said.
This number could grow as families opt to change their child’s learning method, she added. The increase could mean some virtual teachers will have to move to an in-person classroom. In that instance, their former students would have to be introduced to a new teacher.
In some situations, educators may have to teach both virtually and in-person, Branum said.
“There is a reality that if you're switching between models, there is going to be some change,” she said.
Changes to learning methods go into effect Oct. 18.
