Graduation waiver approved

LIND – In their school board meeting Tuesday, Mar. 30, Lind and Ritzville members unanimously approved an emergency waiver of high school graduation credits.

This is in addition to a policy already in place which authorizes the superintendent to grant waivers of a maximum of two elective credits required for high school graduation based on an individual student's circumstances.

The purpose of the emergency waiver is "to provide an equitable mechanism that prevents students from being unduly impacted by unforeseen disruptions to coursework and assessments resulting from an emergency" as defined in the Revised Code of Washington or as declared by an authorized federal official.

The state Board of Education adopted emergency rules that respond to the governor's declaration of an emergency in February 2020, and applies to the senior classes 2020 and 2021in the 2020-21 school year.

According to the resolution adopted by the Lind-Ritzville Cooperative School Boards, the district will demonstrate a good faith effort to help individual students meet credit-based and pathway graduation requirements through other options before considering the emergency waiver. The resolution states the district will inform the student and parent/guardians on the potential benefits and limitations that could result from receiving the waiver, including impacts on postsecondary plans and the option for the student to decline the waiver and be provided the opportunity to earn the credits needed to complete graduation requirements through continued enrollment beyond the planned graduation date.

The resolution expires Aug. 31, 2021.

Superintendent Don Vanderholm reported the district is considering moving from the current schedule of late-start Mondays, to early releases on Fridays next school year. Vanderholm said the schedule would be Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. with students expected to do remote learning from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. The schedule would also allow teachers to offer learning recovery for those who are struggling, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays. When asked by a board member how students would be able to do remote learning if they were traveling home from school during those hours, Vanderholm said it wouldn't be done live, but would be prepared for students to do.

"I wouldn't expect that it would be anything intense, but it would make it look like a full day," Vanderholm said. "Our support staff would be helping with the recovery learning."

Another board member voiced concern over the kids losing Fridays at home.

"I would hate for students to lose those Friday afternoons where they are able to do other things like have quality time with their families. And this sounds like they would lose that. I think kids have gotten used to having Fridays all day at home," the board member, who didn't identify herself on the Zoom call, said.

Another board member expressed concerns that half-days were not very productive, and he would prefer having something constructive that could be done remotely on Fridays for six hours in order for students to get caught up or do group activities.

Vanderholm said the points brought up were good ones, and the schedule was still in a draft form.

Vanderholm also presented a video on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) while discussing the Strategic Plan, which comes up for review every three years.

"This year we offered remote, on-campus and hybrid learning," Vanderholm said. "Next year we want to offer on-campus learning, but it should not look like it ever did before COVID. We don't want to put away our electronic tools such as Google Classrooms. Our on-campus learning is going to look very different moving forward."

Vanderholm said the district also wants to offer staff-supported remote learning, using a product such as Edgeinuity.

"The third option would be homeschool or nondistrict participant," Vanderholm said. "We haven't been accredited in the past, but we are going to start the process in the fall."

The school boards approved the 2021-2022 school year calendar, consisting of 176 school days, including four teacher in-service days and four conference days. The calendar consists of three trimesters, with the first trimester ending Nov. 24, the second ending Mar. 8, and the third ending with a June 4 graduation for seniors and June 10 as the last day of school. Aug. 30 is the first day of school for grades 1 - 12, and the first day of kindergarten is Sept. 2.

In other business, school board members

— Approved a revision for the back to school plan reducing physical distancing requirements from six feet to three feet. The change will begin when school resumes following spring break, April 12.

— Approved the Lind-Ritzville Athletic Combine. Kahlotus School District will no longer be included. The high school combine includes Sprague and Washtucna, and the middle school combine includes Lamont and Washtucna.

— Accepted the resignation of Lind School Board Director Dustin Murray.

— Approved hiring Cristinia Cameron as middle school assistant softball coach and Cole Cameron as middle school assistant baseball coach.

— Approved March payroll in the amount of $391,864.