Luverne announces school plan

Increasing coronavirus cases in Rock County are driving decisions for the fall learning setup in Luverne Schools for elementary and middle-high school students.
Ninety-one percent of roughly 1,200 Luverne students indicated in a recent survey that they want to return to classes for in-person or hybrid learning, and school officials are considering these sentiments.
Luverne Elementary will begin the 2020-21 school year Sept. 8 with in-person classes. The kindergarten through fifth-grade students will meet daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Only half of Luverne Middle-High School students will attend in-person classes each day in an attempt to put a safe distance between them.
Superintendent Craig Oftedahl informed parents Friday about the district’s decision in a letter.
“The Incident Command Team assisted the district in the decision on which model to use to start the year,” Oftedahl wrote.
“Our current number through the Minnesota Department of Education is 21 cases per 10,000 people, which was indicative of data from July 26-Aug. 8.”
The team was able to access more current data from the last week, which had the number of cases down to 13.
“Rock County is seeing numbers trending in the direction we want for all students to be in-person learning (nine cases or lower), but we are not there yet,” Oftedahl indicated.
Emphasis is still placed on encouraging families to follow health guidelines to lower the number of cases in the county.
Social distancing, mask wearing, hand washing and avoiding large gatherings are among the practices that will impact how learning is conducted.
“The guidance that is shared is to keep our students, staff, parents and community safe,” Oftedahl wrote. “Our teachers and staff are the front-line workers and they are essential.”
 
“White” and “Red” groups determine in-person schedule for 6-12 students
Luverne Schools will conduct in-person elementary and hybrid middle-high school learning through Sept. 18.
Under the hybrid model, middle-high school students are divided by last name and assigned to “Red” or “White” groups to determine which days they attend school in person.
On days they’re not at school, they participate via distance learning from home.
The “Red” group consists of students with last names beginning with A through K, and “White” consists of last names beginning with L through Z.
As school opens Sept. 8, the red group will meet in person on Mondays and Wednesdays. Students assigned to the white group meet Tuesday and Thursdays. The two groups will alternate attending in-person classes on Fridays.
Under this hybrid model, students attend in-person classes from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Students at home will be able to connect with teachers from 1:30 to 3:45 p.m. each day.
 
Construction adds twist
Compounding the Luverne Middle-High School first weeks of school is the on-going building construction and renovation.
“The building will not be complete when school starts, and we ask for patience and flexibility as we work to secure more space for students,” Oftedahl wrote.
“With more space available, that allows the District to address spacing issues and also examine the learning models for possible changes.”
 
Virtual academy, homeschool choices and bus considerations
About 90 students in grades K through 12 enrolled in the virtual academy, Educere, an option that requires students to complete online course work for the semester or for the year.
As of Friday, 11 students will be homeschooled.
About 325 students will need transportation to and/or from school, and buses are allowed to operate at only half capacity.
The district will address those concerns next week.