CCSD2 continues to work for students

Following the recommendation from Governor Mark Gordon and State Superintendent Jillian Balow on March 15 that all schools in Wyoming close their doors until April 3, Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2) has been working to keep parents updated on what can be done to try and continue education outside the classroom.

At the March 16 meeting of the CCSD2 Board of Trustees, Superintendent Jim Copeland explained that, at the time, the district couldn’t offer online education as they were unable to show the equity of it. Essentially, unless they could prove that every child in the district had access to the resources available, there could be possible legal issues.

Since then, Copeland has been keeping parents and staff updated by using the district’s enotes system as well as updating the district’s website, crb2.org. In the days since the recommendation on March 15, Balow has approved the school closures which means, should school resume following April 3, those days would not have to be made-up and extra days would not be added to the school year.

Other updates that have occured since March 15 have been the March 20 order from Gordon and State Health Officer Alexia Harrist, which closed down all schools along with restaurants and bars. Additionally, according to an update from Copeland, Wyoming was granted waivers from annual testing and accountability requirements, meaning that WY-TOPP testing will not take place this year.

Currently, the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has not given any of the districts in the state any update on whether the closures will extend past April 3. The WDE has, however, asked all districts to have a plan in place in case that date is extended.

“We are directed to have a plan in place by that date for an educational framework that provides for online learning and other options as best we can provide. She is leading a Governor’s Task Force that will help guide Pre-Kindergarten through higher-education during this time,” Copeland wrote in his most recent update. “Current Task Force members include representatives from WDE, UW, Community Colleges, Governor’s Office, and Department of Family Services (DFS). ACT testing dates for March have all been postponed. They are attempting to schedule April and summer options. We have another ZOOM Meeting scheduled for tomorrow to discuss and share online adaptive learning designs for Wyoming School Districts.”

Copeland added that, due to relaxed guidelines around equity and education, CCSD2 Curriculum Director Noel Manning has been working on designing an online education system for parents and students with the intention of it being rolled out the week of March 30.

“Rest assured that we are working to provide as much as we can–as soon as possible - that continues the educational program for our students. For those who do not have internet, we are working on options for those households as well,” Copeland wrote.

In the meantime, the district has listed a number of resources parents have the option to use. The superintendent has stressed the term “optional” as none of these online resources are required for continuing education through the shutdown of the school. Those resources can be found on the district website.

As is the case throughout the state, and the country, with COVID-19, even education continues to be affected and changes on a near hourly basis.