Via Sacha Dent
Monday, January 4th, 2021 marked the first day back to school for USD 475 students after the district’s two-week long winter break. Students around the district returned to their schools to resume in-person learning, including students at JCHS.
Students at JCHS were not able to return to their classrooms after the district’s Thanksgiving break. During the break, the district was forced to move all students at JCHS to a remote learning platform due to staffing shortages caused by the rise in COVID-19 cases in Geary and Riley counties. More than ten percent of the JCHS staff was either in isolation or quarantine after the Thanksgiving break.
JCHS students spent the month of December participating in remote learning, which allowed the district to ensure there was no disruption in learning. Many of the staff on quarantine or isolation were still able to facilitate learning through remote platforms, and students were still able to engage with their teachers and complete lessons and assignments. Student engagement, participation, and attendance was high during remote learning, and administrators are confident that student achievement will not be negatively impacted by the temporary change.
Students returned to class with the same safety measures that have been in place since the start of the school year, with one minor change. The district will no longer be taking temperatures of students upon entering the building each morning. State and local health officials have determined that temperature-taking can be ineffective when students have been out in the cold for an extended period of time. The thermometers often give false readings, showing temperatures much lower than they really are. School staff will continue to screen students that present signs of illness, and parents are encouraged to check temperatures prior to sending students to school in the morning.
There have been a few challenges during the return this week for some of the USD 475 schools. The district’s busing partners have seen a high number of staff out due to quarantine and isolation, which has caused some bus routes to be delayed. Also, the furnace at the H.D. Karns building is being repaired, requiring that students in the Innovations and Magnet programs learn remotely for a couple of days while the repairs are made. Despite these challenges, most students are back in the classroom participating in learning.
The return to school after winter break would normally signal the start of the second semester. However, the district delayed the start of the school year by two weeks in August to allow for additional time to implement safety measures to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within schools. This means that the first semester will end on January 22, 2021, and the second semester will begin on Monday, January 25, 2021. It will also mark the last semester students will spend at the current JCHS campus.
Students will not have school on Monday, January 18, 2021 for Martin Luther King Day. Students will also not have school on Friday, January 22, 2021. It is a teacher work day, and teachers will use the opportunity to compile grades and close out the first semester.
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