The Evangeline Parish School Board decided to push back the start date of school, which was set for August 12th. Board Vice President Scott Limoges said, “I think it would help to push it back.” This is just one of many changes coming to Evangeline Parish as the school board voted in a two-and-a-half hour meeting Wednesday to also accept a proposed plan to re-open schools.
Board member Peggy Forman said several teachers contacted her, saying they were concerned about not being ready. School Superintendent Darwan Lazard said they would appreciate pushing back the date, but said if they decide not to, then he and his staff and the schools will rise up to meet the challenge. Forman suggested waiting until after Labor Day, which is what was suggested to her by some teachers. “Our number of (COVID-19) cases in Evangeline Parish is skyrocketing,” she said. She said with the uncertainty of the virus, it would help to let everyone get more prepared for re-opening.
The Board voted unanimously to delay the start of the school year. Lazard and his staff will work on a new calendar with the intent on presenting it at the next school board meeting on August 5th.
Before the vote to delay the opening, Yvonne Johnson, speaking on behalf of the Evangeline members of the Louisiana Association of Educators, addressed the Board, saying they care about the students, but wanted to bring forth concerns by staff. Their biggest concern was having enough time to prepare.
At the time of the meeting, only 29% of staff felt confident in returning to school while 37% were unsure of safety, and 34% felt pressured to return. Johnson said teachers proposed having at least a week without students to give them time to prepare. Some of the questions they had included: How will staff be selected to expose themselves to illness by supervising students in an isolation area where no nurse is on campus? What will isolation look like from campus to campus? How will we be able to maintain CDC guidelines? What is the quarantine procedure?
“A lot of teachers are concerned about their leave being used for quarantine when there’s a positive case that is not themselves,” said Johnson. “They are also very concerned by staff shortages. We already had shortages even before this.” She also said there were concerns about hot water for hand-washing and sanitizing purposes.
Also, there is concern about many teachers and staff being at high risk of complications from COVID-19, as opposed to many children who can be asymptomatic. They also requested the Board adjusted the dress code to allow staff to wear scrubs and washable shoes. “The staff feel they have been consulted as parents but not as employees,” Johnson continued. “They would like you to consider that in whether or not we are ready to move forward at this time.”
Changes for students going
to school
The debut of a new walk-through temperature monitoring system, which looks like a metal detector at the school board’s technology building seemed like a guard for board members and guests as they entered the building for the meeting. It is one of the many changes to come in the new reality of education in the midst of a pandemic. Other monitoring systems will be placed in all the schools to gauge the temperatures of students, staff, and faculty.
The plan is a hybrid which would have grades six through 12 being split into two groups, alternating between in-person instruction and distance learning. Grades PreK through 5th will be in school with face-to-face instruction but in small groups throughout the day.
Before presenting the plan to the board, Lazard said, “I feel like I’m swimming in muddy water, and there is no manual to help us figure out if we’re doing this right or if we’re doing this wrong. Whatever it is that we do, there is going to be some risk, some cost, some reward.” He said they have worked with the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) which has given them guidance. “We met with them along the way, so that we would not be doing something that would not meet the standard of expectations they have set.” The plan is based on recommendations and data from LDOE, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Governor John Bel Edwards’ office, and applicable local and state agencies.
The board voted by majority to adopt the hybrid plan to open schools. Wanda Skinner was the one board member who voted no, saying she would rather be 100% virtual/distance learning to keep everyone safe as the pandemic of COVID-19 continues to preserver. “You have to pay attention to what the scientists are saying,” she said. “The White House Task Force said there are 18 states that are in the red zone. Louisiana is one of them. They said we should roll back our re-opening. If we ignore that, then it is our fault. They’re telling us. The writing is on the wall. We’re going to ignore it, just as the people did when Noah warned them. He built the Ark. They ignored him. If we do the same thing, it’s history repeating itself.”
The approved plan of re-opening depends on what phase of reopening the state is in. Currently the state is under Phase 2. If it remains in Phase 2 by the time school starts, the plan is for grades PreK through fifth grade to receive instruction at their assigned schools in small groups and remain together throughout the day. Initially, students will be phased in through small assigned groups. Thereafter, all students will receive face-to-face instruction Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday. Every Wednesday, all school employees will report to their assigned schools, and schools will have a deep clean.
For grades six through eight, students will receive instruction at their assigned school in small groups and remain together throughout the day. Initially, students will be phased in through small, assigned groups. Thereafter, students will be assigned one of two groups. Group A and group B will attend on their designated days. Group A will attend Monday and Tuesday while Group B will attend Thursday and Friday. All students will receive instruction Monday and Tuesday plus Thursday and Friday, where one group will be face-to-face, while the other group will be participating in distance learning off campus.
For grades nine through 12, students will receive instruction at their assigned school in small groups and remain together throughout the day. Initially, students will be phased in through small assigned groups. Thereafter, students will be assigned to one of two groups. Phasing in will include group A and group B attending on their designated days. Group A will attend Monday and Tuesday, and Group B will attend Thursday and Friday. All students will receive instruction Monday and Tuesday plus Thursday and Friday, where one group will be face-to-face, while the other group will be participating in distance learning off-campus.
