Douglas County teachers prepare for return to the classroom
Teachers, parents, and students in Douglas County are preparing for a return to the classroom, but the first day of school will look a lot different this year.
“I’m really, really looking forward to seeing my kids, even if it’s just once or twice a week,” said Felicia Elenum, a middle school teacher in Douglas County. “We are planning on having class outside, as much as we possibly can, so that we can distance even more.”
Parents and guardians in Douglas County have two options for their students this year: completely online learning or a hybrid model where students will go to school twice a week and then learn from home for the remaining three days.
If COVID-19 numbers trend up, Douglas County School District (DCSD) says it could move all students to remote learning. If they trend down, DCSD has the option to transition all students to in-person learning, five days a week.
Home to just under 70,000 students and over 8,000 staff, Douglas County is the third largest school district in the state. Kallie Leyba is the president of Douglas County Federation, a labor union for teachers in the district. She says one of her biggest concerns is how younger students will handle in-person schooling during the pandemic.
“They’re going to want hugs and pats on the back from their teachers when they’re hurt or sad or even excited,” Leyba said. “We're navigating a whole new world of learning how to comfort a kid and be there for them, but also not put their lives or our lives at risk.”
The Douglas County Federation is helping provide masks and face shields for educators. Elenum says having those face coverings has eased some of her worries.
“We’re getting used to using masks when we go to the grocery store, when we ride our bikes, when we’re in any sort of situation with other people,” she said. “So having that comfort of knowing that we’re at least helping to reduce the spread helps quite a bit.”
Elenum says the face shields are particularly useful because students--especially students who are hard of hearing--will have an easier time understanding their teachers if they can see their whole face.
Staff and students of all ages will be required to wear face coverings at school. Masks will not be mandatory during outdoor activities (so long as social distancing is a possibility) or during meals. Exceptions will be made for students and staff who are unable to wear a face covering for medical reasons, or if a student or staff member is “hearing impaired or otherwise disabled and...the ability to see the mouth is essential to communication.”
According to data from the Tri-County Health Department (TCHD), Douglas County has seen a steady decline in the three-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases. Residents have also been complying with mandatory mask orders: The week of July 26, TCHD 96 percent of observed people in Douglas County were wearing a mask.
Douglas County Superintendent Thomas Tucker sent a message to families August 3, in response to parents who were upset with the hybrid learning model. In the message, which you can read here, Tucker said coming up with the back-to-school plan has been the greatest challenge of his career, and that teachers are not the one who deserve anger or scrutiny.
“Our teachers are not deciding whether schools return in-person or not. Our teachers are not deciding if face coverings must be worn inside schools,” Tucker wrote. “Rather, they are focusing on how to provide each of our 68,000 students with the highest-quality public education despite the unprecedented circumstances.”
Elenum says teachers will be ready to adjust to any changes that are made during the school year.
“Teachers are great at learning new things. That’s what we do every single year: we adapt, we learn new technologies, we learn procedure,” she said. “So I think we’re the right people to do it; I think we will step up to it, but never have I been trained for something like this. This is new for all of us.”
Leyba still has a lot of concerns about unanswered questions. “I think that is what’s causing a lot of anxiety and causing teachers and staff to lose sleep at night,” she said.
August 5 at 5 p.m., Leyba and others will have a chance to get their questions answered. DCSD is hosting a “Road to Return” town hall for families and members of the community. You can watch a livestream of the event here.
The first day of school for Douglas County is August 17, but the first week will consist only of student orientation days. The first full week of instruction begins Monday, August 24.
Resources:
Douglas County School District has a “Road to Return” FAQ section on its website, which you can access here.
To watch to live town hall meeting on August 5, click here.
Want more data on COVID-19 in Douglas County? Tri-County Health Department is tracking the data.