The school used it’s philosophical approach as guide: Focus on social and emotional before starting learning. Kids need to do analog work to thrive in a digital world. Do constant assessment and make improvements. Equity matters. (22)

Early on, it became apparent that white families were quicker to choose OC learning. The school reached out to families of color to talk through concerns, readjust opening plans to address them, offered more info, and redid the DL/OC signup process. (23)

School started with a 2-week phase-in: DL kids started a few days early to learn/troubleshoot tech, and to do more teambuilding. OC students started with short days focused on safety protocols, then learning the tech. OC students also did a few virtual practice days. (24)

Our virtual practice days were sorta rough. The asynchronous work was reminiscent of spring – immediate tears, even on our favorite subject. It just doesn’t work for us. The new, improved Zoom was way better – engaging, structured, etc. (25)

The school has made a few adjustments along the way based on what seems to be working or not. We get weekly all-school emails, updates from teachers, and then as-needed comms. (26)

THE BIGGER VIEW… Going back to school has been enormously helpful to us – kids and grown-ups alike. It can be done safely, *but only if schools have the resources and guidance to pull it off.* (27)

When the lockdown started, my kids started sleeping at the foot of my bed in their sleeping bags. It was their most overt display of anxiety. When school started, they decided to go back to their rooms. They’re happier, less anxious, more interested in school. (28)

There’s a long commentary I could add re the advantages my kids’ school had. All told, they spent ~$1million on upgrades (trailers, tech, summer salaries, ventilation, etc.). That’s on top of the existing advantages (planning time, flexibility, fewer required services, etc.) (29)

From what I can tell, the two biggest advantages were the already low student:teacher ratio – each class ALWAYS had 2 teachers so splitting into pods was easy. The other advantage was the proactive planning for the worst. (30)

I’m sharing this thread to illustrate what reopening safely looks like. COVID will be here for a long time and the current binary that says virtual school = safe and in person = dangerous isn’t the whole pic. We need to get every kid access to a SAFE open school. (End. Whew.)