Wayland Union School Board Revises Learning Plan to include Additional In-Person Instructional Time
Wayland, MI - The WUS School Board approved a revised model of instruction at the workshop held Monday, January 25 which increases the amount of time students spend in the buildings.
Since the beginning of the school year, the Wayland Union School district has been following a hybrid schedule where students attend two days a week in person and three days a week at home with remote instruction. Some families have opted for 100% virtual instruction in the Virtual Academy of Allegan County (VAAC).
As a review, the Michigan Department of Education requires local school boards to adopt a monthly Extended COVID-19 Learning (ECOL) plan to ensure school districts are providing the appropriate instructional model based on the local COVID-19 data with alignment to their local health department recommendations. The school board approved the plans for the remainder of the school year with the option to edit the plan each month.
The revised Wayland Union Schools instructional plan will begin the week of February 15th. All students, grades Young Fives - 12th, will return to full-time in-person instruction as follows:
- Monday, February 15 - Thursday, February 18 all students will attend school in-person.
- Friday, February 19 and Monday, February 22, there is no school for students as previously scheduled due to mid-winter break.
- Tuesday, February 23 - Friday, February 26, all Young Fives-12th grade students will attend full-time in person instruction.
- Monday, March 1 - Friday, March 5, all Young Fives-12th grade students will attend school in-person.
- Monday, March 8 begins the third trimester. All students will continue to attend school full-time five days per week following the Wayland Union Schools calendar.
Students in the VAAC program still have the option to remain virtual for the remainder of the school year. Students wishing to enroll into the VAAC program may do so by January 29, 2021. Additional details are forthcoming.
The Allegan County Health Department is revising their school district guidance documents. Risk categories will no longer be assigned to schools. Community and local school district COVID-19 data will be shared with school districts on a bi-weekly basis. With this data, schools will continue to monitor the situation within their own local setting. Any time the Allegan County Health Department determines cases are epi-linked to schools, meaning there is ongoing spread within the school building, a transition to remote instruction will be necessary for the classroom, building, and/or district. The process to review our Wayland Union Schools instructional model will continue to be reviewed on a monthly basis through the ECOL reconfirmation process.
“Safety of our students and staff remains our top priority. Collaboration with Allegan County Health Department is an essential function to monitor our COVID-19 data and our mitigation measures,” said Dr. Christina Hinds, Superintendent. “It is with the support of our local health department that we have revised our instructional model increasing in-person instruction for all students.”
Wayland Union Schools Families and Staff will be given additional details of the revised plan, including safety protocols later this week. The revised plan will also be placed on the district’s website under COVID-19/Instructional Plans.
