H-BC Schools waiting until Aug. 24 for decision on opening

Parents in the Hills-Beaver Creek School District want their students to return to in-person instruction this fall and the state’s Safe Learning Plan may allow their return.
H-BC Superintendent Todd Holthaus said Gov. Walz’s Friday announcement allows the individual school districts to decide which of three learning models will be in use at the elementary and secondary schools.
“We have the tools, now we have to put the procedures in place,” he said Monday.
School board members will meet Monday, Aug. 10, to ratify the procedures.
Procedures will include the assembly of a local incident team. The team will examine case data before making a recommendation on witch learning option H-BC will start with on Sept. 8.
Learning options include:
1.) In-person learning (five-days a week).
2.) Hybrid learning (combination of in-person and distance learning).
3.) Distance learning (all students learning from home, similar to what occurred last spring.)
Case data is based on Rock County’s new coronavirus cases per 10,000 residents over a 14-day period.
As of July 18 (the latest available case data), the COVID-19 case rate for Rock County was 18.06, up from 8.50 cases from the previous two-week period.
The state guidelines indicate the case rate determines which learning model to use:
•0-9 cases, in-person learning for all students.
•10-19 cases, in-person learning for elementary students; hybrid learning for secondary students.
•20-29 cases, hybrid learning for all students.
•30-49 cases, hybrid learning for elementary students; distance learning for secondary students.
•50+ cases, distance learning for all students.
Holthaus anticipates a formal decision will be made between now and the state-mandated Aug. 24 deadline.
“Sooner the better to help families plan,” he said.
 
Survey indicates desire for in-person learning
An early July online survey conducted by H-BC administrators  indicated 73 percent of the 194 responding H-BC families preferred in-person learning. Another 21 percent supported the hybrid model, with 6 percent of respondents preferring distance learning.
Staff also supported in-person learning with 72 percent of the 58 respondents agreeing. Another 16 preferred the hybrid model, and distance learning is preferred by 12 percent.