CCSD plans to provide options for students next year

Clark County School District middle and high schoolers will not return to classrooms full-time for in-person instruction this school year, Superintendent Jesus Jara said during a virtual Q&A with parents Tuesday evening.

And next school year, the district is aiming to provide both in-person and distance learning options for students.

The latter topic came up during a separate “virtual listening session” Tuesday featuring Deputy Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell, which was livestreamed on the district’s Facebook page. It was one in a series of seven, four of which are in person and three that are being conducted virtually.

“Essentially in the fall, we’re looking at providing two options for all schools, which would be full-time distance education and full-time face-to-face education,” Larsen-Mitchell said. “Many of our students have excelled in full-time distance education and also that flexibility piece for our working students.”

Jara wasn’t in attendance during the Tuesday virtual session, which lasted less than 40 minutes. But in the Q&A with the CCSD Parents Facebook group late Tuesday, he indicated that the district will finish out the school year under its previously announced instructional models: full-time in-person learning at the elementary level, and hybrid at the secondary level.

With only a few weeks left until the end of the year, Jara said the district would not reschedule schools.

“My goal is that August when we come back, we are face-to-face five days a week,” Jara said.

A spike in the number of COVID-19 cases could prevent that, he added.

Plans to be announced after Spring Break

Jara said he hopes to announce plans for summer school and Extended School Year services sometime in April. The district is also working with the Thomas and Mack Center and Orleans Arena on in-person graduations, and hopes to announce plans after Spring Break.

Jara said distance learning will continue in the fall and likely beyond, as some students have thrived under the model. The details of a future distance-learning model — including whether it would be offered at each site or through Nevada Learning Academy — are under deliberation.

There may be opportunities where some schools can offer three instructional models — in-person, blended and distance learning — next school year, but that may not be expanded to the whole school district, Larsen-Mitchell said.

The school district operated under 100 percent distance learning for about a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but started bringing students back to campuses under a hybrid model on March 1 — a process that continues in waves through early April. All elementary schoolers will have the option of attending full-time in-person classes starting April 6. And families can choose to continue with full distance learning.

Jara in the Q&A acknowledged the additional workload on teachers handling both in-person and virtual students.

“We have to find distance ed teachers… to keep the kids in our schools, to keep the funding in the schools, but then also having those teachers that are just doing face-to-face,” Jara said.

Remaining school district listening sessions are scheduled in person at noon-1 p.m. Wednesday at the City of North Las Vegas council chambers (2250 Las Vegas Blvd. N.) and 2-3 p.m. at the City of Las Vegas council chambers (495 S. Main St.) Another virtual session is 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday on the school district’s Facebook page.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter. Contact Aleksandra Appleton at aappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0218. Follow @aleksappleton on Twitter.