Jamestown  (CSi/JPS)  The Jamestown Public School Board Thursday evening August 6, 2020 voted to approve the health and safety plan for the 2020-21 school year, stemming from the formation  of school district guidelines.  Video of meeting.

The guidelines come after a thorough review by a team including educators, support staff, parents, students, administrators, specialists, and others to gather as much perspective as possible.  The school district feels compelled to pursue a return to an in-person model of instruction for the 2020/2021 school year.

Each public  building, will use a color-coded guidance:  Blue/Green, Yellow, and Orange/Red with  the North Dakota Smart Restart Plan.

A variation ranging from all in-school learning to a hybrid schedule and to complete distance learning.

The plan included encouraging the wearing face masks in the school buildings.

Buses will run regularly, however, parents are recommending driving their children to school, when possible.

 

The first day of school for the Jamestown Public School District is planned for  August 27, 2020, with school board approval in re-adjusting the school year calendar, including a modified or hybrid schedule for middle school and high school students.

More information from Superintendent Robert Lech, and School Board Presient, Roger Haut:

Jamestown Public School Families,

In March of 2020, our community and school district was presented with an unforeseen challenge that caused us to, very quickly and nimbly, re-create the way we deliver instruction. Thank you to our teachers, support staff, parents and students for supporting education and for helping us succeed in these new circumstances. We are proud of the work that was done in the 2019/2020 school year from a traditional start through distance learning and culminating with honoring our seniors in a graduation exercise.The work of the district, however, is not at an end.

The 2020/2021 school year creates a new set of challenges and expectations from our community. With greater time to plan and ever-changing variables, we are now tasked with creating a reasonable andadaptable framework that prioritizes education while also balancing a new standard of health and safety. School districts hold a place of significance in the community and economy.

There are three pillars of education: 1) Academic, 2) Social-Emotional,and 3) Custodial. While people have always been familiar with the academic and social-emotional responsibilities, these have shone even brighter in the pandemic. Additionally, the custodial responsibility has come into a greater focus in the pandemic. Our community and families thrive when schools can provide that custodial care that our families has come to expect and depend upon.

For all of these reasons, we feel compelled to pursue a return to an in-person model of instruction for the 2020/2021 school year. We cannot, however, dismiss concerns related to health and safety associated with the pandemic. There must be practical steps that help our school district do its part to limit the spread of COVID-19 in our community. To create a practical and reasonable plan, a task force was established to study re-entry and to create this Health and Safety Plan and to revise the district’s Distance Learning Plan, in the event it becomes necessary. This team included educators, support staff, parents, students, administrators, specialists, and others to gather as much perspective as possible. This group reviewed survey data and spent significant time, inside and outside of meetings, in reviewing other district/state plans, reading research, and engaged in critical thinking around how to develop a plan for Jamestown.

The task force, the school administration, and the school board recognize that this plan cannot possibly be perfect in the eyes of all. There are components that will be polarizing and may be absent of a common ground. All have done his/her best to draft a plan that considers the perspectives of all. We encourage everyone to ask questions and communicate their concerns as we move forward. We are all in this together and this requires us to continue to have an open dialogue and support what is best for our students.

Respectfully,Dr. Robert Lech

Superintendent

Mr. Roger Haut School Board President

Remainder of Planning Timeline:

August 10: Informational Sessions for Jamestown High School (5:00 – 6:00) and Jamestown Middle School (6:00 – 7:00)

August 11: Informational Sessions for Louis L’Amour (5:00 – 6:00), Gussner (6:00 – 7:00) and Washington (7:00 – 8:00)

August 12: Informational Sessions for Roosevelt (5:00 -6:00) and Lincoln (6:00 – 7:00)

Additional Information

video provided by NorDak Technologies