Idaho schools closure may be extended
Betsy Russell | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 9 months AGO
Here's an article from the Lewiston Tribune:
By Justyna Tomtas
The statewide closure of Idaho school districts may extend past the original April 20 date as work continues to combat the spread of COVID-19 across the nation.
During a meeting of the Idaho State Board of Education on Monday, Board President Debbie Critchfield said a decision will be made as soon as next week, after the governor’s office and state public health officials are consulted.
The discussion took place after President Donald Trump extended nationwide social distancing guidelines for another 30 days, through April 30.
The state’s “soft closure” of schools means students are not permitted in classrooms, but are expected to receive educational services remotely.
The board plans to discuss what a possible pass-fail grading system for K-12 students could look like during the closure, how to track attendance during remote learning delivery and how to count instructional hours during the extended closure.
Board member Emma Atchley also asked for an update on how districts and charter schools are providing students with instructional content while students learn from home.
“I just think the loss of this kind of time can be really impactful, and I just want to make sure we are doing our best to make sure our students get as much instruction as possible while we are in the closure period,” Atchley said.
Greg Wilson, the governor’s senior education policy adviser, said K-12 schools in Idaho will have to cut approximately $19 million out of the systemwide budget, after Little directed state agencies to trim spending by an additional 1 percent because of the economic downtown caused by the coronavirus.
K-12 education in Idaho is estimated to receive about $48 million in federal funding after Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, last week.
Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said about 90 percent of the money would go to Title I schools across the state.
Matt Freeman, the executive director of the state board, said the CARES Act is also expected to provide around $38 million to higher education institutions across the state. Half of the funds will go directly to students in the form of emergency financial aid grants for expenses like food, housing, technology, health care and child care costs, while the remainder can be used by the institutions for crisis-related expenses to help cover lost revenue.
All eight of the state’s colleges and universities are now teaching classes remotely, and students have been encouraged not to return to campus.
The board unanimously approved a waiver for workplace readiness and technical skill assessments for high school students taking career technical education courses this school year.
Critchfield said the board plans to waive some higher education-related policies next week to give presidents more flexibility to manage “the crisis” within their institutions resulting from concerns over the coronavirus.
“We don’t want our own policies to be obstacles or hurdles,” Critchfield said.
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