% >> NEW COVID-19 GUIDELINES FOR
% WISCONSIN SCHOOLS WERE RELEASED
% THIS WEEK FOR TEACHERS, STUDENTS
% AND PARENTS.
% DPI SENIOR POLICY ADVISER
% JENNIFER KAMMERUD PROVIDED
% TESTIMONY THIS WEEK TO THE
% ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION.
% JENNIFER KAMMERUD JOINED US
% EARLIER THIS WEEK AND THANKS
% VERY MUCH FOR DOING SO.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> SO YOUR REOPENING PLAN IS
% CALLED "EDUCATION FORWARD" AND
% IT INCLUDES THE THINGS THAT WE
% MIGHT EXPECT, LIKE DISTANCING,
% MASKS AND SYMPTOM MONITORING.
% I KNOW IT'S UP TO EACH DISTRICT,
% BUT FOR A GRADE SCHOOLER, FOR
% EXAMPLE, HOW DIFFICULT IS THIS
% GOING TO BE TO IMPLEMENT?
% >> WELL, IT'S REALLY GOING TO
% DEPEND ON THE CONVERSATION THAT
% THE LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS
% WITH THEIR LOCAL HEALTH
% AUTHORITY AND WITH THEIR PARENTS
% IN TERMS OF HOW THEY'RE GOING TO
% OPERATE THE SCHOOL DAY.
% SO FOR SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS, IT
% MIGHT NOT LOOK THAT DIFFERENT.
% YOU MIGHT BE IN SCHOOL FIVE DAYS
% A WEEK, JUST WASHING HANDS MORE,
% MAKING SURE YOU'RE DOING YOUR
% COUGHING AND SNEEZING ETIQUETTE
% AND DISTANCING STUDENTS SOME
% MORE.
% YOU MIGHT BE ALTERING HOW YOU
% DROP OFF STUDENTS.
% AND I THINK PROBABLY ONE OF THE
% BIG DIFFERENCES MIGHT BE IN
% TERMS OF BUSING, HOW YOU'RE
% GETTING STUDENTS TO SCHOOL, JUST
% TO TRY TO CREATE A
% TRANSPORTATION SITUATION THAT IS
% AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
% >> AND YET AT OTHER DISTRICTS,
% IT MIGHT BE MORE STRINGENT,
% YOU'RE SUGGESTING, WITH THE
% MASKS AND THE SYMPTOM MONITORING
% AND THAT KIND OF THING?
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO DEPEND ON
% THE LOCAL HEALTH SITUATION AND
% THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE LOCAL
% HEALTH AUTHORITY AND, AGAIN,
% WHAT THE COMFORT LEVEL AND
% DECISION-MAKING IS AT THE SCHOOL
% DISTRICT LEVEL TO PROVIDE THAT
% ENVIRONMENT THAT IS AS SAFE AS
% POSSIBLE.
% SO SOME DISTRICTS WILL HAVE
% DIFFERENT PROCEDURES IN PLACE.
% THEY MIGHT HAVE REQUIRED MASKS.
% THEY MIGHT HAVE -- BECAUSE OF
% SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS
% THEY'VE DECIDED ON, THEY MIGHT
% HAVE A AND B SCHEDULES OR
% COHORTS OF STUDENTS MOVING
% THROUGH A SCHOOL.
% THEY MIGHT DO A FOUR-DAY WEEK
% WITH A FIFTH DAY OFF FOR
% CLEANING.
% THOSE ARE ALL JUST DIFFERENT
% EXAMPLES.
% BUT REALLY AT THE END OF THE DAY
% IT'S UP TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
% TO DETERMINE.
% >> AND THE PLAN CALLS FOR SOME
% MIX OF VIRTUAL LEARNING AS WELL?
% >> WE WERE WANTING TO BE REALLY
% UP FRONT WITH SCHOOL DISTRICTS
% ABOUT THE NEED TO PLAN FOR
% VIRTUAL EDUCATION.
% THERE MAY BE SITUATIONS WHERE
% BECAUSE OF THE DECISIONS YOU'RE
% MAKING, ONLY PART OF THE STUDENT
% BODY CAN BE IN THE SCHOOL AT A
% PARTICULAR TIME.
