KPS Virtual Town Halls Will Help Decide Hybrid Learning

The Kalamazoo Public Schools will conduct virtual town halls with "stakeholders" to discuss how learning will happen in the second trimester of the current school year.

The goal is a series of these town halls in October to determine whether the school district can move to a hybrid learning model.

“We reached out to stakeholders in June as we were preparing our back-to-school plan. Now that we are approaching the second trimester, I am again asking for stakeholder input. In addition, we will continue to study infection rates and review data from other districts who have already returned to in-person instruction. A decision about the second trimester will be announced at the KPS Board of Education meeting on Oct. 22." - Kalamazoo Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri

"Smart and Safe Start" is the plan KPS launched in August, for this current school year. KPS says "the plan consisted of three learning model options. Option 1 is a three-tiered plan that allowed students to begin the school year with a trimester of online learning, with the potential to move to hybrid, part-time, in-person learning for the second trimester, and full-time, in-person learning for the third trimester. Options 2A and 2B provide a full year of virtual learning."

KPS goes on to say that during the second trimester, which goes from Nov. 30 through March 12, "if Michigan is in Phase 4 or 5 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MISafe Start Plan, KPS could move to hybrid learning for the students who selected Option 1. In this model, students would be split into two groups, with each group being assigned to attend in-person instruction two days a week. On days that students are not attending in-person classes, they would participate in independent learning activities and student-centered support services from home."

KPS has a link to the schedule of the Zoom meetings on its website.