Dr. Josh Fields, superintendent of Seward Public Schools, said schools currently are operating as normal, though the district is planning for the effects of COVID-19.
“That could change tomorrow or Monday,” he said. “We are doing our best right now to keep things as normal as we can.”
SPS teachers from kindergarten through 12th grade used their already-scheduled professional development day earlier this week to put together e-learning lessons so they can continue teaching in an online format if needed.
Fields said across the state and even nationally, it varies widely from school district to school district on when they decide to close.
While having the ability to continue educating students is a large part of the decision, Fields said it’s much more than that.
“We have to think about kids who rely on school for lunch and for breakfast, if students may not be able to get those,” he said, adding that the district has discussed offering a sort of drive-thru service for students to be able to pick up meals if in-person classes are cancelled.
“We know it puts a strain on parents if you have an elementary student who has to stay home and you can’t go to work,” Fields said. “For many of those students, if they go home and then the babysitters become the grandparents, are those the right people to be watching them? They’re the most vulnerable population.”
He also said the district is working to make sure it treats every student equitably if online learning has to occur. The district sent a survey to parents in kindergarten through eighth grades asking whether or not students would have access to a device, like a computer or tablet, to conduct coursework online.
Around 40 students would need a device, and the school is prepared to deploy devices to those families when needed. High school students each already have a Chromebook issued by the school.
Fields said if students and teachers are working from home, they still need to be appropriately dressed if they’re in front of a camera where others can see them. He also asks that they take a look behind them and make sure there are no obscene posters or other items in the room that could be considered offensive.
Another aspect Fields said schools are concerned about is the social and emotional health of students, particularly when it comes to rumors about who may have COVID-19.
“Kids have a lot of anxiety about those things. Those (rumors) are things that are important for us to get rid of,” he said. “It’s not true unless we know for sure.”
The district will keep families up-to-date through emails and text alerts as often as needed. As of Thursday, March 12, school events and athletics were on as scheduled.
“Please know this is ever-changing. We think about yesterday, our state population of COVID-19 doubled yesterday,” going from five to 10 people with confirmed exposures, Fields said. “It could change very quickly.”
