Oct. 4, 2020 2:00p
(WGTD)---As coronavirus cases surge and as some students and parents settle into a new routine, Racine Unified will be deciding in the coming days whether to stick with all-virtual learning for the second quarter. Other options include reverting to in-person, or adopting some type of hybrid model.
On WGTD’s Education Matters program recently, four Racine Unified parents indicated that virtual learning has been going better than expected.
Eugene Wooddell has two daughters at Red Apple Elementary--one in 4th grade and the other in 5th grade. Both log on just before 8 a.m., take breaks and lunch and then spend much of the afternoon working on homework assignments. Wooddell works from home while his wife is a KUSD teacher. "This has gone a lot better than I thought it would," Wooddell said. "I hate to say the cliche, but it's the new normal."
Stephan Kalmar has a 5th grade student at Jefferson. He too has a flexible schedule but wants people to remember those parents who aren't quite as fortunate. "I come to this situation from a place of privilege," Kalmar said. "I'm always worried about those individuals--those families--that don't have the resources that I do," he said.
District spokesperson Stacy Tapp said one option under consideration for the 2nd quarter is offering in-person instruction to students who’ve been struggling with the virtual model.
In an email, Tapp said principals, counselors, educational assistants and other staff are continuing to reach out to students who haven’t been logging on for class or otherwise making contact with their teachers. But Tapp says overall the district is pleased with the attendance rate for virtual instruction.
For the full Education Matters program that was hosted by Troy McDonald, click here.
-0-