No new assignments for River Ridge students after May 15
By Ted Pennekamp
At its April 8 regular meeting, the River Ridge Board of Education approved of applying to have the state waive the requirements for instructional minutes if face-to-face instruction were to cease for the remainder of the school year.
On April 16, Governor Tony Evers extended the Safer at Home order for another month, effectively closing all schools in the state for the rest of the school year, which had been scheduled to end on May 29.
The state requires at least 437 hours of direct pupil instruction in kindergarten, 1,050 hours of direct pupil instruction in grades 1 to 6 and 1,137 hours of direct pupil instruction in grades 7 to 12. State officials had previously said that applications to waive the requirements would be expedited for schools wishing to do so because of the COVID-19 threat.
Online learning began in most school districts throughout the state shortly after the schools were ordered to be closed by March 18.
During the April 8 school board meeting, River Ridge District Administrator Clay Koenig said teachers, parents and students had been expressing frustrations over virtual learning.
On April 20, Koenig sent a letter out to district residents explaining that the River Ridge School District would have no further assignments for students after May 15.
At a later date, the school board might also consider the possibility of starting the 2020-2021 school year about 2.5 weeks early.
Koenig’s letter states in part, “Students, parents, guardians, staff, and River Ridge community,
“On April 16, Governor Evers issued an extension to his COVID-19 Safer at Home Order. I know that this situation has caused a great deal of concern and disappointment for our students, families, and staff. When we were first ordered to close our school buildings, we did not realize it would be the last time we would see our students in person this school year. We have met as an administrative team and have made some difficult decisions regarding the rest of this academic year. The school board granted us permission to modify the calendar at the April 8 board meeting. This certainly was not an easy decision, as students, parents, and teachers are working extremely hard to make virtual learning as successful as possible. Despite the hard work by all, virtual learning is not the equivalent of traditional education.”
The rest of
the school year
Koenig went on to outline how the River Ridge School District will handle the remainder of the school year.
•May 15 - No new work/assignments will be assigned after this day.
•From May 15-May 27, teachers will work with any student that is in danger of failing the quarter. May 27 will be the day that all work/assignments are due. The goal is to have every student pass.
•Any parent or student wanting enrichment activities from May 15-May 29 should contact their child’s teacher(s). Materials will be sent to those who are interested.
•Staff will stay in contact with their students from May 15-May 29 to provide social and emotional support, if needed.
The school district will continue with its breakfast and lunch program until May 29. Food will not be delivered on May 25 in observance of Memorial Day.
The district is still planning on summer school being held. Communication has been shared about summer school and district will get another reminder out about this shortly.
Graduation and prom are still being discussed. This week, virtual meetings are planned with junior and senior classes regarding these important events.
Eighth grade graduation has also been discussed. Parents should have received an email regarding how those students will be recognized.
As the scheduled school year gets closer to the end, information will be shared regarding the procedure to return school materials such as chromebooks, text books, etc.
The district office will remain open from 10 a.m.-noon daily until May 29. If anyone has questions, please contact the school during these hours or email Clay Koenig at koenigcl@rrsd.k12.wi.us.
“Please take care of yourself and your families during these unprecedented times,” said Koenig.
