North Judson-San Pierre’s school year is off to a good start, according to Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin. “We started school. We’re almost a week into it, and the staff and the students have been wonderful,” Zupin told the school board Tuesday. “They’ve been great. The students have been very cooperative with the masks. The teachers have been flexible and accommodating.”
Zupin told the school board Tuesday that about 25 percent of N.J.-S.P. students have chosen the virtual learning option. One thing that still needs to be finalized is an attendance policy for virtual learning. With eLearning, Zupin said students simply had to complete their assignments to be counted, but virtual learning is very different, with videos and live group meetings, among other delivery methods.
“Part of attendance should probably be, not just, ‘Did you turn in the assignment?’ [but] ‘Did you participate and engage during that time period?’ We just need to make sure that we have a policy that fits our needs and the expectations,” Zupin says.
Zupin added that students using virtual learning have until the end of the week to decide whether to switch to in-person instruction or stick with the virtual option until the end of the first nine weeks for K-through-eight students or the end of the semester for high school students. But she said students can switch from in-person classes to virtual learning at any time. Additionally, in-person students who may have to quarantine won’t automatically switch to a virtual class, unless request that change.
“So if a student needs to quarantine because they’re either COVID-positive or they are a close contact and they are in Mr. Gappa’s class, they will remain in Mr. Gappa’s class and receive work like they would have when they were sick in the previous years,” Zupin explained.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the school board approved updated versions of the school corporation’s reopening and continuous learning plans. Zupin explained that the plans had already technically been adopted, since the board gave her the authority to take emergency action related to COVID-19 back in March.
