District to hold Q&A with families

Going back to school this year will be different than most any other time, and the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District is preparing accordingly.

Supt. Chad Brakke will hold a question-and-answer session at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in the high school study hall to discuss students’ return to school. For those not comfortable attending in person, a Zoom link is available upon request from the district office.

Brakke knows he may not have all the answers parents are seeking.

“I know people are going to have questions about protocols for sickness and how communication will happen if there is a positive case, or what criteria or thresholds are we using to close school again,” he said. “Unfortunately, we will not have that guidance from the state and county health officials until mid-next week sometime.”

The district’s plan to return to school is similar to its Q&A format. Students are slated to attend in-person five days per week with an online option.

The School Board last month approved the framework for the return to school amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Brakke said families were sent the framework along with one link for parents who were “100% sure” they wanted their children to attend online and another link for more information about the online option.

The district’s final return to school committee meeting is slated to be held Monday, Aug. 10, when principals are expected to reveal more detailed plans, including before and after-school procedures, lunch periods and hallway traffic.

Families are expected to receive more information next week about the return to school. The district set a deadline of Friday, Aug. 14, for families to choose the online option.

District families will also be asked if children will be eating hot lunch or riding the bus.

“Our assumption is those numbers will be different than most years,” Brakke said.

The district also has plans in case schools are forced to limit class sizes or go entirely online, as it did in March through June due to Gov. Tony Evers’ Safer at Home order.

A district survey of families showed support for returning to in-person school. More than 70% preferred in-person school and another 14% preferred a combination of in-person and online classes.

More than 5.5% preferred online learning only.

Brakke said he is using guidance from the Sheboygan County Health Department in planning since all the district schools are in Cedar Grove.