Wausau School District. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau School District is taking steps towards a return to the full in-person learning experience for students and teachers beginning this fall.
The Board of Education’s Education and Operations Committee voted to approve the plan during Monday’s meeting. Superintendent Keith Hilts says the current metrics surrounding COVID-19 in the region show the full return is possible in September.
“We’ve slowly increased the number of students in our schools, and we’ve had no increased transmission of the virus,” said Hilts. “Add to that the fact that all of our staff who want to be vaccinated should be by the end of April.”
The exact details of what the year will look like could remain fluid depending on how things look later in the summer, but Hilts says the bottom line is students and teachers should plan on the full in-person setting.
“Plan on being in-person, five days per week. We will let the mitigation protocol and co-curricular protocols, we will make those determinations later in the summer,” Hilts adds that athletic contests will continue to be administered under WIAA and Wisconsin Valley Conference protocols.
As for the students that have fallen behind during the remote learning periods of the pandemic, Hilts says the current plan is to expand summer school offerings to help them catch up while still allowing them to have a normal summer. “Families that we have talked to have said ‘I really want my child to have a normal summer.’ Then start school as normal as possible. I would frankly agree with that.”
Some districts have discussed opening the 2021-’22 year earlier than normal to help those students catch up, but Hilts says he doesn’t believe that will make a difference.
Hilts adds that the district is planning for in-person graduation ceremonies this summer. Current plans call for them to be held outdoors to allow for social distancing and mitigate worries about air circulation.
The proposal does require approval from the full board on April 12th.
WHAT’S CHANGED?
While discussing the plan for full in-person learning this fall, Hilts also took some time to reflect on some of the positive changes that he would like to see continue once we are clear of the pandemic.
He says for one; communication between parents and teachers has improved drastically. “Parent meetings of any kind actually have higher attendance now than we did pre-pandemic because of the convenience of being able to meet virtually.”
Many of the other items on the list also have to do with teleconferencing technology such as teachers being able to attend professional development classes without traveling and certain courses being offered to students at both the East and West High Schools without students having to drive between the buildings.
As for the future of snow days being off days, Hilts says that ship has sailed. “The virtual snow days, that will certainly continue.”
“There are a number of things that we’ve found to be beneficial from this experience that will continue, and we will continue to find new ways to leverage that,” he added.
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