Q: Does the school have a specific time or number in which you all will say complete remote? Or will it continue to be on a case by case basis?
A: According to RIDE and EdOps, there is no specific number of positive cases which will flip the switch to all remote. It is on a case by case basis, per RIDOH that will call for quarantining
Q: Will you release the recommendations from the DOH that said the entire school needed to be cleaned when it was just cleaned last week?
A: There were numerous conversations with the Department of Health in order to reach this recommendation. The DOH review of contract tracing recommended a K-12 cleaning.
Q: Will buses be made available for middle school students in Q2?
A: Currently, we have 176 seats available only to our elementary students due to the RIDE mandate regarding school transportation.
Q: But those of us who chose in person learning get no notice of a change to distance?
A: Commitments do work in both directions. In-person students were given a paper copy of the form to take home; all families have access to the current form via our website.
Q: My kids were marked absent when they were in attendance
A: These concerns need to be addressed with the individual teacher to identify if it is a technology issue or related to when and/or for how long a child was logged on.
Q: These days were hard to login for Kindergartners, first experience for me and no clues about where to find links, schedule, activities, etc, because was the first time even watching his computer and what they do there. We were needing instructions, something to improve remote learning, at least the start process.
A: Please contact your child’s teacher so the issues may be escalated to technology. Also, checkout our website under the “Resources” top tab, then click on “Parent Resources” for videoes on how to troubleshoot issues with a chromebook, logging on to the Google Classroom, and accessing Skyward.
Q: I am just wondering why families are not asked to a self-attestation before the students arrive to the campus?
A: Families may self-attest using the CRUSH COVID app and present the message at the door, however, our safety plan indicates that we will temp-check each child before entry.
Q: North Kingstown Schools ask students COVID-19 test before go there
A: Providence does not require this and please note that a negative test today, does not mean that a person will not be positive if they test tomorrow, which is why we ask that parents communicate if the child is ill or anyone has had contact with a COVID possible or positive individual before sending the child to school.
Q: And the computer sometimes just doesn't connect, and I don't want my son be considered absent due a technology issue.
A: Please call the school or your child’s teacher if email is not available to inform the teacher that your child is experiencing a technical issue. A child should have access to all materials and activities in the event they are delayed in accessing their technology, just as if they were absent from school due to illness. At this time Providence do not have a code for “absent due to tech issue.”
Q: What reassurance is there even if they do check their temperatures that there are still kids that are infected and still enter the school
A: There is no such assurance. We trust that our families are being diligent about keeping their child at home if they are ill or may have been exposed.
Q: What about the elementary side? I have seen that my child is just a quick temperature check, no questions. Is there something a form for the elementary side to ensure students are symptom free? or an app. besides Crush Covid?
A: The assurance would need to come from you as the parent. If you feel that your child is ill, keep your child at home. We do ask your child how they are doing when they are temp-checked.
Q: Are we guaranteed to be back in person on Tuesday or is the school waiting for clearance from EDoC or RIDOH?
A: Our directions come from RIDOH as they are the only body that is allowed to direct isolation or quarantine for any individual. We are limited to ‘taking a pause’ in an appropriate manner that allows us to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Q: Is there a possibility that students will be asked to Covid -19 test before going to school in person?
A: At this time, we have no intention of doing so. However, please note that if a child is sent home sick with one of the major symptoms or 2 or more of the minor symptoms, our nurse recommends that parent have the child tested, but that if this not their choice, the child needs to be symptom-free, including fever-free without medication for at least 24 hours AFTER being sent home.
Q: Still on the issue of attendance, some teachers ask the students not to put on the camera that it is a privacy issue. So how will they see students?
A: We respect the privacy of our families and do strongly suggest that students be on both audio and video so that the teacher may hear responses and questions and be able to read the child’s face for understanding. Please speak with your child’s teacher regarding this question.
Q: Is there a possibility that students will be asked to Covid -19 test before going to school in person?
A: See above – same question
Q: My children still have issues with being booted out and not getting links to join classes.
A: Please call the school or the classroom teacher to report the issue. When we become aware of a technology issue, we will ask various questions about internet stability, walk through the problem with you, and even contact internet providers to determine if there are issues in neighborhoods with connectedness. In some cases, we have created single-sign on systems for our younger students to make access easier.
Regarding classroom links, each student needs to remain connected to their teacher’s Google Classrooms where all links should be posted and accessible. If not, please call or email the teacher. We do not publicize our links outside of the Google Classroom to ensure safety and privacy against outside sources who want to disrupt the learning process.
Q: But now most of the time the reception doesn’t take the calls, it just goes to voicemail
A: Reception receives hundreds of calls that often need to be redirected to the appropriate person. We are working on creating an absence reporting voicemail box to make reporting an absence easier and will not tie up the receptionist. We will also provide in our next email and mailing, a copy of the extensions for our faculty voicemails and various departments within the school for direct dialing purposes. You can always email your child’s teacher and be sure to add Alida Paz (alida.paz@times2.org) so we can provide timely assistance.
Q: Is there some way to have, maybe on the website, in a centralized place, the best way to get in touch with all teachers?
A: This is a great idea, and we are working on our website design to make it more user-friendly
Q: Can the representative from the governor’s office address why schools won’t go fully remote as the cases continue to climb?
A: I would ask that you contact the Governor’s office directly and/or listen to her weekly press conferences as she clearly states her reasoning behind her decisions as they relate to schools.
Published on October 20, 2020 | Categories: News