% THERE MAY BE SITUATIONS WHERE
% THE SCHOOL IS CLOSED AGAIN UNDER
% THE ORDER OF A LOCAL HEALTH
% AUTHORITY OR ON THE STATE HEALTH
% AUTHORITY OR THE DISTRICT
% ITSELF.
% AND THERE WILL BE STUDENTS WHO
% WILL BE UNABLE TO RETURN TO
% SCHOOL NO MATTER WHAT THE
% SITUATION BECAUSE OF CONCERNS
% WITH THEIR OWN HEALTH,
% UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS.
% AND SO DISTRICTS REALLY DO NEED
% TO HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE IN TERMS
% OF HOW THEY'RE GOING TO DELIVER
% LEARNING IN THOSE DIFFERENT
% ENVIRONMENTS.
% >> AND SO IN TERMS OF PEOPLE NOT
% BEING ABLE TO RETURN TO SCHOOLS
% IN PERSON, THAT HOLDS FOR
% TEACHERS AS WELL, IS THAT
% CORRECT, IF THEY ARE NOT
% COMFORTABLE OR UNABLE UNDER
% PHYSICIANS' ORDERS TO RETURN?
% >> YEAH.
% THERE -- YES.
% THERE WILL BE STAFF WHO WILL
% HAVE UNDERLYING HEALTH
% CONDITIONS AND CONCERNS, AND WE
% ARE ENCOURAGING THOSE STAFF TO
% TALK WITH THEIR SCHOOL DISTRICTS
% ABOUT WHAT MODIFICATIONS CAN BE
% MADE AND HOW TO APPROACH THAT
% SITUATION.
% >> WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION
% FROM DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE
% TO THIS PLAN?
% >> WELL, OVERALL, THERE IS A LOT
% IN THIS PLAN, AND WE HAVE HEARD
% A LOT OF POSITIVES IN TERMS OF
% THE COMPREHENSIVE NATURE OFT THE
% THINGS THAT THINK ABOUT.
% VERY LITTLE IN THIS PLAN IS
% REQUIRED.
% IT'S PROVIDED AS A CONVERSATION
% STARTER, JUMPING-OFF POINT,
% THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
% THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT SOME
% OF THE LEARNING SCENARIOS AND WE
% HAVE MADE IT CLEAR THAT THESE
% ARE ALL DECISIONS THEY WILL NEED
% TO MAKE.
% AND, AGAIN, THERE IS NO MINIMUM
% CLASS SIZE.
% THERE IS NO REQUIRED WAY OF
% DOING IT.
% EVERY DISTRICT HAS ITS OWN
% UNIQUE SITUATION THAT THEY'LL
% NEED TO CONSIDER.
% SO REALLY THE THINGS THAT THEY
% WERE LOOKING FOR WERE IDEAS ON
% HOW TO HANDLE TRANSPORTATION,
% CAFETERIA FOOD DISTRIBUTION, HOW
% TO POTENTIALLY SOCIAL DISTANCE
% IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT, HOW
% TO ATTEND TO THE NEEDS OF
% SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS,
% ENGLISH LEARNERS AND GIFTED AND
% TALENTED STUDENTS.
% >> SO WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION
% FROM PARENTS?
% >> SO PARENTS I THINK LOOK AT
% THE DOCUMENT DIFFERENTLY.
% THIS IS, AGAIN, A COMPLEX
% DOCUMENT.
% AND SO A LOT OF THEM I THINK
% WERE TAKING AWAY A LOT OF
% DIFFERENT THINGS.
% WE GOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS HERE
% AT DPI ABOUT MINIMUM CLASS SIZES
% AND DOES MY SCHOOL HAVE TO DO
% ONE OF THESE LEARNING MODULES
% AND WE'VE BEEN TELLING THEM, NO,
% THAT'S JUST REALLY A
% CONVERSATION YOU SHOULD HAVE
% WITH YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE LEAVE IT THERE.
% JENNIFER KAMMERUD, THANKS VERY
% MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU.