Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
School’s out, but not for the summer.
La Conner students and staff are off campus now through April 24 due to county and state mandates designed to help curb spread of the coronavirus.
The campus shutdown represents perhaps the most impactful of La Conner-related virus crisis closures. La Conner School District serves 606 students in grades K-12 and is widely recognized as a cornerstone of the community.
La Conner Superintendent of Schools Dr. Whitney Meissner echoed Town Mayor Ramon Hayes’ assessment that the coronavirus poses unprecedented local challenges – for the school district in terms of defining staff duties and being able to facilitate learning opportunities for students as needed during the six-week closure.
“I’m meeting with union leaders this week,” Meissner said. “I want to discuss with them these types of questions – how do we define ‘work’ and where does it get done?
“For students,” she added, “OSPI (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction) has given clear direction on what districts need to ensure if we are providing any instruction. We are not sure how long it would take us to ensure we are able to meet those expectations for each and every student so we are working on sharing learning resources with families for at-home learning if they like.”
She and La Conner staff are focused on helping students and families adjust as seamlessly as possible to the closure.
La Conner teacher and parent Suzanne Keith is encouraging parents to not worry about their children “falling behind” during this unplanned break.
“Everyone in the state and much of the country is out of school so kids aren’t really getting behind since they’re all missing schools,” she noted. “Teachers will adjust curriculum when we get back.”
Keith said if families are so inclined they can access free internet resources as an opportunity for student enrichment or skills maintenance.
Meissner agreed.
“I’ve been impressed by the local learning opportunities that have been shared,” said Meissner, “and also how many companies are offering their products for free.”
La Conner Schools is continuing to provide free breakfast and lunch for students and a survey has been created to determine emergency childcare needs.
Reader Comments(0)