By Shereen Siewert
The Wausau School Board next week will consider a proposal to return middle and high school students to the classroom four days per week, every week, beginning March 1.
The move would end the alternate-week schedule currently in place for secondary students, while continuing to allow a virtual option for families who are uncomfortable sending children back to the classroom. The Wausau School Board’s Education and Operations Committee voted 8-1 last week to move the discussion to the full board after a discussion on student outcomes and staff preferences.
Wausau’s learning format was designed to ensure staff and student safety. As of last week, 362 positive COVID-19 cases have been reported among staff and students since the school year began, said Communications Director Diana White. D.C. Everest, which operated all year with a hybrid model, reports 449 positive cases since Sept. 1. Now, district officials are seeking ways to support academic success while keeping people safe.
Supporters for in-person instruction point to recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where officials are now urging a return to the classroom as soon as possible. In their determination, CDC officials cite evidence showing in-person instruction is safe with the right health protocols.
Researchers at the CDC, in the journal JAMA, pointed to a “preponderance of available evidence” suggests that in-person instruction can be carried out safely as long as mask-wearing and social distancing are vigorously maintained. Officials caution that local officials must also be willing to impose limits on settings such as indoor dining areas and poorly ventilated gyms to keep infection rates low throughout the community.
The subject has been a hot button for the community since July, when school board members voted to begin fall classes in a fully virtual format. The Wausau School District was the only district in central Wisconsin to make that decision, but did so amid concerns about community spread of COVID-19. Schools reopened in November, with a alternate week schedule for secondary school students and in-person instruction for elementary schools.
Jon Creisher, who has been a vocal advocate for in-person instruction and is a candidate for the board in 2021, spoke to the committee last week with strong criticism for decisions by the board and its time spent on a failed referendum over the past year.
“I would ask that this district and board put in the same amount of work and show the same sense of urgency for what matters most,” Creisher said. “That being the students’ education and their overall health.”
Last week Dr. Jennifer Rauscher, director of secondary education for the district, told the committee that data show student achievement dropped significantly during the virtual instruction period.
Students with “F” grades jumped dramatically in the fall semester compared to last year, according to WSD data, while the number of middle school students who received an “F” more than quadrupled. High school student numbers also nearly doubled, with 623 students with an “F” this semester compared to 320 last year. The numbers have improved from first quarter to second quarter, after students had a choice to come back to school. Grade point averages also dropped, though not as precipitously, Rauscher said.
School officials say the academic failures were caused by a “structure that does not support academic excellence.”
The group also reviewed feedback from district staff members that showed many educators agreeing that student performance would be enhanced by in-person learning, but concerns remain about staff safety. Most staff prefer waiting until they are fully vaccinated before students return fully, but recognize that allowing students to return fully could encourage academic success.
The meeting is set for 5 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Wausau East High School auditorium, 2607 N. 18th St., Wausau. The meeting will air live and be hosted on YouTube through Wausau Area Access Media.
