Del Norte High School administrators are asking parents to weigh in on a proposed reopening plan that starts the 2020-21 school year off with full distance learning on Aug. 24.

The high school’s current plan is to begin school in Phase 1 of Del Norte Unified School District’s “continuum of learning,” which is aligned with California’s Roadmap to Resilience.

After roughly three weeks of full distance learning, the high school plans to transition into Phase 2, which includes distance learning in the morning and students meeting in small cohorts at Del Norte High in the afternoon, said DNUSD Superintendent Jeff Harris.

“About six weeks in, they’ll re-evaluate the system, determine what needs to be adjusted and what needs to be changed,” Harris said, adding that the proposal and the rationale can be find at DNHS’s website.

Phase 3 on the district’s “continuum of learning” is a blended learning model that has students in the classroom two full days a week and distance learning the remaining three days of the week. Phase 4 is a full return to in-classroom learning.

Harris noted that unlike the crisis learning students and parents were asked to go through after schools closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning “is different.”

“These are actual class times — actual times interacting live with a teacher in the content area, actually using curriculum that has been utilized in our math, science, English, history, all of our classes that are available to your child,” Harris said. “They’ll work as if they were in the classroom because they are in the classroom. It just happens to be virtual instead of in person.”

With students likely engaging in virtual learning this year, Harris said parents should make sure they fill out the technology-use form they’ll find in their students’ first-day packets. These packets will be sent to parents in the mail. Harris said those with multiple children in local schools will receive a packet for each of them.

The technology-use form gives the district permission to issue computers to its students and to enroll them in digital learning platforms teachers will be using throughout the year, Harris said.

Other important forms parents need to fill out and turn in include the fair share form, a necessity for DNUSD and the County Office of Education to continue to participate in the community eligibility program, which provides free breakfasts and lunches to their students, Harris said.

Another form is the demographics update that ensures the district has parents’ latest contact information, including email and phone numbers. Harris said the district will communicate with parents via email, though if there’s a critical announcement or an emergency closure of schools, they should anticipate a call home.

“Inside each of those packet envelopes is a pre-addressed envelope that already has postage on it,” Harris said. “After you fill the information out for your child, slip it into the other envelope and drop it in the mail. It’ll come right to us and you don’t have to worry about sending it to school with your child.”

Documents

• DNHS Reopening Model Proposal

• DNHS 2020-21 School Reopening for Families

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