Scenario 3: Distance Learning











In Scenario 3, all students will learn virtually through Distance Learning

  • An improved distance learning environment is established and implemented, taking lessons learned and best practices from our “state of emergency” delivery in 2019-20.

  • Certified teachers deliver curriculum.

  • Mental health and social-emotional supports are put in place for all students

Internet Access

Equity

 

  • Give teachers ideas for working with students/ families who do not have access to the internet, such as the options below: 
  • Create a schedule of dedicated times for students and families needing to use the internet at school - Things to consider:
    • Who will handle the requests?
    • How will they flow?
    • Cost
    • Ability to access without Internet (e.g. families need to reserve a spot via phone)
    • Ease of access without school accounts
  • Schedule regular time (such as during a staff meeting) for your building to discuss accommodations for those without internet that would be appropriate for your school context. (What are other teachers in your building doing? What is working?)
  • Follow accessibility and accommodations for all students with IEPs and 504s

Costs for Families

 

Internet Access
 

  • Monitor every WiFi access point and wired network devices
  • Take advantage of existing internet connections rather than trying to form new ones. (External access points on buildings, access on buses, etc.). Ensure access points are functional.
  • When students lack access and the teacher has no ability to provide face-to-face instruction, prioritize innovative approaches to two-way communication.
    Resource:     One-page list of internet deals for families

Data Privacy

Reviewing Privacy Policies of Online Platforms
 

  • Review district policies and/or approved- product lists make updates and provide justifications, as necessary. (i.e. Ensure staff change passwords on a regular basis. Provide training on best practices in selecting passwords.) 
  • Standardize as much as possible. 
  • In light of the recent uptick in phishing attempts, review precautions staff should take to secure district information including general guidance for staff.
  • Explore best practices with staff, students and families that pertain to your district (example: follow your district’s procedure for vetting online resources before using them).
  • Periodically review End User License Agreements (EULA) and any associated privacy policies from each vendor.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Considerations

  • Ensure all staff know their obligations under HIPAA. Remember that COVID-19 infection and testing information is protected by HIPAA, ADA, and other applicable state/federal laws, so exercise caution when responding to presumptive and/or positive cases.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Considerations

  • Ensure all staff know their obligations under FERPA including reviewing protocols addressing personally identifiable information with staff. 
  • Encrypt emails, educate staff on when to send an email, when to password protect a file, when to share a collaborative document, and when to snail mail if no encryption method exists.  

Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA) and Children's Internal Protection Act (CIPA) Considerations

  • Ensure all staff know their obligations under COPPA and CIPA.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance

  • Ensure staff understand the tenets of ADA compliance.
  • Make sure staff understand that publicly posted documents and videos are ADA compliant.. Designate a district contact person for ADA compliance that staff members can contact if they have questions. 

Audio/Video Recording
 

  • Refrain from recording classes/meetings with students and families unless absolutely necessary. Consult your legal representative for more information. 
  • Avoid taking screenshots with students during video conferencing. Student names and images should not appear on public platforms.  Consult your legal representative for more information.

Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)
 

  • Review your district’s AUP and ensure its contents adequately address online instruction. Make sure there is a link in your AUP that gives the school consent to sign on the parent’s behalf (such as applications that require users to be at least 13 years old unless a parent gives permission. Ex: “I trust the school district to make decisions about what applications my child can and cannot access.”)
  • If your district is one-to-one or is distributing devices to homes, draft a plan for how you will handle broken equipment and personal devices. 
  • Compare the AUP to your district’s instructional policy and make sure they are aligned. 
  • Decide who will be responsible for disinfecting the devices. Communicate this decision with families.

Video Conferencing Privacy Options
 

  • Assist families and staff with preparing their video conferencing environments by adopting conferencing norms:
    • Designate a safe, quiet space to work.
    • Exercise sensitivity when requiring students to turn on their video cameras.  
    • Provide basic troubleshooting information (such as what to do if a video is choppy.)
    • Use blurred backgrounds, if desired
  • Make mandatory reporter information and training available for staff. 

Data Services

COVID-19 Testing
 

  • In collaboration with your district operations/facilities leaders, collect data on negative and positive covid tests for staff and students/families. Assist with contact tracing as requested by your local health department.

Adjusting Student Instructional Services (SIS) Platforms in Light of New Scheduling, School Calendars, Grading, and/or Attendance Procedures
 

  • Consult instructional staff and explore SIS platforms regarding grading, attendance, and scheduling.  Adjust teacher access to information within the SIS, as necessary, to ensure staff have all the information required to meet student needs. 
  • Work with instructional staff to organize and centralize online resources that were compiled during the closure.

Student Assessments Interim/Benchmark
 

  • Virtual administration for all assessments (including computer and 1:1 administered)
  • Student access
    • FASTBridge (Illuminate student portal)
    • Weblink for all other tools 

Review Existing Data
 

  • Review any existing Spring 2020 data.

