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Hart District Votes To Begin Fall Semester Online, Work Towards ‘Blended’ System

During their regularly scheduled meeting, William S. Hart Union High School District board members voted to resume classes in the fall with online learning for at least the first five weeks of the semester.

After adding an emergency item to Wednesday’s meeting, the William S. Hart Board voted to begin the fall semester with online learning, while working on a transition to blended learning.

It was staff recommendation that the first five weeks of the semester are offered at a distance, according to Superintendent Kuhlman.

“This is an enormous undertaking, we are reinventing school for the ground up,” Kuhlman said. “This time would allow us to improve an online infrastructure and prepare a successful launch of the blended model.”

See Related: Former Hart District Teacher Of The Year Speaks In Favor Of Distance Learning

On Monday, officials with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) released their protocols for reopening K-12 schools within the county during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I know there’s a lot of unanswered questions (and) lack of clarity for all of us about where we need to go,” Kuhlman said Monday. “This document gives us a roadmap for how to build our plan to where we can actually communicate that we feel it’s safer to return to school.”

Under the proposed blended model, students would be divided into two groups, or “cohorts.” One cohort would physically attend school on Monday’s and Tuesday’s, while the other would physically attend school on Thursdays and Fridays.

Additionally, the two cohorts would alternate attendance on Wednesdays, which would function as a “minimum day.” On holidays that fall on Mondays, the first cohort would attend on Wednesdays.

Every day of physical attendance would be a block schedule of three classes, and every weekday that was not spent physically in a classroom would be used for distance learning.

Board members made it clear the priority of Wednesday night’s decision was for the safety of students, staff and the community at large, but still working towards the goal of returning to classroom settings.

Dr. Cherise Moore argued that for there to be an improvement in the distance learning, training for new systems needed to have begun already.

“I need to know training starts tomorrow,” Dr. Moore said. “To improve an online learning environment, to consider the first five weeks of the year… training needed to start yesterday.”

Board member Joe Messina agreed the safety of the students is paramount, but argued that online learning is damaging to students.

“The damage is done by keeping them at home. It’s going to go on for years,” Messina said. “Why do we have to start August 11? We can push back and use that week for training.”

It was voted unanimously by the board that Hart District schools classes resume August 11, for five weeks through the first progress report period until September 11, and will work toward moving into a blended model- with training for teachers to begin as early as July 16 an end goal of full classroom settings.


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Hart District Votes To Begin Fall Semester Online, Work Towards ‘Blended’ System

19 comments

  1. Public schools are the worst. So many other options available. Public school isn’t essential.

    • You are so wrong, public education is essential to any free society. You do realize there are places in this world where education is only for the wealthy, or only for boys, right? Public education, while not perfect, is a great equalizer and is one of the finest cornerstones of our nation. It has now been temporarily rendered unsafe due to a lack of a cohesive national response by a corrupt, immoral and inept President. This failure to lead, not the pandemic, is what has put our country, our economy, and our education system on a course to disaster. Demanding children, educators and administrators return to school while this virus surges, without ANY plan on how to do so safely is an act of political COWARDICE and MALFEASANCE.

      • Star P … You clearly suffers from a severe case of TDS (Trump derangement syndrome). Find yourself a safe space or do whatever it takes but GET HELP!

        These poor and unwarranted decisions to stay fully or partially closed are being made on a state and county democratic controlled level for purely political reasons.

        Step away from the bias ‘narrative‘ of the MSM and educate yourself.
        Also, just because you read it on the internet – doesn’t make it true.

        Liberalism…find a cure.

        • And Corona virus doesn’t exist right? The vaccine for the disease that dose not exist will have a tracking device in it bla bla bla. Get ready for the BLUE WAVE, and when the virus still exists after Adolf Trumpler is gone, then you can retreat and shut up

        • Wow, you have breathtaking arrogance for such an ignorant person. I’d ready yourself , come November you’re going to have to adjust yourself .?

      • Excellent rebuttal! Ignore the deliberately uninformed / misinformed comments. That was very well stated , THANK YOU!

  2. It’s clear public schools are non essential. Explore your options!

  3. District caves to the the leftist influence of “ Dr.”Ferrer’s opinion and not reputable pediatricians on children mental health! Shame!!

  4. You are all idiots. Just listen to yourselves. Kids can get this virus and can transmit it to other. I see you don’t care about any of the teachers or their families. Just pathetic.

    Just keep thinking only of yourselves. This virus isn’t a political issue unless YOU make it one.

    • Looks like teachers will be seeing a few layoffs in the future. Well done concerned teachers. ??????

    • There is no cases of kids 0-17 transmission to anyone. Look at Los Angeles Public Heath. So I guess parents should be more scared that a teacher would give it a student. My understanding is 59% of parents and 52% of teachers said they wanted to come back. So I guess the minority wins again. Why do they even ask what you would like. It’s ridiculous! LISTEN a to the experts who say get kids back in school. This board doesn’t give a lick about the kids.

    • Make these teachers earn their pay. Open up the schools and if the teachers don’t want to teach, find some who will

      • What an idiotic thing to say. Teachers are college educated professionals that deserve respect not derision. You obviously had your lunch stolen from you as a child and never got over it,

  5. We know the best environment in typical situations is for the kids to flourish together. But this is not a typical situation.
    Yahoo News/Gov Poll came out today that Americans 3 to 1 reject Trump’s push to reopen campuses, with the results not split down party lines.

  6. Today a Yahoo/Gov poll shows Americans 3 to 1 resist Trump’s push to reopen campuses.Results were not split down party lines.

  7. So the district try’s to give everyone what they wanted. Online for those who want to stay home, blended for those wanting half in person/ half online, and working towards a full return later in the year. It covers everyone…… yet all are still complaining. They can’t win.

  8. What a bunch of cowards, there is no reason to close the schools much less without parents being able to decide if they want to send their kid’s to school or not. Nobody cares about the Fake Chinese Flu Media Hysteria!
    Parents, Trinity & Legacy Academy are not closing their schools. I suggest you sign them up there so they will Actually Learn things instead of just doing busy work.

  9. Get a grip people! This isn’t about politics like another deflection. Its about peoples’ lives. Opening schools when numbers keep growing, because people are inconsiderate going out unprotected, will infect & kill many!
    Consider opening schools as late term abortion. Killing our students, teachers, staff is not worth opening. We all need to work together. Wear your masks! Protect yourself & others you love. Those who don’t, you are indeed prolonging it!

  10. When in-person school begins…..
    As the teachers and students come into school, are they going to have their temps taken to make sure they aren’t ill?
    Will the students be social distancing in the classroom? On campus?
    Will everyone be wearing a mask?
    The students use Chromebooks. Who is going to sanitize the CBs between classes in 5 minutes?

    Or, maybe parents and others don’t think any of this is necessary or important.

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About David Melnarik

David Melnarik was born and raised in Santa Clarita, graduating from Hart Senior High School in 2014. David is currently a Video and News intern at KHTS with plans to complete his Associates Degree of Arts in filmmaking at College of the Canyons in Spring 2019.