Initial poll results are in for January reopening: Split

Dear Renton Prep Families,

I've been reviewing the data from the poll as it comes in real time and have been reading all of your comments. Thank you for each family who responded so quickly. At this moment, we have 29 responses from families (in more than one household, two people from the same household filled out the survey and some with different responses) and one teacher. Of the 29 families it is almost completely split between wanting to stay remote and wanting to return to in-person learning in the month of January. Among the families who wish to return in January that have completed the poll so far, the opinions about starting immediately compared to fully reopening in person two weeks after New Years celebrations are again completely split. If you've not had a chance to review and take the poll yet, you may click the image above to get access to the information and take the poll by Wednesday.

I mentioned in my previous message, if there was enough consensus, I may be able to provide a quick answer by the beginning of this upcoming week. If the campus is entirely divided by the end of the poll, I will need to continue consulting experts and make a decision as I watch progression. 

As you know, we have offered a full range of experiences to students this year including the offer for in-person instruction 5 days a week (not an A/B schedule), projects and field trips. You may see collections of some examples of adapted projects for those who chose to stay fully remote to allow for a range of options and approaches that could be replicated at home. We know, unless a teacher physically comes in-home, and brings students with them, it is not possible to replicate human interaction from a teacher and collaboration with classmates while remote.

We realize that not all families will choose to accept the opportunities offered due to personal risk assessment, but we have offered these options. You may review glimpses of some that have been offered from Kindergarten Prep through High School. The decision to have a similar core concept, but adapt for developmentally appropriate levels demonstrates how learning exists across ages and levels of complexity. In addition, it was developed purposefully to support families with multiple children in the same household to have a similar set of instructions and allow for internal collaboration as families choose. 

To give an idea of the complexity in decision making with a range of opinions, I would like to provide a couple anonymous quotes from families that have responded so far:

"I would prefer the whole class/school stay fully remote, this will ensure consistency, standards in teacher contents and every student is receiving the same level of education at the same time. Party remote is tough and it’s a challenge for the teacher and student to follow the class progress"

"Safety first - while the rates do not reduce organically as they were in September (when it was also possible to stay outside most of the day), I consider risky to share indoor places during winter time. It's not about us, but about others we may put at risk if we are asymptomatic when going to essential places."

"Please please go back to full time on campus!! Thank you!"

"We will be traveling over the holiday period, so the self quarantine time via digital learning would be best for us."

"I am for in school learning!!! That was one reason we enrolled this year"

As you can see in just 5 quotes, personal preferences are wide ranging. Since last March, we have received requests to keep the entire school remote to ensure all students receive the same opportunities as all project-based and field trips cannot be replicated, or student in-person interaction. On the opposite end, we have received requests to not allow students or teachers to wear masks or allow any remote learners so it would not disrupt the learning process they have come to know and love at our school. Our school was designed and created for these kind of experiences, supported by technology, not for students to be fully behind screens. As you know from our Reopening Plan, to address the concerns about equity, questions about asynchronous learning and the stresses added to families joining calls, we adopted Red Comet curriculum school-wide to give the best chance at meeting the wide range of requests and providing a common experience for all students. On top of that, we have layered on, as we have been given approval, field trips in person, hands-on experiences, and even pioneered live-streaming field trips for remote students. 

The mental and emotional toll the wide range of requests has placed on our staff this year, as each request and opinion is backed by emotion, is deeply impacting our staff. We are fully aware with such opposition in opinions and preferences, without compromise, approximately 50% of our school families will be unhappy with a decision that doesn't align with their preferences. It is far easier to adapt to personal preference when there is a majority consensus and a way to create a response that will likely feel the majority is heard and responded to. When there is no majority, and especially when opinions are not just strong, but decisions are also tied strongly with emotion, the task becomes quite daunting. 

At this point, there is not enough consensus for me to make a quick decision. We thank you for your patience and realization that wanting to honor your voice and opinion, while doing my best to protect the mental health and wellbeing of the adults who serve your families is essential to keeping a school functioning. If the adults caring for your children are unable to feel safe, trust families to abide by protocol and honestly report symptomatic and COVID diagnosis, this directly impacts the ability for them to maintain and perform to the best of their ability. Please also know that for each request made by a family member, we receive an entirely opposite request from another family member (sometimes even within the same household or shared guardianship). Each decision we make does not only impact your child, but the classroom dynamics, the teacher-student interaction, in some cases it impacts health protocol and reporting. It impacts work load of teachers and support staff for each adjustment and even policy.