Monitoring Progress and Effectiveness
 

  • Plan for collecting the following data:
    • Attendance/Engagement
    • Academics (Which standards were taught in each course and how close are students to mastery?)
    • Behavior/Mental Health/Social-Emotional Wellbeing/Mental Health Referrals for students and staff
    • Compliance and effectiveness of accommodations
  • Review technology support tickets and inventory frequently as a way of understanding the quality and progress of technology processes in your district.

Collecting Reliable Information
 

  • How you gather data is important. There are multiple ways to collect data such as surveys, focus groups/interviews, observations, and tests. Before collecting data, consider whether or not the data you need already exists and, if not, which data collection method will best answer your question. Work with your district’s data coach to implement best practices in data collection. 
  • Best Practices in Survey Design Resource

Storing and Sharing Data
 

  • Review existing policies around data storage and sharing and make updates as necessary. Include in these policies, a plan for how data will be communicated to diverse stakeholders.

Technology Support

Inventorying Technology and Planning for Collection or Distribution as Necessary
 

Procurement of Equipment as Necessary
 

  • Ensure all staff have the appropriate devices necessary to do their work.
  • Consider the ways IEPs/504s and IFSPs influence service options and procure new equipment as necessary. Review current IEPs/504s and make sure correct devices are assigned to the students and function wherever instruction takes place.

Technology Support
 

  • Set standards for what products/platforms to use, and communicate these standards with staff. Ensure your standards are flexible enough to address multiple scenarios. Incorporate teacher voice when exploring or introducing new platforms necessary to fill an identified need.
  • Provide families with support/initial training regarding how to use devices and platforms. Communicate this in major home languages, if possible.
  • Publish clear troubleshooting guidelines. Who will serve as your district’s technology contact?
  • Provide district contact information that staff can contact with questions or concerns. 

Staffing
 

  • Conduct a capacity assessment to determine whether or not your IT department is adequately staffed to handle these new digital models of instruction.
  • Review the spring challenges and successes to determine future support needs for staff.

Supporting Families
 

  • Tell students and families who they should contact with technology issues or questions. (This could be the classroom teacher, a school secretary, or a different person depending on district capacity.)
  • This contact can troubleshoot and escalate issues, as appropriate.

Child Care Accommodations for Working Parents

Safety Assurances
 

  • Helping Children with Big Feelings During COVID 19
    Guidelines for reopening childcare- Early childhood and child care programs are governed by both MDE and Michigan Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). Parents must have a back up plan if a school-based center switches between phases. In addition, both documents are similar, but not completely in alignment. Guidance  differs on topics such group size, health screenings, and the use of a face covering. Our recommendation is that the most stringent guideline must be followed

Recommendation when setting plans for returning to school for staff and children- use a reference point and parent tool.

Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation
See page 4 of this document where it discusses families responsibilities around the health of their child in attendance at school or childcare.

Transportation
 

Cost of Childcare

Recommendation for districts to provide the following links to parents to give resources for childcare cost assistance. 

Rural Scholarship/Urban Scholarship/Suburban Scholarship

Recommendation to provide student parents information for grants available for child care. 

Accessibility and Availability

Rural

Childcare Collective Toolkit
Assistance in the form of providing Background checks.Recommends structures for creating safe community groups.It addresses the need for childcare because of lack of facilities or when schools and centers are shut down and families need to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and still need their children safely cared for.Makes contract tracing easier.

Contact community education director - district specific Rural - CE contacts

Urban

Childcare Collective Toolkit
Assistance in the form of providing Background checks.Recommends structures for creating safe community groups.It addresses the need for childcare because of lack of facilities or when schools and centers are shut down and families need to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and still need their children safely cared for. Makes contract tracing easier.

Contact community education director

Suburban

Childcare Collective Toolkit
Assistance in the form of providing Background checks. Recommends structures for creating safe community groups.It addresses the need for childcare because of lack of facilities or when schools and centers are shut down and families need to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and still need their children safely cared for.Makes contract tracing easier.

Contact Community Education Directors

Parent Considerations

Survey of families in Eaton, Clinton and Ingham County
Families express their fears and concerns about returning to school, their accessibility to childcare, internet technology and concerns about clear communication from school districts. This should be used to improve communication and address the diverse needs of families.

Working from home with children

The following resources are recommended to be available to parents who need to work from home while children are also home from school.

