An area school district’s students will be distance learning for a period of time beginning this week.
According to Concordia R-2 Superintendent Brent Cooper, the district added two more positive student cases at the elementary school and one staff member and another positive student case at the high school on Thursday, October 1. As of October 1, the district had a total of 10 positive student cases and one positive staff member.
Cooper says although the district has several staff and students scheduled to return from quarantine this upcoming week, the additional number of students and staff who will need to quarantine will not reduce the number of substitutes needed- enough for the district to effectively cover the absent staff. Therefore, the Concordia R-2 School District will be closed to students from October 5- 16, and all sports and extra-curricular activities and practices will be cancelled through October 16.
Cooper says, “During this time, our students will be learning from home through our distance-learning program- “Google Classroom”- while our staff teaches from school.”
Cooper says the district also will be sending out two separate surveys, including one about needed materials- including device and internet needs. The district is preparing devices and instructions on how to use the mobile hot spots for those who have needs.
After gathering the information from the surveys, the district will make all items that each student needs available for pick up at each building from 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Monday, October 5. Those who can’t pick up items during that time frame need to call the appropriate building office- Concordia Elementary School at (660) 463-2262 or Concordia High School at (660) 463-2246) to schedule an alternate pick up time.
In addition, Cooper says that students will start distance learning with their teachers at their regularly-scheduled class times on Tuesday, October 6, and students should anticipate being on their device for the entire school day as if they were in the classroom in person.
Cooper acknowledges that although the district’s preferred method of instruction is in the classroom face to face, it feels that this two-week transition will give district personnel an opportunity to keep cleaning the buildings, recruit more substitutes and provide students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with learning through a distance platform in the event the district should have to close again as it did last spring. He adds, “As always, administrators will continue to keep the utmost regard for the health of students, staff and community while making all decisions.”