Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon Community Schools will be moving to online distance learning this coming Monday, but just for two days.
Sheldon Schools Superintendent Cory Myer tells KIWA that the move to distance learning is a practice run.
(As above) “We’re going to do two days of practice distance learning. We’re going to go on Monday and Tuesday, November 23 and 24, in all three of our buildings. This is a good opportunity for us to kind of do a practice run to make sure that we have all the technology in place, all the materials and resources…everything kind of on OUR end and from a student standpoint, learning from home, making sure that in the event that anything would happen down the road that we would have to do a longer-term distance learning, that we would be prepared for that to happen.”
He stressed that this two-day period of online distance learning is not due to immediate concerns about the pandemic.
(As above) “It is not directly related to that. However, we have been in conversation with local healthcare professionals and they have expressed concern to us about the local rate. So this does allow us the opportunity to…we’d already planned a Thanksgiving Break in there (and) with these two additional days of distance learning and the weekends that are included on the front end and back end, it essentially gives us nine days of an empty building where we don’t have students in and out. So we’ll reduce the student contact, but it also allows us the opportunity to deep-clean our buildings and really go through and get everything disinfected and sanitized.”
Myer says he hopes this two-day distance learning practice will be the only time the Sheldon Community Schools need to switch to distance learning.
(As above) “That is absolutely our hope. We were a little bit nervous with the governor’s press conference last (Monday) night. We were a little worried that she might close down schools, just because the rates across the state seem to be increasing, but I was extremely relieved that she did not go that direction. We absolutely want to be in school, on-site face-to-face if we can, and that is certainly our intent unless the governor would change that down the road. We’re hopeful that won’t happen, but we know in this time of COVID we also need to be prepared.”
Myer described the pandemic as something of a roller coaster ride and says he’s hopeful that the end is around the corner and close, but at this point in time it doesn’t seem like we’re there yet.
