At a March meeting, members of the Baldwin Community Schools Board of Education reassessed in-person learning methods. Students at the school district had the option to return to the classroom March 1, after learning remotely for nearly a year.
BALDWIN — In-person instruction has been running smoothly for students at Baldwin Community Schools, after nearly a year of being away from the physical classroom.
“Our recommendation this month is to continue our course of action,” Superintendent Rick Heitmeyer said during a March board of education meeting.
Currently, about 80% of students are learning in person, while the other 20% remain virtual.
Prior to the start of the month, all students were learning through remote means since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020.
However, Heitmeyer said the in-person program has been successful in teaching students effectively and giving those who did not participate virtually the chance to learn again.
“Now that we’re back, we’re seeing those numbers go back up … we’re trying hard to reach out and get everybody in school,” he said, adding that there are more than 53,000 students across the state who have fallen off the grid due to virtual learning methods.
After nearly a month since students returned to the classroom, the district is now shifting its focus to target any learning gaps caused by the pandemic.
Junior/high school principal Bruce Mangum said one way staff has been addressing these issues by bringing in small groups of students on Wednesdays, which remain asynchronous learning days.
The district is also looking at providing various summer learning camp opportunities to provide more hands on learning opportunities for students who are falling behind.
“February, administrative staff worked at bringing kids back into the building … now we have some adjustments,” he said.
The board of education will meet again April 20, when they will reassess instructional plans.
