Thursday 28th March 2024

Several options were discussed for the possibility of beginning the 2020-21 school year on time during the meeting of the Marshall School Board on Monday, June 29.
Superintendent Dr. Carol Maher says the board heard the ideas from the chairpersons of the committees that make up the COVID-19 Task Force. One of the options is the return to normalcy, if possible.

Dr. Maher said some parents are fearful of sending their kids to school in August, especially if they have some kind of health issue; and there are some parents who don’t want their kids to return to traditional school. So, she said the plans will give them the option of their children learning remotely, with a lot of feedback and interaction with teachers.
Dr. Maher said the district has learned a lot over the past few months.

Dr. Maher said teachers presented some of the problems they faced during distance-learning time- some they had solutions for, and some they didn’t and asked the board for guidance or teamwork between teachers, administrators and board members to figure out.
Dr. Maher said transportation and extra-curricular activities are concerns right now. She said they don’t have them figured out yet but will have.

Dr. Maher says “There’s no doubt things are going to look different, but I think we know much more now than we did in March. And I think we’ll be able to provide some really good services to our students- with the hope that we will be back in school all day long with teachers face to face.”
No decision was made. Dr. Maher says it likely will not be until at least the middle of July when a decision will be made on which route the district will take.