Green Bay School District Return Plan

By Zola Kambandu Schilz

The Green Bay Area Public School District School Board has come together to create a plan for students to return to in-person learning. This plan was laid out carefully in order to mitigate student and staff exposure to the virus and in addition, the District is hoping to have a vaccine available to teachers beginning March 3, though this will depend on vaccine supplies. 

Starting March 1, 4k, 5k and students in grades 1-5 will return to in-person learning on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Wednesday as a virtual learning day. Also on that day, grades 6 and 9 will return to school in cohorts with Wednesday also as a virtual learning day. Cohort A will attend school on Mondays and Tuesday while remaining virtual on Thursdays and Fridays, while Cohort B will be just the opposite. On March 8, the remaining grades (7, 8, 10, 11, and 12) will return also in the same cohort system. Students may also choose to remain virtual for the remainder of the year.

Despite having a plan in place that is meant to mitigate the spread, there are still, of course, many risks to returning to school in the midst of a pandemic. Because students can be asymptomatic, it is important for them to follow all set precautions in order to decrease the risk of spreading COVID-19. 

“Since there hasn’t been a study where children were regularly tested for COVID, it is unknown if they are bringing COVID home to families or spreading it to classmates or school staff (including bus drivers),” said School Board member Brenda Warren. Another question that arises with the discussion of in person schooling is how long schools will be able to remain open after letting students resume face-to-face learning. Some districts that have already returned to in-person instruction were forced to close schools and classrooms after reopening, causing students to do virtual instruction once again. The opening and closing of schools puts a significant strain on families with working parents who cannot do their jobs virtually. 

However this arrangement does also come with positives. With the many limitations that come with virtual instruction, most students thrive in the in-person school setting. That is not to say that there aren’t students who have done exceptionally well in the online classroom, but for many students it is hard to stay engaged in class when they are not physically in the classroom. Warren said, “Even students who had been doing pretty well with virtual instruction are finding it more and more difficult to find the motivation to engage in their virtual classrooms.” Though staff has done well in transitioning to virtual instruction, the engagement of students in in-person instruction seems to be much better than virtual. 

Another factor in the School Boards decision to return to school was the perspectives they received from students throughout the district. Not only are students finding it difficult to engage but also it becomes a complicated process when it comes to getting the help and support students need as communication with staff, teachers and classmates has become less of a regularity. Students can’t interact with their peers or teachers as frequently as they have in the past with in person instruction. 

When students return to in-person learning, a number of precautions will be put in place in order to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. These precautions include basic things such as wearing a mask, frequent hand-washing, and social distancing of 3-6 feet. Schools will also routinely do deep cleaning as well as contact tracing. These are critical steps in decreasing the spread of Covid-19 as much as possible. Even so, there is still no easy or obvious solution when it comes to in-person or virtual instruction during these times.