Common Language Used for All Articles:

  • Set up a workstation, create boundaries/rules
  • Divvy up childcare (among spouses, neighborhood groups, older children)
  • Create modified schedules/routines, and stick to it (for yourself, and the kids), make the commitment
  • Work in bursts (do some work, do some parenting, do some chores…repeat)
  • May work early in am or late at night to accommodate parenting needs at home, may need to work weekends and take days off during week
  • Keep your mental health in check, take breaks, go for walks, breathe

Resources for Parents to Advocate to work from Home

Refer to CDC guidelines when speaking to employers about making accommodations to one’s work schedule or moving work location to home

Tips for parents to talk with their employers about the possibility of working from home

Community Partnerships

Food Availability/ Distribution

Greater Lansing Food Bank

For information on locating your nearest food pantry, mobile food distribution and/or other emergency food resources, call the GLFB main warehouse line at (517) 908-3680 between the hours of 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m., Monday-Friday.

GLFB Assistance Line

  • For help applying for Bridge Card (SNAP, EBT), call the GLFB Assistance Line at 517.899.9457 between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday.

OR

Ingham County Food Resources

  • Julie Anderson, SNAP Outreach Coordinator
  • 517-908-3686   
  • juliea@glfoodbank.org

United Way 2-1-1 Emergency Resource Lookup

For 24/7 assistance in locating your nearest emergency food resource, dial 2-1-1. This will connect you to a United Way 2-1-1 call center location. The operator will ask you a few basic questions (family size, location, etc.) and will provide you with the nearest food distribution location.

City of Lansing Mobile Food Pantry weekly 

Note: This offering is for City of Lansing residents. All participants must bring a valid state identification card, driver's license or other proof of residency in the City of Lansing. For more information, call 517.908.3680.

Translation/Interpretation 

For Lansing School District Families

  • LSD Bilingual Department
  • Sergio Keck or Trisha Dowell
  • 517.755.1290

Refugee Development Center 

Can support translation and interpretation needs for families, especially as it relates to school success. 

7C Lingo | Making Global Local

  • Fathy Shetiah
  • 517.337.2700

St Vincent Catholic Charities

  • (if student is in country 5 years or less)
  • Judi Harris
  • 517.323.4734

Safe Study Space

*If no access to wifi/computers only

  • Family Growth Center
    Provides FREE drop in care for children 6 weeks to 5 years of age.  (For our younger learners in the Lansing area, TK and K)
  • Educational Child Care Center 
  • Capital Area District Libraries (CADL)
    • CADL has 13 branches in Ingham county and can provide access to a safe study space, wifi, public computers, printing, faxing, copying, and one on one tech help, and digital and print resources. Children 8 and older can be left alone in the library. (Check the website or call to see what level of service the library is offering...it will vary depending on the public health situation.)

Mental Health Supports
 

  • Social Emotional Supports (Michigan.Gov)
  • Survey Infographic compiled by Michigan Association of Infant Mental Health (MI-AIMH) after conducting a survey of early childhood professionals regarding services during this time.  It is recommended to share this with our state representatives and those in charge of making policies to support the flexibility and funding needed to address the issues and concerns of families at this time and the anticipated mental health crisis after COVID-19. 

Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, Ingham Counties

Support, Resources and Training for Families in Learning at Home

Refugee Development Center

Works as a liaison between families and schools to provide resources, tutoring, mentoring and one-on-one support.

Family Learning Connection Roadmap to Success

Great resource to walk parents how to support at home and get the conversation going as to what to look for at home, and how to talk with teachers. Needs to be updated with current curriculum supports; ThinkCentral, Google Classroom, etc.

Parenting Resources (Ingham Great Start Collaborative

Parent Guides for Google Classroom, Seesaw, & Google Meets in multiple languages

Capital Area District Libraries (CADL)

CADL has digital and print resources to support families and students. CADL also has a variety of “things” that can be checked out including wifi hotspots, Raising Reader Backpacks, Early Literacy Launchpads and much much more.We also provide technology support through one on one tutoring sessions and programming. We offer expert Readers Advisory services for all ages. In our facilities we provide access to wifi and public computers, faxing, printing, copying, and scanning. 

Contact your local branch for more information or contact:

  • Jolee Hamlin
  • Associate Director of Public Service 
  • 517.367.0810
ReadyRosie

Share information on how families with children birth to grade 3 can self-register for ReadyRosie, an educational resource that uses the power of mobile technology and video modeling to support children in learning.

Support and Resources for Teachers

Refugee Development Center

Works as a liaison between families and schools to help facilitate communication and support academic and other needs.

