Online enrollment for students returning to Great Bend USD 428 will start Wednesday. Parents will have the choice of on-site or remote learning. The school board met Monday and saw a draft of the 2020-2021 Restart Plan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Official approval of a plan is expected later this month.
“What is clear, is that our parents want options,” a board document going to parents this week states. “We are offering two learning models for the 2020-2021 school year.”
● On-Site Learning: A return to school with a structure as “normal as possible” beginning August 20, with additional health-safety precautions at the building. In this option, students/staff may be required to move into a “hybrid model” in the case of elevated public health concerns or at the direction of the Barton County Health Department or Kansas State Department of Health and Education.
● USD 428 Remote Learning: A full-time remote learning option with monitoring and support from USD 428 teachers.
“We will continue to listen to our community and assure a public engagement process as we move into the next phase of re-opening our schools; establishing public trust, managing fear and perceptions of risk, and addressing community needs are keys to a seamless and successful response.
Parents won’t be locked into one choice for the entire school year, Superintendent Khris Thexton said. For example, parents who aren’t comfortable returning students to the classroom on Aug. 20 may choose the remote option, and then later decide they are ready to return to the traditional classroom setting. Or, parents who start with the traditional setting may later choose the remote option.
Here is a brief description of each:
On-Site Learning
Traditional Classroom setting
with health protocols
● Remain a USD 428 Student
● Students attend on-site school
to receive instruction 5-days a
week in a traditional setting,
maximizing physical distance
where practical implementing
other health-safety
precautions.
● In-person learning
conversations and engagement
● Social interaction with peers
and staff for preparation of
living in a connected world
● Immediate access to learning
materials, instruction, and
student support
● Google Classroom and other
Google platforms support
student learning and transition
from school to home
● Participate in
school-sponsored athletics and
fine arts programs (following
KSHAA guidance)*
* Note: The Kansas State High School Activities Association is expected to announce plans for fall activities this week.
Hybrid, On-Site & Remote*
Combination of classroom
instruction and remote learning
at home
● Remain a USD 428 Student
● A more restrictive in-person
setting with intermittent
scheduling that decreases the
amount of people in the
building at one time
● Maximize physical distance in
classrooms and common spaces
● Standard curriculum platforms
will be used for on-site and
remote learning for easy
transition from school to home
in the case of intermittent
health concerns
● Google Classroom and other
Google platforms support
student learning and transition
from school to home
● Participate in school-sponsored
athletics and fine arts programs
(following KSHAA guidance)
*Note: The hybrid model will be used only
when required by elevated public
health concerns or when social
distancing must be strictly enforced.
USD 428 Remote Learning
Remote Education with USD
428 Staff Monitoring
● Remain a USD 428 Student
● Available for all students,
Grades K - 12
● Flexible, individualized plan
that is accessible anywhere
with 24/7 access
● Supervised by USD 428
certified teacher
● Regular communication
between USD 428 staff and
student/parent
GREAT
