KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Students in the Kalamazoo Public School District will continue learning online through at least March.
KPS Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri announced that decision during their school board meeting Thursday evening.
They first had hoped to partially resume classes in the second trimester, but after polling teachers and parents, and checking with health officials and other districts Raichoudhuri said it was unanimous that it was not safe to go back just yet.
“Based on all of the data from our county for the health of our students and staff, our health data supports remote instruction,” Raichoudhuri stated.
In fact, according to data from the Kalamazoo County Health Department, almost 15% of all coronavirus cases in county are under the 0-19 age range.
In the district’s original Smart and Safe Start Plan, parents were provided three back-to-school options. Option one, which 80% of parents chose, started the year fully remote and the plan was to transition into a hybrid model on November 30th where students would be divided into two groups and attend either Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays and then learn from home the remainder of the days.
In a written statement, Dr. Raichoudhuri added, “As I did with the decision in August to have all students start the year in remote learning, I made this decision for Trimester 2 with an eye toward safety first. I know this will not please all families and that learning at home can be very difficult. KPS is committed to making the remote learning experience the best it can be and to providing additional support to our most vulnerable students. We will be seeking input on how to make remote learning even better in Trimester 2.”
(Slide courtesy of the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board)
The district gathered opinions from parents through listening sessions before they made the final decision. Parents were almost evenly split 51 to 49% with the slim majority saying it was too soon to reopen schools.
Trustees agreed with delaying in-person learning saying that although it can be difficult for parents it’s still the safest thing to do.
Dr. Raichoudhuri ended the meeting with a call to action, “Let’s do our part and let’s hold each other accountable to safety standards so that we can bring our kids back in March.”
The final day of school for trimester one is November 23rd. The second trimester begins on Nov. 30th.
Depending on the state of the pandemic, the three-tiered plan still allows for the possibility of students returning to school full-time for the third trimester, which begins on March 15th.
More information can be found on KPS’ website.
(Slide courtesy of the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board)
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