The Reopening School Task Force for the North Little Rock School District held its first meeting Monday afternoon, and school staff, administrators and parents discussed various topics, including the creation of an online virtual academy option.
Interim Superintendent Keith McGee said a survey gauging interest in an online classroom option for next semester received enough participation to require some foundation building for the concept.
"If parents decide to go with this option then we are asking them to commit for a semester," he said. "We want that support to be there for our students. We are looking at setting up a call center where parents and student can call to get technical support and then academic support will be worked out by the principals.
McGee also mentioned reaching out to churches, the local library and some other facilities around the city to create areas where online students might be able to safely gather to use their wi-fi while teachers are on-hand to provide academic assistance.
Amanda Stuckey, supervisor of school nurses and a registered nurse, told the task force there is concern for students with compromised immune systems returning to school, but by law, the district couldn't prevent them attending.
"We have discussed having the parents of kids with weakened immune systems sign a release form acknowledging they know the risk they are taking by sending their kids to school," she said.
Multiple task force members expressed their concerns about how a virtual academy might operate at the elementary and kindergarten level as well as participation and parent stress.
"One of the concerns I have had about virtual is the lack of participation and finding a way to hold students accountable," said Faith Jones, a task force member and middle school teacher. "Our average participation was no more than 30 percent all the way through with our virtual classes. There were students missing out on learning."
Brouke Reynolds, district testing coordinator, said if a student and parents choose the online option then hopefully that means they are ready for the task.
"It won’t be forced thing like this semester," she said. "This will be more like a set school day. It will be a real life person sitting in front of them talking at 9 a.m. They will be meeting with teachers on a regular basis like what we are doing on Zoom. We want it to be less on the parents and more on the students."
Task force members also questioned how the duties of teachers might change, and if an all virtual staff was on the table.
The final option that was discussed was establishing an alternate days schedule, McGee said. Students would be split into A and B groups. The A group would physically attend classes on Monday and Tuesday and the B group would attend on Thursday and Friday. The building would be sanitized on Wednesdays.