School board: Snow days are here to stay

Snow days and online learning were once again on the minds of the New Rockford-Sheyenne school board members at their regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 13.

The debate centered around the proposed “Policy ABAC,” which would establish a way for NR-S to conduct online learning in the event of unforeseen weather or plant conditions that prevent in-person learning.

According to the Summary of Proposed Action prepared by Superintendent Jill Louters and posted to the board packet on the school’s website, legislative changes last session now allow “distance learning days” to be counted as part of NR-S’s instructional calendar should weather or plant conditions, such as a blizzard or boiler malfunction, require distance learning.

The summary goes on to say, “Our district has been very proactive and aggressive in ensuring that our staff and students have access to excellent technology. ... While we continue to believe that the best place to facilitate learning is coming together in the school building, we can learn effectively through other mediums.”

When the policy was last on the school board’s agenda, members were non-committal one way or the other, and asked for feedback from the district’s educators before further consideration. That feedback was delivered by Principals Avolt Baumbach and Natalie Becker on Monday night.

Becker began by outlining what an online-learning day would look like under Policy ABAC.

“The goal behind this plan is to continue teaching and learning and maintain a routine for the students in the event of a multiple-day weather event,” Becker said. “... when we anticipate severe weather that could trigger multiple snow days, students will be required to take home their devices and materials.

“To connect remotely we’ll continue to use Google Classroom and Google Meet. Our preschool students will connect through Zoom on their parents' devices, because they don’t have one-to-one technology. ... Special education staff will continue to be able to access their students, and case managers will be able to access their kiddos through the same process of Zoom, Google Classroom or Google Meet,” Becker added.

According to Baumbach, many teachers had concerns about the lack of internet access for some students, while adding that they would need advanced notice in order to prepare the necessary materials for online learning.

Becker added that the teachers saw the validity of Policy ABAC in the case of a foreseeable multiple-day weather event, but not to replace a single “snow-day,” citing the complexity of preparing for online learning on short-notice. The NR-S school board seemed to agree with the teacher’s feedback, citing many of the same obstacles, as well as a reluctance to eliminate the traditional snow-day.

“I just think it would be a nightmare to manage,” said school board member Todd Allmaras. “The concept has merit, but to hit the ground and run has issues, I feel.”

NR-S Superintendent Jill Louters, who recommended approving Policy ABAC, told board members that other districts have adopted a similar policy, but amended it to only include language about plant conditions, not weather. The board members seemed receptive to a similar “re-write” addressing plant conditions only, particularly as NR-S deals with an outdated boiler that broke down as recently as two weeks ago.

During their reports to the board, Baumbach and Becker also discussed the school’s continued work regarding MTSS (Multi-Tiered Support System), which provides a framework to guide schools in providing more targeted support for struggling students.

Becker told the board that the MTSS lead team facilitated an early-out on Nov. 24, with the goal of learning about and discussing research-validated Tier I instructional strategies. As a group, educators also took a STAR test for the first time, which according to Baumbach gave them further understanding of students’ concerns about the tests.

Becker added that even teachers were pointing out how tough some of the questions were, though Baumbach was quick to add that they still tested in the 99th percentile. After discussion, it was decided that STAR testing should be conducted over two days rather than one, with the hope of easing the burden on students and gaining more accurate results.

The next regular NR-S school board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 10.