Increase in COVID prompts Republic schools to go virtual learning

District enters Phase Three of original plan to deal with pandemic as COVID cases increase
 
When the Republic R-3 School District began the 2021-21 school year in August, they implemented a three-phase plan of instruction to allow students to continue their education should a spike in COVID-19 cases make it necessary for students to stay home. On Friday, Nov. 20, the district implemented Phase Three of the plan, which involves virtual learning for all students. According to a memo posted to the district’s website on Wed., Nov. 18, by Director of Communication Josey McPhail, implementing Phase Three was deemed necessary due to a large number of district employees testing positive for the virus.
“Since November 1 we’ve had 35 positive employees,” she wrote. “Nineteen of these have surfaced in the last three days.”
McPhail said that students would hopefully be able to return to seated instruction by Thursday, Dec. 3, and that by going into Phase Three of the instruction plan, the spread of COVID-19 will hopefully be slowed.
“Although we are very aware of the inconveniences this creates for our families, please know this decision was made with the best interest of our students and employees in mind,” she wrote. “We feel this short implementation of Phase Three will allow for slowing the overall spread of COVID-19 in our community, our facilities to be deeply sanitized, those currently ill with COVID-19 to heal and for those on quarantine to serve the rest of their time and return to school.
The virtual learning days following Thanksgiving break will also allow us to evaluate the potential impact holiday gatherings might have on our ability to return to Phase One.”
Additionally, McPhail said the district is confident that their virtual program will allow students to carry on learning with little disruption.
“We feel confident in the virtual instruction plan we have put into place,” she wrote, adding online instruction would not be the same as it was last year.
“Virtual learning will look much different than it did in the spring,” she wrote, “and will be required for kindergarten through 12th grade students. For those who have experienced virtual learning during quarantine, Phase Three will be very similar.”
The full announcement by McPhail can be viewed online at the district’s main webpage under the “District Announcements” heading at www.republicschools. org; the announcement also includes a link to additional information. The district will post communications on when they will return to Phase One on Tuesday, Dec. 1.