Becker Schools held an informational live stream meeting to answer parents’ questions on August 19. The full recorded video is still available on the Becker Schools’ Facebook page. The meeting consisted of the four schools’ principals, Nathanial Boyer, Dale Christensen, Dave Kreft and Chantel Boyer, as well as Minda Anderson, assistant superintendent, and Jeremy Schmidt, superintendent.

Communicating with Parents

Schmidt noted at the beginning of the video that one of the biggest challenges the school district has been facing is a lack of effective communication with parents. There is a live document outlining the plan for going back to school that parents can access, but this information is changing constantly as the schools review new information from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and surveys that have been sent out to parents. They are trying to get information out as quickly as possible, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Parents are encouraged to contact the principal of their child’s school directly (phone numbers and email addresses are listed on the Becker Schools’ website.)

Back to School Learning Plans

The plan, at the moment, is to have elementary school students attend in-person, and to have secondary students attend using a hybrid model. Students in grades K-5 will attend school as normal. Class sizes will stay the same, and students will follow the same schedule as normal. Social distancing, hand sanitizing, and other common COVID-19 practices will be encouraged as much as possible, but otherwise kids will not see a significant change to their everyday school life.

Middle and high-school students, on the other hand, will be following the hybrid model. This means that half of the students will physically go to school on Monday and Tuesday, and the other half will physically attend school on Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will be reserved for sanitizing the school grounds.

These models were decided upon for several reasons. The elementary schools had very similar models for in-person versus hybrid scenarios. In both cases, K-5 students will be attending school five days per week during normal school hours. Given the few cases of COVID-19 in Sherburne County, it was determined that an in-person model would be safe, as well as the most effective way to teach.

As for the decision to follow the hybrid model for grades 6-12, Schmidt noted that it would be much easier to transition from a model with more limitations to one that had fewer limitations, rather than the other way around. In other words, it is easier to start the school year with students learning from home three days out of the week than to have them start at school full time and then try to change things as the COVID situation changes. The school district does hope to eventually have all students be on campus full time, but the first steps are going to be cautious ones.

One parent noted in the video comments that it was incredibly important for secondary students to socialize with friends and practice sports, just as much so as the elementary students. Schmidt agreed with this whole-heartedly. He noted that every person in the room had a dedication to students’ health, both mental and physical. But this situation is new for everyone, and no one has all the answers. Hopefully, as the school year progresses, the learning model will be determined to be overly cautious, and students can resume a normal school life.

ECFE and school readiness classes will follow the model of the primary school.

Students requiring special education will be evaluated individually to determine the best course of action for their education.

Distance Learning

Any parents who are uncomfortable sending their student(s) to school can opt into the distance learning model. This means that students will be learning at home, attending classes virtually. Schmidt outlined how that would look.

One teacher for each grade level would be teaching distance learning classes, and all distance learning students would be in the same class. This way, the teacher is not trying to balance running an in-person and online class at the same time. Students would not be expected to be glued to the screen for the full seven hours of school time, but rather would spend the first part of class listening to the teacher’s lecture, and would spend the rest of class time working independently, just as they would during a normal school day.

Schmidt said that, though it is perfectly fine for parents to change their mind about whether they want their child to opt into distance learning or not, frequent switching between models will not be acceptable. Parents cannot have their student in school one week and distance learning the next week. Any parents who are unsure what to do or are uncomfortable with the options the school is providing should call their student’s school so a solution can be found.

Technology

Schmidt says that it is fortunate that Becker Schools has been using technology (iPads) for as long as it has been. Becker teachers and students are familiar with the learning apps that will be used and therefore they will be able to work effectively, no matter what model the schools end up using.

Around 200 homes qualify for free high-speed Wi-Fi installation. Families that don’t have internet, or have poor internet, and need it for students to keep up in school can apply to get free installation. Contact the schools for more information.

COVID-19 Cases in Sherburne County

Whether students will be in school or not will determined by the number of COVID-19 cases in Sherburne County. The school board has pushed back against this, requesting to use only the numbers in Becker in order to get a more accurate picture of what the COVID situation is in the community. However, MDH shut down that idea, saying that Becker had to use the numbers for the whole county to decide their learning model.

Schmidt encourages Becker residents to continue social distancing and wearing masks in order to limit the spread of the disease. Keeping numbers down may mean a huge difference in lifestyle for our students.

Other Precautions

The school has some extra precautions in place to help limit any potential spread of COVID-19. It has new air filtration systems; more CO2 readers; some electrostatic sprayers that use hydrogen peroxide to disinfect surfaces (which is completely harmless to use. It dries nearly instantly, it is not toxic, and it is odorless); water bottles to offer students instead of drinking fountains (students will also be encouraged to bring reusable water bottles from home, to reduce waste); hand sanitizer at all classroom entrances and in the hallways; available face shields and masks provided by the government; markers and barriers to encourage social distancing; limited access to the building; and extra protection equipment for staff in special situations.

Masks, or other face coverings, will be required, as per Gov. Walz’s executive order. An executive order has the same power as a law, so it will be enforced. The government will provide three masks per student, but the school encourages students to bring masks or face coverings from home. There will not be enough masks for students to receive a fresh one every day. Face coverings must completely cover the face and nose, and they may consist of paper or cloth materials.

Testing for COVID-19

The school cannot test students for COVID-19. It does not have the equipment or the authority to do so. If a testing policy were to be implemented, it would have to involve the National Guard. Becker Schools are counting on parents to take responsibility for checking their children’s temperature and monitoring any COVID-related symptoms. If a child is sick, s/he should stay home. If a student tests positive for COVID-19, the schools asks that parents share that information with the schools so they can inform the families of students who might have been in contact with him or her. This information is not automatically disclosed, as that would be in violation of HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.) Schools cannot force anyone to disclose information of COVID infection, but asks families to disclose that information so they are able to communicate effectively with students and families.

If a student does test positive for COVID-19, their classroom will be cleaned thoroughly. The school will send letters to families if a student has been in close contact with an infected student for a significant amount of time (15 minutes or more) and another letter if a student was in the general vicinity of an infected student or staff member (in the same school building.)

Surveys

Dale Christensen, primary school principal, sends a thank you to all the parents who submitted the surveys that have been sent out by the schools. He encourages parents who haven’t submitted the surveys to do so. What parents want will have a large impact on the schools’ plans.

Reaching out to the Schools

Parents who have further questions are encouraged to reach out to Becker Schools staff. Contact information for the school offices and for the principals is available at www.becker.k12.mn.us.