Windham – Due to technical difficulties I was unable to log in and attend the virtual Board of Education (BOE) meeting, however through email the superintendent brought me up to speed on what I missed and also answered some questions I had about how the district is running on the COVID -19 Protocol.
The board passed a resolution on COVID-19. Currently the state of Ohio law only allows a certain number of hours of alternative learning per year without a resolution, the resolution passed at the meeting allows for the continuation of remote learning.
The district started the remote learning in March with 44 students receiving free breakfasts and lunches. Now the district is serving 124 students. The certified staff are preparing and organizing the meals and getting them delivered. The deliver on Monday for Monday and Tuesday and then again on Wednesday for the Wednesday thru Friday.
I questioned Superintendent Aireane Curtis on many issues the school district is facing and how the district is handling things during this crisis. The district is working hard at keeping the children on task. Most of the seniors are on pace to graduate. The few that are lagging behind were also doing this before distant learning and are being encouraged to press on. The kids are doing well above the state average of about 35% of the kids doing the actual work and not thinking or using this as an extended vacation. Windham Schools uses Google Classroom and it also tracks attendance and work that they do.
Some of the families, who do not have internet connection have been encouraged to take advantage of the companies offering free internet service. Those who haven’t taken advantage of that are using paper packets. Windham teachers were already accustomed to Google Classroom, therefore, the conversion to distant / remote learning wasn’t that difficult for most of them. The hardest part of it, is educating the parents on how to use the system to teach their children.
The teachers miss seeing their students, and most students miss their teachers, because of this, they try to keep in touch by using Zoom to have group meetings and such. They also have been doing some fun things with their students using technology.
There are many issues that the district had to adjust to and they are doing the best they can to continue offering the best education possible. The district currently has set May 31, 2020 for Commencements. They will follow Portage County Health Department guidelines and if the May date is too early to hold a ceremony, they have set an alternative date of June 26, 2020.
Lastly, I personally like to give a shout out to all the staff members, students and parents who are making this work during this difficult time. YOU ROCK!
