Some CCSD schools start remote instruction during school closures

By Miranda Willson

Thursday, March 19, 2020 | 2 a.m.

Days after Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered all schools in Nevada to close, some Las Vegas schools are finding ways to educate students remotely absent a specific directive from the state.

Many secondary schools are already equipped to use Google Classroom, but because not all students have access to Wi-Fi or computers at home, the district is telling administrators that any assigned work must be optional, according to an email sent to principals Sunday.

“The direction we’ve received is that teachers cannot make any work mandatory because of the equity issue,” said Tam Larnerd, principal of Spring Valley High School.

Many high school principals planned ahead last week in anticipation of a potential closure, Larnerd said. A group of high school principals has created a shared document with online resources and instructions for administrators and teachers to help each other out, Sierra Vista High Principal John Anzalone said.

Spring Valley has the capacity to lend students Chromebooks to complete online assignments, but not all schools have those resources, Larnerd said.

“Back when we had Title I funding, we used quite a bit of that to purchase Chromebook carts,” Larnerd said.

The district is working with the Nevada Department of Education to find ways to provide students with “some level of instruction” while schools are closed, Superintendent Jesus Jara said. Students of all grade levels can pick up lesson plans and activities at the district’s designated free breakfast and lunch stations, but none of that work is required.

“We will be communicating plans for that instruction in the coming days as we solidify plans,” Jara said in an email to families Monday.

Schools in Nevada are set to reopen after spring break April 13, but that could change depending on the status of the pandemic and the number of cases in the state. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week that he expects most schools there to stay closed for the rest of the school year.

For the time being, many teachers and administrators in Clark County have questions about how to proceed with instruction. Some say they feel well-prepared to educate students as best as possible during this time, while others are worried about how students without computer access will be able to participate.

Kyle Mangels, a theater teacher at Valley High, noted that his school regularly uses Google Classroom, but many students do not own computers or Chromebooks. Through Title I funding, the school has enough Chrome books for students to borrow if necessary, but Mangels suspects that could be a liability. Valley is currently developing a plan for remote learning, Mangels added.

“My concern is the district is going to be eating a lot of money and resources from that because those Chromebooks might not come back in decent quality,” he said.

Although middle and high schools might be able to offer online learning, this is less feasible for young children in elementary school, said Courtney Simon, a kindergarten teacher at Helen Jydstrup Elementary School. Most of her lesson plans are done orally and with the entire class, although she plans to upload small lessons on an online program used by the school, she said.

“It’s hard to create interactive learning opportunities for the lower grades and (special education) students,” Simon said.

Jill Fitch, who teaches fourth grade at Sandy Miller Elementary School, said she has already contacted her students and given them assignments for this week through Google Classroom.

“I am asking students and parents to schedule at least four to five hours of work per day,” Fitch said.

In addition to students’ age, remote learning does not lend itself well to some subject matters. Lynn Barbarite, a sixth-grade science teacher at Lawrence Junior High School, said she is “not prepared” to conduct online learning, as most of her lessons involve hands-on activities without a textbook. Her school uses Google Classroom, but she has only received one 15-minute lesson on how to use the service so far, she said.

“I do not know how to translate what I do in the classroom to an online platform,” she said.

Some high schools are prioritizing learning for seniors, especially those at risk of failing to graduate. Desert Pines High School Principal Isaac Stein and Anzalone said they are asking teachers working on credit retrieval programs for seniors to try to continue that work.

Right now, the biggest obstacle for those students is the fact that they would normally be required to take in-person tests to complete credit retrieval programs that would allow them to graduate, Anzalone said.

“We obviously have all of the other options, like summer school, but I don’t know if that’s going to be an option right now,” he said.