By Rachel Wu
For the Fall 2020 semester, an A/B block schedule where students physically attend school every other day is under consideration, Superintendent Cheryl Jordan said in a video interview. Although no exact structure has been finalized, school is on track to start with at least some degree of distance learning on August 13, she explained.
An A/B block schedule would entail having half of the students physically attending school while the other half attends class virtually, with the two groups of students switching every day, Jordan said. When attending school in person, students will practice social distancing and handwashing, and a frequent schedule for disinfecting surfaces such as doorknobs and desktops will be implemented, she added. There will be temperature checks, face coverings, and possibly plexiglass dividers for desks and tables, she continued.
“Some other considerations are how we can provide for our staff and students who are very vulnerable to the disease and how to give them the opportunity to have 100% percent distance learning and working,” Jordan said. “So, we’re also looking at creating a district program that would be 100 percent MUSD EducatEverywhere that people could enroll in.”
In a new schedule, Fridays may be set aside for teacher collaboration or mentoring students one on one or in small groups, Jordan said. A quarter system rather than a semester system may also be implemented to ensure that if a sudden change, such as a new shelter-in-place order, arises, there will have been at least one grading period completed, she added. Several ideas have also been brought up to ensure that unengaged students are not left behind in distance learning in the fall.
“At the secondary level, 93 percent of students are engaged in distance learning, while about 334 are unengaged. One idea is to provide in-person learning for those most vulnerable [to disengagement]… and make sure that they have more opportunities for mentoring and tutoring,” Jordan said. “Our principals have also done home visits to those not engaged in school and found situations where the student did not have WiFi, so we worked to make sure they had the WiFi.Another potential issue could be that older children are left to care for younger siblings at home while their parent or caregiver is at work. To provide those families support, we will be launching childcare next week.”
There are also concerns about managing facilities, resources, and transportation, Principal Francis Rojas said in a video interview. Even if only half of MHS students physically attended school at a time, it would be difficult to ensure that 1600 students and 200 staff members were all socially distancing, he expressed. Additionally, resources may be thin due to a possible 10 percent budget cut across all schools in California, which could also reduce the academies ’budgets by 50 percent, he continued. Appropriate transportation arrangements to allow MHSstudents to social distance on the bus ride to school must also be implemented, he added.
“Some reforms may be made to distance learning in the fall. A possible option to address lack of engagement in distance learning is to only offer three classes a semester,” Rojas explained. “To avoid overburdening students, parents, and staff with multiple online learning and communication platforms, [investment in] a learning management system, such as Canvas, is also under consideration.”
His preference is to be back in the classroom because this is not teaching, it is treading water, AP United States Government Teacher Michael Cummins said in an email interview. However, from a logistical perspective, it would not be possible to return to school physically in 2020, he continued. It would be difficult to accommodate teachers and students with health issues, enforce mask rules, ensure fairness for students who cannot physically attend, and pay for new procedures, he elaborated.
“My mood has been terrible. Really, lower than any time in my 15 years of teaching. A zoom class isn’t anything like a real class. People talk over each other and then stop talking. I get no reactions from comments. Sarcasm can’t be read. Cameras don’t pick up body language. I can’t do any of my teacher tricks to engage kids who don’t have an interest,” Cummins said.“Students, even the strong introverts, hate it. I have an 11-year-old. She hasn’t been able to share secrets and gossip with her friends. She hasn’t been able to socially grow.”
Teaching in person with whatever guidelines need to be in place is preferred, Math Teacher and Football Coach Kelly King said in an email interview. If the fall semester is online, I believe the MHS staff will continue to provide quality education and be there for our student body because teachers have spent more time and effort toward teaching and reaching out to students, he added. Football right now, like everything else, will need to wait to find out information about what returning will look like, he said.
“Although I would love to see my teachers and classmates again, I believe the best decision would be to continue online learning. Even if we are required to wear face masks and sanitize continuously, the risk of transmission would be higher than zero percent, and I don’t feel comfortable with that,” Junior Lynn Nguyen said. “Honestly, online learning has made students less productive. Lectures suddenly become optional, due dates are more lenient—there’s so much freedom to do whatever you want to do… I sincerely care about my education, but I lost the vigor.”
A lot of extracurriculars got canceled due to COVID-19, Nguyen said. Unfortunately, competitions for Science Olympiad have been called off, and it is disappointing because the team put a lot of effort into studying and preparing, she continued. For Dragon Boat, practices have been canceled since March for all teams in Northern California, so training can only be done at home, she added.
“I would prefer in-person teaching because I believe it benefits me the most and helps me learn course material more efficiently than online teaching. However, I would not like to risk my health under any circumstances, if the risk is high,” Sophomore Angela Lee said. “Also, I do not believe merely enforcing social distancing policies, requiring face coverings, or frequent hand washing and sanitizing will be enough. The availability of face coverings and sanitizers are limited. Also, social distancing will be extremely difficult for students due to the large population of students at school. It is difficult for me to walk between my classes without bumping into many students.”
Online classes only minimally decrease productivity and motivation, but it is a privilege to access working technology in the first place, Lee said. However, the engagement between those participating in extracurricular activities may be difficult, she continued. Not everyone has social media and technology, so distance learning can be a barrier to students enjoying the full highschool experience with extracurricular activities and clubs, she added.
