Raising Prescott: Are there benefits to starting the school year in June?

Maybe students could start early, like the middle of June, and finish the first semester by Halloween? Then, take November, December, January and February off before returning to the classroom in March, ending the second semester sometime next summer. (Courier stock photo)

Maybe students could start early, like the middle of June, and finish the first semester by Halloween? Then, take November, December, January and February off before returning to the classroom in March, ending the second semester sometime next summer. (Courier stock photo)

Many leaders within the quad-city educational community have gone on record to say they’re unsure what next school year will look like.

Yavapai County Superintendent Tim Carter chimed in by saying, “What will the academic year look like next year? We do not know.”

Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Joe Howard confirmed it’s been heavy on his mind lately, “Reentry — it’s the big question for everyone right now.”

Even Chino Valley Unified School District Superintendent John Scholl wasn’t shy to tell it like it is, “The answer is, ‘I don’t know.’”

Some ideas jockeyed around include everything from potentially shortening the school year, or having a mix between classroom and online instruction. Some leaders have gone as far as to entertain replacing water fountains (or bubblers, as my fellow Wisconsinites would say) with water coolers, or installing hand-washing stations in each classroom.

Parents, students, administrators and teachers are all surely losing at least a bit of sleep over thoughts of what to do next, or how to proceed with next school year.

The truth is, no one knows what the future holds, but I’m positive that the educational leadership in this community will come up with the best possible plan to fit every student’s needs.

For fun, however, and to start an open dialogue with parents who have school-aged children, I have a few ideas. My first? Start the 2020-2021 school year immediately.

Most scientists, doctors, and other experts believe that COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and although we are seeing a low rate of positive tests at the moment, we may see a spike in coronavirus cases in the late fall and into winter.

With that, maybe students could start early, like the middle of June, and finish the first semester by Halloween? Then, take November, December, January and February off before returning to the classroom in March, ending the second semester sometime next summer.

I know that sounds crazy, and so far from the normal that we’re used to, but COVID-19 hasn’t exactly embraced our normal, has it?

Also, I wouldn’t say students should take the winter off completely as online coursework could be a requirement. After all, these days it feels like we’ve all become specialists at Zoom meetings, right?

In addition, students with last names “A” through “M” could be allowed on campus Mondays and Tuesdays, and “N” through “Z” could be there Wednesdays and Thursdays, effectively cutting attendance in half on a daily basis.

With less students in the classroom, social distancing could actually happen successfully, making sure desks and work stations are at least 6 feet apart. We don’t want another Mingus Mountain Academy situation, do we?

Hand-washing stations and water cooler ideas are great, by the way, and should be implemented if possible.

As for Fridays, the end of the week could be a virtual day, with teachers on staff to help kids via Zoom meetings or Skype phone calls for any questions they might have, or to have a topic of discussion reexplained for homework purposes.

Lastly, for students with pre-existing medical conditions that place them at a higher risk of the coronavirus, an online-based program could be implemented if the parents choose to keep their child at home.

This is a monumental ask of any district, or teacher, and in my opinion, every teacher should be commended for their efforts to make a virtual classroom work for local families these past 2 months.

And let’s not forget, the district shouldn’t have to suffer financially because of being forced to do online teaching, which means the state of Arizona needs to make sure funding is received per pupil, whether they are actually in a classroom seat or on the couch at home next year.

Please remember, these are simply a few ideas I’ve kicked around with my own family, or colleagues. I do not mean to imply that this is what our school districts should begin implementing, I merely aim to begin a conversation.

With that, however, comes the premise of these thoughts, which are mostly hung on the fact that we as a community need to begin thinking outside the box.

Whatever we decide, all of us must understand that any plans made need to be flexible, and adaptable. We need to prepare, and we need to stay safe while doing so.

Follow Brian M. Bergner Jr. on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and SoundCloud at @TheEditorDesk. Email him at bbergner@prescottaz.com, or call 928-445-3333, ext. 1106.


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