Northeast Nodaway readies for remote learning

FORUM FILE PHOTO
Northeast Nodaway school is shown earlier this summer. The school has prepared, like all Missouri schools, for possible remote learning this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RAVENWOOD, Mo. — Like every school district across the area, Northeast Nodaway’s reentry plan is subject to change as the year goes on.

That includes remaining ready to move to virtual instruction for some students — or all students, in the worst case. If a student tests positive for COVID-19 or is a close contact and is quarantined, they’ll stay home for two weeks and receive instruction remotely from teachers through Google Classroom. Teachers will record lessons specifically for remote learning.

“It’s going to look a lot different now than it did in the spring,” said elementary principal Jason McDowell. “We’ve learned a lot and gotten a lot more guidance from the state. … It’ll be a lot different because we’ll know an end date, whereas in the spring, we thought we did, and then we didn’t.

“But that’s already been put in place, teachers are putting assignments on (Google Classroom) now so that way the kids can kind of get re-acclimated to it. They’re going to use it daily in the classrooms — (grades) 3-6, pre-K-2 is going to look a little different — but whatever they’re going to use remotely, they’re going to use daily, so it’s not some new thing that the kids have no idea (how to use).”

Another point of emphasis will be avoiding bottlenecks at pickup and drop-off. Parents are being asked to not accompany their students in the door, and students will be dismissed in smaller groups at the end of the day based on whether they’re taking the bus, being picked up or walking.

Like many other districts, if students become sick while at school, the school nurse will give the student a mask and put them in a monitored isolation room to wait before they’re picked up.

Ultimately, though, district officials said they will have to adjust plans based on how it goes once school begins.

“It’s just time to jump in and see what happens,” said Superintendent Brenda Dougan.

Other Northeast Nodaway notes

• The total tax levy was set at 5.7088 percent.
• Anticipating reimbursement through county CARES Act funds, the district purchased new automatic faucets to replace each faucet in the building, and bought 50 more Chromebooks, along with masks and cleaning supplies.