Highland extends its hybrid learning model for two weeks

RIVERSIDE - The Highland Community School District will continue under the hybrid model until Oct. 2.

The school board approved the continuation Tuesday, after seeing the model in use for two weeks.

With this decision, the board will reevaluate Sept. 28 to decide if the hybrid model will continue on Oct. 5. Many of the board members wanted to emphasize that they hope to return to 100 percent in-person learning soon.

The district originally approved four weeks of the hybrid model. The Tuesday vote extends that two additional weeks.

Superintendent Ken Crawford said he does not know if the low numbers of students quarantining and zero positive cases is because of the hybrid, but he believes this additional two weeks may be the tipping point, showing whether or not they need to continue the hybrid model past Oct. 2.

The board members asked questions surrounding the virtual learning, if student's learning is on track, how teachers are feeling and how the mask mandate is going.

Crawford said for the most part everything is going well, but there will always be holes and gaps. Crawford said he sees the data as it's going well, but there are a couple things that can be changed.

'I challenge any school in the state of Iowa not to have a few things slip through the cracks,” Crawford said. 'There's little things that everyone's dealing with that I think through and through we're doing a great job on.”

Elementary Principal Jane O'Leary said she anonymously surveys her teachers every day and has made changed based on the recommendations.

The Highland Education Association presented information they collected from members on their opinions surrounding mask usage, the hybrid model, social distancing and more.

The HEA has 29 members which is over half of the certified staff and 25 responded to the survey.

Of those who responded, 80 percent of the individuals felt comfortable in the hybrid model while 20 percent were ready to return full time.

In a teacher survey done by the school, a little over half of the elementary teachers responded were ready to have more students present in class, while over 80 percent of the middle school and high school teachers said they were not.

When the HEA members were asked about the mask policy 96 percent said they wanted to continue requiring masks.