FAQ from BOE Meeting 8-19-20

Q: Are kids in the classroom going to appear on Zoom in kids' homes?

A: No, kids in the classroom will not appear to kids learning remotely via Zoom. When the teacher is providing a lesson, the camera will be on the teacher and his/her materials only. The only exception to this is when and if the teacher wants to do small group work with students. There may be times when a small group of students, or perhaps even just one student in the classroom works with a student or students who are learning remotely. Since that is something that might happen here and there and not necessarily as a scheduled practice every day, it is best to troubleshoot parent issues with that on a case by case basis.  

Q: If so, will parents have to sign a consent form to have their kids appear on Zoom in people's homes or daycare?

A: Like every year, parents can simply tell the teacher they do not want their child's image shared with other families. 

Q: If not, how will group projects work?

A: Certainly, if a parent does not want their in-school child ever working with another student who may be learning remotely, that is a conversation to have with the teacher. I'm sure in those cases, the teacher will have to make sure that those children only work with students who are also in-class. For students learning remotely and who's parent does not want their image shared with other students, I don't see how they will be able to participate in group work. Though unfortunate for the student, that is part of the choice that parents who choose remote-only learning will have to make if they also have an issue with their child interacting through a digital platform. 

Q: Will parents be asked to sign an agreement not to record what's happening in the class?

A: A parent agreement regarding recordings may be required in the future but there are also Board policies in place currently.

Q: If the only thing that remote learners see is the teacher, how is that different than a video?

A: Synchronous learning is vastly different from videos in two obvious ways. Firstly, it allows for some real-time interaction for remote learners with their teacher. Second, making videos and slides, as was done in the spring, is very time consuming for teachers. As we mentioned, with every aspect of school changing significantly, we must be mindful not to change the work responsibilities of our teachers and staff too drastically. Our teachers are incredibly cooperative but we can't ask them to teach students in school as well as make videos and materials for students learning remotely.

Q: How will we manage parents watching every zoom and scrutinizing the way teachers do their work and speak to students?

A: I'm going to be frank in saying this is likely unavoidable and that's very unfortunate. Remote learning is now, and for the foreseeable future, a part of education and for most students learning remotely, adult supervision is going to be required. I'll reiterate what I said earlier which relates to the absolute need for parents in this community to work together with teachers and school leaders. Parents will need to understand that the remote learning option is not "homeschooling" simply with the curriculum being provided by the District. Parents can and should assist, but the teacher must remain the instructional authority and the Board will support teachers and administrators in this way. 

Q: How is a teacher going to manage a class without saying students' names, if this privacy issue is not resolved?

A:  We are unaware of any widespread privacy issue or concern that needs to be dealt with at the district level. Do parents of remote learners not want other children to know their remote-learning child is in their class? It sounds like what is being asked is complete anonymity for remote learners to all but teachers. If that is a real concern for some parents, it is likely not a widespread issue and again, would be handled on a case by case basis with the child's teacher. If a parent wants their remote student to have complete anonymity to all but the classroom teacher, that student would miss out on many educational opportunities like peer and teacher interactions and group work which is very unfortunate but again, that is part of the choice that parents who choose remote-only learning will have to make if they also have an issue with their child interacting through a digital platform.