BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
The Natomas Unified School District is positioned to keep educating kids in the event of prolonged school closures.
District officials late Wednesday, March 18 announced they had reached agreements with both employee unions that will allow for distance learning while schools are closed and students sheltered in their homes.
The district’s 14 campuses will be closed through April 17, which includes a weeklong spring break, as it prepares to roll out online learning on Monday, April 20.
“These (agreements) will allow NUSD to transition to a distance learning model and end the school year as planned.”
“In the past 24 hours, in collaboration with our labor partners (California School Employees Association and Natomas Teachers Association), Natomas Unified has signed three Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs),” read a message to families and district staff from Superintendent Chris Evans. “These MOUs will allow NUSD to transition to a distance learning model and end the school year as planned, May 21, 2020.”
Natomas Unified is one of 13 Sacramento-area school districts currently closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the risk of students’ exposure to the novel coronavirus.
The Natomas Unified school board earlier this week held an emergency meeting and granted Evans the ability to bypass the traditional, slower-moving contract negotiation process to work with the classified employee and teachers’ union on a distance learning strategy for students.
Governor Gavin Newsom said this week that it was likely California’s public school campuses would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year. The state also issued new guidance for school districts to continue educating K-12 students via distance learning, using Westlake Charter School in Natomas as a model, while campuses are closed..
Westlake Charter will launch its online learning program this coming Monday, March 23. Every day, students will have a new academic lesson taught by their teachers.
“The goal is also to combat isolation of students and make them feel connected to their community.”
“We cannot replace school, this is an extended learning opportunity,” said John Eick, Westlake Charter executive director. “The goal is also to combat isolation of students and make them feel connected to their community and to give them the opportunity to be around their friends and teachers who love them. It’s a big deal for us.”
Natomas Unified this week emailed a technology survey to families at its 14 campuses to help determine which students have access to digital devices and to the internet. To date, surveys for nearly 6,000 of the district’s 11,000 non-charter school students have been returned, Evans said.
Mayor Pro Tem Angelique Ashby’s office has committed to helping the Natomas Unified School District with any access issues students may face.
“Our office has been working hand in hand with the school district since the beginning of the COVID-19 changes,” Ashby said. “And we will continue to work collaboratively to bring as many solutions forward for our students as we possibly can.”
The three charter school programs operating in Natomas are collaborating with the Natomas Unified School District, but each has its own plan to continue educating students while their campuses are closed.
On Thursday Natomas Pacific Pathway Prep sent a technology survey to its families. NP3’s K-12 program was already heading into its two-week spring break when the three-week closure was announced. They hope to launch online learning starting April 6.
“We are putting together a distance learning model.”
“Our principals are developing a plan … and we are putting together a distance learning model,” NP3 executive director Tom Rutten said. “We are also working with teachers on a possible hybrid model using technology and packets with a weekly agenda and tasks that guides parents.”
Rutten said NP3 has devices for the students who will need them and that staff is working to ready them for at-home use.
The weeks leading up to the Natomas school closures, both Westlake Charter School and Natomas Charter School surveyed families to determine access to technology and WiFi as well.
The next step for the school district, Natomas Charter and NP3 is to make contact with those families who have not responded to surveys.
“We are trying to figure out who has access and based on that, how we can move learning forward,” said Joe Wood, executive director for Natomas Charter School. “Once we have a plan in place, we can move forward with some sort of distance learning.”
Wood said his staff is using this week and next to make contact with their students, whether it’s by email, video conference or phone call and some online learning is already under way.
Next week Natomas Charter teachers will be providing one scheduled connection activity as well as one learning activity per subject area to assess which types of activities are most doable for students from home.
Starting March 30 all classes will transition to formal distance learning, Wood said.
“It reminds me of stories my grandparents told about the war effort, how everyone rallies together and doesn’t know what the future holds, but is committed to coming together to figure it out.”
“We’re navigating things one day at a time,” Wood said. “Everyone sees it as a challenge and is excited to take it on. It reminds me of stories my grandparents told about the war effort, how everyone rallies together and doesn’t know what the future holds, but is committed to coming together to figure it out.”
According to Evans, teachers at schools operated by the Natomas Unified School District will return to their classrooms to pick up instructional materials starting next Monday, March 23. The following week, starting March 30, teachers will pilot and experiment with distance learning. During this period, the school district will distribute Chromebooks and WiFi connections to those students who need them. Spring break will go forward as planned April 13-17.
During school closures, high school students will continue to earn credits. School work will focus on student learning and not grading, but students who need to raise grades will have a chance to do so. Schools will also work on ways to support students who receive special education services.
“School officially restarts through distance learning Monday, April 20th,” Evans wrote.
(Messages to the Twin Rivers Unified School District for this story were not returned.)
Haven’t taken the Natomas Unified School District technology survey? Click Here
Have a student at NP3? Take NP3 Survey Here
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