School District plans for extended shutdown

POMEROY–In the press conference given by Governor Jay Inslee and the State Superintendent of Schools, Chris Reykdal, Monday, April 6, 2020, it was announced that all Washington school districts will not reopen for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, an extension from the previous date of May 4, 2020. Inslee has stated that reopening of school in the fall is still uncertain.

Pomeroy School District Superintendent Rachel Gwinn said school will not start earlier than the scheduled start date of August 31, 2020, but there may be a possibility of a late start. There are no plans for summer-school classe, but some type of instruction may be made available to special-needs students who depend on uninterrupted instruction.

Gwinn spoke with the East Washingtonian about what this means for Pomeroy students.

The elementary students have packets of assignments made available by their teachers. Some packets were given out a week before Spring Break and more distributed after the break. The packets are available for pick-up at the school front doors, or arrangements can be made for them to be delivered or mailed to students' homes.

Each teacher has been instructed to make contact with each student, at least once per week, to be sure they are receiving the packets and give any needed assistance. The teachers also have Facebook pages set up so they can post messages or answer questions. The Facebook pages are set to record which students have viewed the posts. Students who have not viewed the posts will be contacted.

The Junior High and High School students should have received a phone call from their advisors to make sure they have access to assignments being posted through Google Classroom accounts. School email accounts have been made available to students from home, and teachers have posted on the Pomeroy High Facebook page instructions for accessing their Google Classrooms.

There is also an ongoing survey to determine which students may not have internet access at home, and may not use Facebook. Alternative ways of communication through phone calls and texts may be set up. The school may also be able to check out a Chromebook to those students.

Gwinn reported that Rodeo Internet in Lewiston has applied for a grant from the state to obtain funds to provide internet services for small, rural communities at low cost, and may even potentially put up new communications towers.

The big question from students is "Are these assignments required?" The usual answer is that it will enhance their learning while they are required to stay at home. The reality is that students are missing instruction if they do not participate in these learning opportunities. Some will need to relearn skills when they return to school in the fall, because of the extended absence from school. Some may find they have gaps in their skill sets, which may cause a hardship when moving on to the next level of learning. It is in the best interest of each student to take advantage of the learning opportunities being provided to them.

The high school students are being told that the grade they had in each class when the school was shut down is the grade they will maintain. If they complete the assignments provided, they will only enhance that grade, as much as one letter grade in some cases. If they do not participate in the assignments, that grade will not change. However, Gwinn admitted that they are still awaiting for more guidance from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), so this decision is considered to be tentative at this time.

The District plans to have some type of celebration for graduating seniors. A committee of Senior students and parents of Seniors has been formed to brainstorm ideas, but nothing has been decided. One idea is to hold the graduation ceremony at the football stadium, where there would be plenty of room for spectators to spread out.

Grab-and-go breakfast and lunch packages have begun again after Spring Break week. On Mondays, students can pick up packages for three days, and on Thursdays for two days. The meals are available to all students, and an average of 50 students have been served each day. There hasn't been a lot of extra meals left over, but everyone who has arrived has been served. The school has also been able to share some extra milk with the food bank, and the food bank has reciprocated as well.

The school district is also trying to find three new teachers for the 2020-2021 school year, but interviews have had to be postponed. They have had some responses to their advertisements, with four or five for the High School Science/World Language position, one for the Music position, and four so far for the elementary positions, which has not closed yet.

Financially, the closure has not had a negative effect on the school district. They are still receiving state and federal funding, and have been able to continue staff salaries. However, they have been advised by the Governor's office that they should be planning to save money for the next school year, and not make any major purchases or expenditures at this time. The Governor has vetoed some budget items that would have been new for the next school year, and no promises have been given that there won't be more cuts.

Gwinn said that she has been very proud of her staff, who have just dived in and come up with good plans to serve our students. Everyone has pitched in and gone the extra mile.