Distance learning and EVA
Before the plan was presented, around 4,000 parents responded to a survey asking if they plan to either send their child to school, keep their child at home and participate in continuous distance learning, or enroll their child in the Evangeline Virtual Academy (EVA) providing 100% virtual instruction. A majority (63.21%) of parents who responded said they plan to send their child to school while 15.20% prefer to keep their child at home and participate in continuous distance learning. Another 21.59% said they plan to enroll their child in EVA.
There is a distinction between virtual learning and distance learning. Distance learning is learning at home, which will include a virtual component, but the students may have some days on campus and some days at home. EVA is for students who will be learning 100% at home with online instruction.
With EVA learning, there was a question of connectivity because not everyone in the parish has internet access. Lazard announced the school system has met their goal of acquiring Chromebooks for every student in the parish. He set that goal in 2017 with a five-year plan, and said he was pleased that they have reached that goal two years earlier than anticipated. While every student will have a Chromebook, some students without internet could fall through the cracks.
According to the survey presented to parents, just over 9% (364) said there is no access to wired internet where they live, and nearly 12% (481) said they do not know if it is available. By contrast, 79.05% said yes. When asked if they have access to an internet connection through a hot spot device other than a cell phone, 57.51% said no, while 42.49% said yes. When asked to describe their home internet access, 21.67% said their access is poor, unreliable, or have limited data. By contrast, 23.20% said they have excellent, reliable, unlimited data.
Board President Wayne Dardeau asked what happens with those students who cannot access the internet from their homes. Lazard said they are still working on getting internet to everyone, but it is challenging. Assistant Superintendent Michael Lombas said they will do their best to work with the students on a case-by-case basis and, if they have to, the students would be sent learning packets.
As for EVA, parent requests to change from in-person to virtual learning before the end of the marking period will only be considered in extenuating circumstances that are confirmed by a doctor’s medical excuse and approved by the school principal. Students who attend one day of EVA must remain enrolled for the entire grading period, which is nine weeks. Students may not exit after the first grading period. If parents would like to exit their child from the program, they must request to do so two school weeks prior to the ending date of the first grading period. The deadline to register for EVA is July 31st.
Currently, a little more than 1,000 students have registered for EVA. There is no limit to the number of students who can enroll in the virtual program. Even though EVA is based at the Evangeline Central campus, students may still be enrolled in their regular school and participate in their regular school’s sports and activities.
Wearing a mask and social distancing
Under the re-opening plan, students in grades three through 12 must wear face coverings to the greatest extent possible. Children over the age of two may wear face coverings. Medical issues will be taken into consideration if a child cannot wear a mask, but Lazard suggested EVA would be better for children with respiratory issues. Children without medical issues who refuse to wear their masks or take it off during school would be subject to the disciplinary code of the School Board and may be placed in virtual school.
When it comes to social distancing, the schools will, to the greatest extent possible, maintain a physical distance of six feet. Skinner asked if they can keep the children six feet apart. Lazard the key phrase is “to the greatest extent possible.” In certain situations, it may not be possible to maintain a six-foot distance. He is asking the principals to look at all of the ways they can maintain the six-foot rule, or find alternatives, such as the use of partitions. Some schools have mostly tables rather than separate desks. In this instance, students will not be allowed to face each other. Principals will be working with the teachers to see what they can accomplish as far as space/occupancy/distancing in the classrooms.
If the state moves into Phase 3, the re-opening plan will work the same as Phase 2, but will allow for larger group sizes. With Phase 2, 25 individuals (students and adults alike) are allowed in one room, and busses are at 50% capacity. Under Phase 3, the room occupancy may be increased to 50, and bus capacity increased to 75%.
When it comes to busses, the school system will have to have additional routes to follow the required guidelines for limiting capacity. Air conditioners may not be turned on inside the busses, but windows may be cracked. Drivers will be required to wear face coverings.
Board member Sheila Joseph asked if the parents need to sign a waiver saying the schools are not responsible if their child gets COVID-19 at school. The board’s attorney, Bob Hammonds, was present at the meeting and said the legislature said schools systems and employees have immunity from liability from a child contracting COVID-19 in the schools. This would include a sporting event, or anything else in the connection with the operation of the schools if the board has a policy outlining special COVID-19 procedures. Hammonds and his staff have been putting the policy together and will have it ready soon. He also said if an employee contracts the virus, it’s too difficult to say where they got it because of how easily and how wide-spread the virus is.
Joseph further asked if a teacher contracts the virus, would the class have to be quarantined for 14 days. Lazard said it could be the case. Lazard said he spoke with Dr. Tina Stefanski, Region 4 Office of Public Health Medical Director. She said if there is a person who is positive, and you were within six feet of that person for 15 minutes or more, then that is considered to be in contact with that person who is positive, and you would quarantine in that situation.
“It’s very possible we could have a contact situation where a class could go home for 14 days,” Lazard said. He also said there could be a situation where a whole grade could be quarantined for a period of time. Skinner asked if the students have to be quarantined, would they have to be tested. Lazard said the school system can recommend the students be tested, but he does not know of any school district that is doing that.
One man addressed the Board, asking them how they expect students to wear masks all day when he sees some of the Board members and staff cannot even abide to wearing a mask continuously. “We have individuals walking around here with no mask. You can’t ask somebody to do something that you can’t do. I see people playing with their masks,” the man explained. “My six-year-old daughter can’t keep a mask on. Right now, y’all fail.”
He also said it would be difficult for students to understand what their teachers are saying with a mask on. The man spoke of the high probability of passing the virus through the schools. He asked the Board to adopt a 100% virtual plan.