Michigan Translator Resources 
MSU Liaison for Translators & Interpreters

Mary Hennessey

Websites for Parent Engagement

(some in multiple languages)

Newcomer Parent Resource Series: Available in 16 Languages

Google Classroom Guides
 
COVID 19 information in multiple languages

SEESAW Parent Tutorials
 
Tools for Educators to Listen to and Learn from Families During COVID-19 School Closures
 
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) resources for King County, WA - King County
Available in Multiple Languages
 
Capital Area District Libraries

CADL has digital and print resources to support families and students and teachers. We offer a variety of services to teachers including, but not limited to: Class library cards, digital literacy classes, storytimes, book boxes tailored to teacher needs. If schools/teachers communicate their needs we can work with them on how we can work with them on how we can meet those needs. CADL also has a variety of “things” that can be checked out including wifi hotspots, Raising Reader Backpacks, Early Literacy Launchpads and much much more.We also provide technology support through one on one tutoring sessions and programming. We offer expert Readers Advisory services for all ages. In our facilities we provide access to wifi and public computers, faxing, printing, copying, and scanning. 

Contact your local branch for more information OR

  • Jolee Hamlin
  • Associate Director of Public Service
  • 517.367.0810

Public Awareness

Who Are We and Who Do We Serve

Consider following  page 11 from the MI Safe Schools Roadmap instead of the at risk group we serve it could represent who sat on the planning team for the reopening work so families could see representation that was included- district could also consider something similar to page 4 and 5 of the MI Safe School Roadmap

Sample Survey could be used - Demographic Survey - Make a Copy

Educator Training/Professional Development

Planning Professional Development for Personnel

Curriculum

Plan to provide teacher and staff professional development related to use of technology platforms, training for supporting and giving feedback to students training on the accessibility needs of students with disabilities and training on effective student engagement (by grade level). Consider training for substitute teachers when possible (long-term subs).

Really focus on ways for teachers to be able to share their knowledge, continuously learn, exchange ideas, successes and failures around remote learning.

Mental Health

Provide professional learning to build educators capacity to support students’ social-emotional learning (SEL) and also their own mental health and wellness. Topics such as: active listening, compassion, relationship building, trauma-informed practices, identification of students at risk, proper local referral protocols and self-care to promote holistic wellness and resilience and to prevent burnout, resiliency strategies and vicarious trauma.

Other

Training for teachers on accessing and using the schools' digital systems and tools and workshops for families to build digital literacy (in regard to communicating with families through multiple modes).

Personnel Mental Health & Self-Care

  • Provide (remote) counseling on-demand for staff 
  • Provide personal protection equipment for staff and enforce safety-related best practices to help reduce stress in the workplace (school). *Only if staff are required to be in buildings.
  • Provide virtual synchronous meetings with staff on a regular basis to: check-in on those who may be struggling at home, provide “face-time” with teaching partners, collaborate with one another and create a safe space to express concerns and or challenges. 
  • Staff members who are supporting virtual instruction should be protected by guidelines related to communication from staff to students/families to ensure staff members’ responsibilities in their own home are not jeopardized.
  • Provide opportunities for staff to engage in virtual/in-person optional “training” related to stress management, mental health, self-care, etc.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Community and Relationships

  • Establishing Classroom Community (have these broken out by age bands)
  • 20-day plan of lessons/activities for teachers to develop community
  • Develop relationships with students prior to coming to the classroom (plan to connect with students and families before school starts)

Instruction of SEL Skills

PD for SEL updates based on the pandemic, Book Studies

Inventory of Materials for teaching social-emotional learning

Based on the lessons curriculum shared with families (home and school)
(For example: small mirror to look at emotions)

  • Tools for Parents 
    Lists four tools with suggestions for families to develop SEL skills. 
  • Resources for Home Learning 
    This site has a two page document that explains a SEL Skill (eg. personal responsibility, optimistic thinking, etc.) and  provides quick activities that parents can engage their children in Birth to 12. 

Mental Health

Language to Support Students Returning to School and Responding to Struggling Students 

(Visuals for giving information to younger student)

Helping Teachers Recognize Signs/Symptoms of Stress/Anxiety/Trauma

Mental Health Resources for Families and Referral Process

Strategies for Self Care

How to help students with exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, sleep, stress relievers, problem solving skills, (both staff and students) preventative measures and then support students as they display then to Community Mental Health

Community Awareness

  • Social Distancing Guidelines & Risk Factors for Extracurricular Activities
  • Informational Resources
  • Shape America.org

    Instructional Resources for Health and PE in a remote environment (K-12)

Alternative or Reimagined Remote Options for Sports and Clubs

Engagement Strategies for Coaches & Mentors

  • BLND Health
    Integrative Mental Health Service Provider that focus on an active approach to mental health (K-12)
  • Be Nice
    A 4 step action plan program that focuses on an inclusive school environment (3-12)
  • Coronavirus Tips & Resources For Mentoring
    Resources of online mentoring including tips and checklists for mentors and an online mentoring portal that is monitored. (K-12)

Livestream or Host Online Events 

(Open House, Sports, Concerts, etc.)

Behavior Management and Regulation 

Cultural Awareness

Family Support 

Special Education Service Delivery & Referrals/Evaluations