Lakewood schools consider rotating schedule for fall

Lakewood school officials are currently considering a rotating schedule to return students to the classroom for this fall.

While the district's plan is not finalized yet, district Superintendent Scott Peacock said they are currently working on a rotating model with one group of students coming in to school for 'A' days and the other students coming in for 'B' days.

"There will be some sort of phased-in approach as we start the school year for emotional support. It has been so many months since we've been at school so we want to start slow," Peacock said.

It's possible the district will have some students come into school more often, depending on need.

"We are looking at students who may need additional support," he said.

The district is also looking to provide an alternative online option.

"One thing we will provide is an online-only option for families who want that," said Peacock.

The program would be "substantially improved and more robust," than what the district was offering in the spring of this year.

"It will be a separate program with separate teachers," said Peacock, so the teachers for the online program would not also have an in-person class they would also be responsible for.

School districts in the area have a number of options to reopen that provide some additional safety compared to the traditional five-days-a-week face-to-face instruction.

Peacock said the district staff had a couple of guiding principles.

"Health and safety comes first of course," he said. "But, secondly, we also want this to be a community endeavor. Our students and families need to feel the support of their community.”

For many, school provides that support of community.

"There is going to be a lot of trauma as we return and we need to be mindful of that. Coming back to school will not be just about academics," he said.

The district's plan is currently being worked on. "What we've done is set up a reopening committee," said Peacock, which is a combination of staff, administration and parents.

There are a total of 23 people on the committee.

There are also four subcommittees that are working on the specifics of reopening for student and family engagement, transportation and food services, special education and facilities.

"Each one will be working out how the district will perform its plan," he said.

All of the plans for reopening are going to have some difficulties, according to Peacock.

"There's no perfect solution here, but what we want is to have a plan to minimize exposure for students and staff, and at the same time provide that face-to-face instruction for at least a couple of days each week for students," he said.

Peacock hopes to present a plan to parents soon as he knows the uncertainty is a stressor for many families.

"I'm hoping to have the plan finalized by the end of July," he said. "It's important that we have a plan articulated to families as soon as possible."