I have been able to review most of the 11/23/2020 Board of Education meeting and can begin recapping it. I plan on tackling it in chunks over the next few days. [These things are always a bit of a bear to get through, particularly when experiencing Thanksgiving food comas.] First up is the public comment portion of the meeting.
For reasons unstated, Leah Olson did not attend this particular meeting.
After approving the minutes from the previous meeting as well as approving the agenda for this meeting, Board President Kay Eggert provided an overview of the emails the Board had received for public comment.
18 people provided public input. “Several” [Kay did not say how many] voiced concern with the plan to start in-person instruction in the second semester. Some of these people stressed the urgency to remain virtual and questioned whether AASD is following their established matrix for switching between learning models. Someone wondered, until the community burden is under control, is in person instruction worth the risk. Someone also requested that AASD stop all virtual plus options until the burden decreases.
The Board also received “some” [again, no specific numbers were given] support for a return to more in-person instruction. Questions that arose in these letters included “Why is it taking so long to do this?” and “Why not start right now?”
One individual presented a resolution to resume fully in-person instruction immediately. Kay did not read that resolution aloud [in spite of the fact that the letter writer specifically requested that she share it with the Board of Education as a public comment], but I can share the text of it with you here:
RESOLUTION
To fully resume essential school services to the children of AASD
WHEREAS, the Appleton Area School District is the 6th largest school district in Wisconsin, serving more than 15,000 children; and
WHEREAS, Appleton Area School District boundaries include one of the largest underserved and at-risk populations in the region and it is well-documented that these populations lose the most without full access to essential school services; and
WHEREAS, we acknowledge that there are numerous children in our District who are not “safer at home” as they continue to be subjected to on-going physical, sexual, and other forms of child abuse, and/or struggle with substance use/addiction or other at-risk concerns, and need access to the safe zones created by our school buildings; and
WHEREAS, the presence of emotional and mental health concerns in our children due to on-going isolation is gravely concerning; and
WHEREAS, it is known that a 100% virtual education model does not adequately provide for the essential school services of children, especially on a long-term basis; and
WHEREAS, the CDC Director made a formal statement on 11/19/2020 indicating that studies have confirmed that schools are not “super spreader” environments and further stated, “The truth is, for kids K-12, one of the safest places they can be, from our perspective, is to remain in school, and it’s really important that following the data, making sure we don’t make emotional decisions about what to close and what not to close,”; and
WHEREAS, further data supporting children returning to school can be found in the report COVID-19 Trends Among School-Aged Children — United States, March 1–September 19, 2020; and
WHEREAS, UNICEF also recently published a report in November 2020 indicating “Evidence shows that the net benefits of keeping schools open outweigh the costs of closing them” and warns of drastic negative outcomes; and
WHEREAS, there is established evidence that surrounding districts and private schools within the AASD boundaries have been able to successfully mitigate COVID-19 risk; and
WHEREAS, the District fully agrees that children thrive best back in school; and
WHEREAS, District parents are concerned that district school ratings have already been steadily declining since 2012; and
WHEREAS, District schools have now been closed for over 8 months and our children continue to fall further behind; and
WHEREAS, fully virtual options remain a choice for families that feel this option serves their children best; and
WHEREAS, the District has reported that recommended DPI mitigation practices are already established; and
WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the Board to uphold the published goals of the Board of Education, “The Board is committed to the education of all students as appropriate to the best of their individual abilities; to a constant awareness of the concerns and desires of the whole community regarding the quality and performance of the school system; and to the employment of a Superintendent and staff who will see that the District maintains a position as an outstanding school system and under whose leadership school personnel will carry out the policies of the Board with imagination and dedication”; and
WHEREAS, the Board is also dedicated to the AASD mission of “Success for Every Student, Every Day” as “the AASD strives to address the needs of all learners and provide graduating students with the skills and knowledge to successfully pursue the higher education essential for their chosen career paths.”
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Appleton Area School District will resume offering a FULLY IN-PERSON EDUCATION option to ALL children of the Appleton Area School District immediately.
Signed this 23rd day of November, 2020.
Kay Eggert, President
James Bowman, Treasurer
Gary Jahnke, Member
Leah Olson, Vice President
Barry O’Connor, Member
Kristine Sauter, Member
Deborah Truyman, Clerk
[The resolution was not taken up or voted on.]
There were also some concerns raised regarding the proposal to start a hybrid instructional model in January–specifically that half days will be extremely challenging for parents.
Several people also voiced concerns regarding the proposed change by Appleton to include probable cases with positive cumulative numbers. They wanted to know how this would impact the district with their numbers. [Superintendent Judy Baseman has since indicated that they will continue using confirmed cases for their purposes.]
A better writer suggested that the matrix for changing between models should be changed altogether as its current expectations are unattainable. There were questions regarding the accuracy of the data being reported and represented on the district Covid tracker, and concerns raised about why fans are not allowed at winter sporting events.
On behalf of the board Kay wanted to thank everyone who submitted emails to them. Per Kay, the Board appreciates their perspectives. Open meetings laws prohibit the board from discussing items not on the agenda; however, they are allowed to provide brief clarifying comments. To that end, she responded to the concerns about the change in Covid reports and stated that they will follow up with that and see how it will impact their matrix. [And, again, Superintendent Baseman has since stated in an email to a parent that the district would be using confirmed cases.] She also stated that more specific details regarding plans for the 2nd semester will be coming out in the future.
You can view the entire Board of Education meeting here: https://youtu.be/-H-2LJ8eOAU
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