One year later: How one Ozark County school district successfully adapted to a pandemic

  Editor’s note: 1998 Gainesville High School graduate Jabet Morgan Wade, local business owner and mother of fourth-grader Lola and second-grader Finn, serves as vice president of the Gainesville R-V Board of Education. When the U.S. Department of Education announced last fall that it was accepting submissions of American school districts’ stories describing how they had successfully adapted to the covid-virus crisis, Wade wrote and submitted this summary of the Gainesville district’s response. As the country, and the county, mark the one-year anniversary of when covid was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, we share this look back at how one Ozark County school district responded. 

 

If 2020 taught us anything, it is that we can adapt to and thrive in the midst of big, unexpected changes. I knew Gainesville students and staff were special, but it wasn’t until a global pandemic rocked our world that it became apparent just how resilient they truly are.

When everyone left for spring break last year, no one could have predicted that they wouldn’t be back. Books, papers, art projects, jackets, water bottles and more were left in desks and lockers. Planning for the annual spring talent show was well under way. Sports teams were practicing. Field trips were scheduled. Everyone was preparing for final assessments. Graduation was set. The fourth quarter was here. 

And then it wasn’t.

While parents in our community were reeling from the news that school was canceled for the rest of the year, the administrative team, teachers and support staff at Gainesville (many of whom are parents also) were busy trying to figure out how they would finish out the year “virtually” and maintain contact with their students.

Internet access is a problem in our community. Some folks have it; many do not. Those of us who do have it often deal with very slow speed and occasional outages. So, while other school districts around the state were shifting to Zoom classes, Gainesville had to improvise even further. Paper packets were made available weekly in the school parking lot for students in preschool through eighth grade. Each week we were greeted with a smile and a wave from a staff member as we drove through to drop off and pick up packets and library books. High school students used Google classroom, and internet access was extended to the school parking lot for students who didn’t have it at home.

In addition to at-home learning, meal distribution was a big part of our “virtual” plan. Meals were delivered weekly throughout the community via bus routes. Families could also pick up meals at certain times in the school parking lot. This continued well into the summer months. Our food service staff did an outstanding job and went above and beyond their call of duty. 

When school ended in May, a final drop-off and pick-up day were scheduled. Elementary teachers were set up in the parking lot, and parents were invited to drive through to pick up their students’ belongings and say farewell to their teachers. We even snuck in a few hugs. It was an emotional day.

In June, our county had very few confirmed cases of covid-19. We were able to have four weeks of in-person summer school and host a “Senior Week.” Prom, senior awards and graduation finally happened. Everything felt pretty normal. It was a welcome reprieve.

Meanwhile, our administrative team was hard at work developing a back-to-school plan that would include different levels of operation, from “Traditional School” (normal operation) to “Level 3” (AMI, or alternative methods of instruction). It was a thorough and well-thought-out plan. The total case count was still very low in our county, but out of an abundance of caution, we began at a Level 2 when we returned in person, five days a week in August. Several safety measures were in place, but we were thrilled to be back in school.

It was a rocky start. The first positive case within the district was announced on the third day of school. The number of quarantined students and staff escalated quickly within the first two weeks. The superintendent called the board and said he was going to suspend in-person learning for 10 days in an effort to get things under control. Students and staff were once again sent home to learn virtually. It felt like we had taken a big step backward.

Thankfully, our staff was prepared for this. We made it through the 10 days, and when we returned to in-person school we shifted to Level 3. This meant we would have even more safety measures in place and would switch from five days of in-person learning to four days in person with one day each week (Friday) of virtual learning.

We are still at a Level 3 today, but it is working. The number of positive cases and close contacts are down considerably from when we started school in August. Student attendance is better than anyone expected. Extracurricular club activities, sporting events, concerts and class parties don’t look exactly how they used to look. But they’re happening. And that’s all that really matters.

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423