>> 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.