Update 17: Gearing up for high school and middle school students; monitoring health data
A successful week two of learning has taken place. Students and staff are starting to get settled into their learning processes and procedures for the 2020-21 school year. Parents/guardians, thank you for all your hard work and dedication in making this possible.
Please take a few minutes to read through this week’s updates, including:
- Middle and high school students to start hybrid learning next week
- Health data, learning formats under review as schools continue in hybrid learning format; possible elementary change on Oct. 19
- Distance learning how-to videos available in other languages
- Federal funding temporarily provides free meals; continue to fill out free/reduced applications during this time
- Sign up for Backpack Online e-newsletter for future COVID-19 updates by email
Continue to refer to ahschools.us/ReturnToSchool for the latest information.
Middle and high school students to start hybrid learning next week
Middle and high school students will start the week of Sept. 28 in the hybrid learning format. This comes, as planned, two weeks after distance learning kicked off the 2020-21 school year Sept. 14.
Students in cohort A will be in-person Tuesday and Wednesday, and follow with online learning Thursday and Friday. Cohort B students will start with online learning Tuesday and Wednesday, with their in-person instruction Thursday and Friday. Refer to the 2020-21 hybrid learning calendar for a more detailed schedule.
District schools have been preparing for the arrival of students through the establishment of health and safety measures. Check out the full list of health and safety measures at ahschools.us/COVID-19safety, along with some videos explaining them.
Health data, learning formats under review as schools continue in hybrid learning format; possible elementary change on Oct. 19
As Anoka-Hennepin continues to operate school in the hybrid learning format, the district is monitoring trends in public health data and considering a transition to in-person learning for elementary students. Due to the numerous planning actions that impact student transportation, school facilities, instruction, child nutrition, and child care, the soonest this transition could be implemented at the elementary level is Monday, Oct. 19. The decision to transition has not been made final. As soon as this decision is final, it would be communicated to all impacted families two weeks in advance.
Anoka-Hennepin will continue to monitor county level data over the next several weeks which could impact the learning model transition. District planning teams will meet every week to review data and provide updates as necessary. The move only impacts students currently attending school under the hybrid model and does not impact students in the distance learning program.
The Minnesota Safe Learning Plan provides direction for school districts to choose learning models for elementary, middle and high school students separately using the number of COVID-19 cases per 10,000 by county over a 14-day period. Data from early August to most recently support a move to have all elementary students attend school in-person and middle/high school students remain attending in the hybrid learning format. Districts can operate in more restrictive models than the data allows and must offer distance learning for any student who requests it.
Minnesota Safe Learning Plan model
The recommended policy options based on 14-day case rate range per 10,000 people
- In person learning for all: 0 to less than 10
- Elementary in-person, middle/high school hybrid: 10 to less than 20
- Both hybrid: 20 to less than 30
- Elementary hybrid, middle/high school distance: 30 to less than 50
- Both distance: 50 or more
Actual data by county
Anoka
- July 26-Aug. 8: 19.03
- Aug. 2-15: 19.83
- Aug. 9-22: 19.11
- Aug. 16-29: 18.97
- Aug. 23-Sept. 5: 18.22
- Aug. 30-Sept. 12: 17.36
Hennepin
- July 26-Aug. 8: 22.17
- Aug. 2-15: 19.76
- Aug. 9-22: 19.49
- Aug. 16-29: 19.21
- Aug. 23-Sept. 5: 16.88
- Aug. 30-Sept. 12: 14.91
State guidance doesn’t provide a timeline or expectations for transition time between learning formats and infection rates are only one factor to consider. The 30-member COVID-19 district steering committee, which includes district and union leaders, has discussed a two to three week transition time for moving from the hybrid learning format to full in-person (elementary only), along with the impacts of sunsetting hybrid child care for children of Tier 1 workers and reinstating Adventures Plus before-and after-school care for students and families. Factors such as leave requests and staffing availability were also highlighted as significant factors in determining the ability of the school to transition and operate in any learning format.
Anoka-Hennepin has stated that it’s the goal of the district to return students to in-person learning as conditions allow. Health data will continue to be monitored along with factors involved with transitioning to determine an orderly plan should conditions allow. For more information on the Anoka-Hennepin Return to School plan please visit the ahschools.us/ReturnToSchool website.
Distance learning how-to videos available in other languages
How-to videos in relation to distance learning tools and technology are now available in other languages. Check them out.
Middle and high school students and parents/guardians:
- Google Classroom overview (English)
- Google Classroom for families (English, Arabic, Hmong, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese)
- Students: Navigating Anoka-Hennepin Google Classrooms (English)
- Students: Customizing Gmail notifications (English)
Elementary school students and parents/guardians:
Federal funding temporarily provides free meals; continue to fill out free/reduced applications during this time
Anoka-Hennepin’s child nutrition department is continuing its participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program aimed to provide nutritious meals to students. All meals are free for students until Dec. 31 or until funding is exhausted. The USDA is providing the financial resources for the program.
Anoka-Hennepin is still encouraging families to fill out the free/reduced meal application as it’s unclear if the USDA program will last until its intended end date, Dec. 31. There are also a lot of other educational benefits received by students who qualify.
Please go to ahschools.us/2020Meals for information on the district’s procedures for accessing meals both in-person and to-go.
Sign up for Backpack Online e-newsletter for future COVID-19 updates by email
Starting Friday, Oct. 9, general COVID-19 updates will be shared via:
- School and district websites
- District social media, including Facebook and Twitter
- Backpack Online e-newsletter
If you’re still interested in receiving emails, please sign up for Backpack Online, the district’s parent/guardian and community e-newsletter via ahschools.us/BPO.
More impactful COVID-19 updates, for instance, a change in the learning format, will continue to be shared through all communication outlets, including AHlert email/text.
Please reach out to comm.pr@ahschools.us with any questions or concerns on communication.