LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Complex Area Department of Education Office announced the Kaua‘i revisions of school learning models will cover the fourth quarter that runs from March 22 through May 28.
“We are making these changes due to the current COVID-19 very low case count and infection rate for our island as well as the current Centers for Disease Control, and Department of Health recommendations,” said Kaua‘i Complex Area Superintendent Paul Zina, in a Monday afternoon announcement. “Our priorities remain on health and safety, reaching our most vulnerable students, and having a positive impact on our families — especially those with students in multiple schools throughout the complex area. We have successfully implemented many health and safety strategies and are now ready to further increase our in-person learning in elementary schools. I want to thank school staff, teachers and administrators for the incredible work they have done to keep school a safe place during this pandemic.”
• All of Kaua‘i’s public elementary schools covering grades PreK through 6 will start daily in-person learning for students starting April 5.
• Strict mask wearing and co-horting, or class bubbles, and other mitigating measures are still requirements of all elementary school in-person learning. The 6-feet social distancing will not be possible in all school settings.
• There will be continued blended learning for secondary students in middle and high schools for grades 6 through 12.
• Middle and high schools may support a blended A/B, A/B/C, or A/B/C/D schedule.
• Full distance learning is still an option for all grades.
• Schools will continue educational programming to meet identified students’ needs.
“I will continue to work with school principals to develop plans for each school model of instruction with consideration for community-specific needs,” Zina said. “I’d like to remind everyone to continue to use the OhanaHelpDesk.org tech support service from the Hawai‘i Department of Education.”
Additionally, school specific plans and schedules can be found on the Kaua‘i Public School Launch page at bit.ly/kauaipublicschools, and clicking on the logo of the school where information is needed.
“The Kaua‘i Complex Area Office will continue to work closely with state, county, and Dept. of Health officials to assess when students can safely return to more in-person learning as we transition into summer and plan for the next school year,” Zina said.
Yay! Students will get 2 whole months of in-class learning this year! Woo hoo, pop a juice box and celebrate!
No but seriously, I am very happy that our community of concerned parents and health workers prevailed over the selfish lazy teacher’s unions.
After an entire year of getting a paid vacation in spite of not having any Covid cases in Kauai schools, I can’t believe HSTA had the audacity to demand to keep public schools closed through summer.
And to all you secret HSTA stooges working in our public schools who lobbied against returning to in-class learning just so you could continue spending your days surfing, I hope your karma catches up with you.
I think you are a lazy parent who uses school as a babysitter and that is why you are so anxious to have your child return to school? Our child is doing very well online, attends classes everyday, had teacher conferences and interacts with fellow classmates online daily. He is safe and we want to keep it that way for now. What is the rush to return to the classroom when online learning works and it’s keeping our children safe?
Just propaganda. School will be school. Returning to school means the sports guys or more athletics can have more of the fame and glory before the year’s end. They got to give some to athletics and not just to brains. That’s all. It works both ways.
Your March 9th comments show how little you know about what it takes to be a teacher and the training and commitment necessary to keep students engaged in their learning on a daily basis. To prepare for online learning does not require one or two hours of daily input but requires absorbing a great deal of information and using your best skills to put it into manageable chunks that will produce the best results for all students. Teacher collaboration and following administrative policies and meetings adds more hours than you can imagine; and if any teacher has an extra hour to go surfing or food shopping, then it is her/his choice to do so without criticism from someone who is clueless.