Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Managing Editor MT. PLEASANT – The Mt. Pleasant Community School Board voted Monday night to approve a revision to the return-to-learn plan that removes specific metrics for community spread from the instructional model plan. The new plan erases specific community spread guidelines and instead replaces them with more flexible language. The new language will allow the district to examine multiple factors before making a decision on moving to a different instructional model. “We just didn’t know what coming back to school was going to be like. Didn’t know what kind of movement the virus was going to have,” said John Henriksen, the district’s superintendent. Now, after four months of trial and error, the district has found that the metrics are outdated and rigid, keeping the district from being flexible and tackling specific situations. They have found that coronavirus doesn’t move rapidly amongst the student body, or transmit in large numbers at school; instead, they are having teacher shortages due to coronavirus infection or quarantine. “There is not a lot of movement or virus transmission in our student body, and more so it has affected us on the adult side of things,” said Henriksen. The district stated that when thinking about a switch in instructional models they want to take a more specific and targeted approach, most likely targeting individual buildings. The district used their recent move to a hybrid at the middle school as an example. Explaining that they would address the needs of each building based on the data. They will also be taking a more broad approach to data-driven decisions now. “The decision to implement a specific instructional model will be based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: county positivity rate, hospital resources, student attendance, and staff attendance,” as stated in the updated Return-to-Learn plan. Board Approves Online Learning Vendor For Second Semester At the Monday session, the board also approved software curriculum provider Edgenuity as their new remote learning vendor for the second semester, in a 4-2 motion Maher and Andrews being the dissenting votes.
The online program has partnered with the Mississippi Bend Education Association to provide instruction for the district’s remote learning program K-12. As approved, the program will provide a teacher and curriculum for the district’s remote learners next semester. This will be completely separate from the district and aims to relieve the stress and overworking of the district’s teachers. The district’s teaching staff has attempted to juggle their in-person classroom and their online classroom last semester, leaving many tired and overworked. This new program was adopted in an attempt to relieve some of that stress. Currently, the board is limiting the scope of the new program. They will only allow students that are already enrolled in the district’s remote learning program and have passed the first semester to sign up for remote learning in the second semester. They will also provide remote learning for the district’s fragile health students and families as required by state law. The program will cost the district about $170,000 in general fund expenses for the second semester with about 130 remote learning students in the district. The program runs around $1,500 per semester per K-5 student, and $1,200 for 6-12 students.
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Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News MT. PLEASANT – The Mt. Pleasant Community School District announced in a letter sent to parents on Wednesday Afternoon, that the district’s middle school building will be moving to a hybrid learning model until November 30th.
This is due to a large number of staff absences – approximately 6 staff members had tested positive as of Wednesday evening– stretching the district’s substitute teacher staff to the limit. In an interview with the Maroon Echoes last week, District Superintendent John Henriksen discussed the possibility of the district moving to a hybrid model in any of their buildings. He stated that the district would have to look at county positivity rates, staff attendance, and student attendance. “We are committed to our families to stay face to face as long as our kids are healthy and we have enough staff,” Henriksen said. Since there is a large number of teachers absent, the reduction in students in the school building will allow the district to spread its resources effectively to ensure they can supervise students appropriately. The middle school also has the distinct’s highest absenteeism rate, sitting at 5.33%. With 6 positive students, 15 absent due to other illness, and 26 quarantined students (quarantined students are not counted in the absenteeism percentage). Many quarantined students have come in close contact at home, and have had to quarantine several times. The high school is second to the middle school in student absenteeism, with a 5.33% absenteeism rate. The high school has less than 5 students positive, 34 in quarantine (due to exposure at home), and 17 absent due to other illnesses. However, only the middle school is moving to the hybrid rotational model which will begin on Monday, November 16th. The middle school will have a full day of school on Thursday but will be closed on Friday to help staff and students prepare for the switch. On Monday, they will start rotating students every other day until they are out of school for Thanksgiving break on the 25th. According to the letter, parents and students will be getting their day “Color” assignments late Wednesday night. If students or parents have any questions they are encouraged to contact the middle school. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News Editor MT. PLEASANT – At Monday’s MPCSD school board meeting, representatives from the Mt. Pleasant Education Association spoke to the board about a survey of district teachers, many of whom are feeling the effects of the added workload of the district’s remote learning option and students in quarantine. According to a survey of district teachers, the MPEA found that many teachers spend a lot of extra time every week helping remote students. The survey found that high school and middle school teachers spend on average 8 hours per week of “after-hours” or after school time, to help remote students. The survey also found that area elementary school teachers spend on average 18 hours per week working on their remote learning programs. MPEA Vice President Lottie Schnicker, attributes a large number of hours spent to educators having to put their own lessons online on Canvas, the district’s electronic delivery system. The survey also found that 69% of teachers at the middle school and high school use some school hours and some after-school hours to complete their work with remote students, while 31% do it on their own time. They also found that many teachers are not paid extra for their time serving online learners. However, some buildings are better at giving teachers time during the school day to work than others. At the high school teachers are given an eighth period to work with remote learners. While, at the middle and elementary schools teachers get some time during in-service and professional development days, only if meetings aren’t scheduled during those times. MPEA President Molly Ingerson concluded their presentation emphasizing their empathy for the board, asking them to consider what teachers have to say about remote learning. “We know that we are building a ship as we sail it because of covid and online learning, but for the sake of our students and staff we can’t sink the boat,” Ingerson said. “All of us here tonight, we all share in the common goal to have our students succeed, and we also have to keep in mind the teachers that are steering the ship,” she added. District Superintendent John Henriksen stated that the district will be reviewing their remote learning program to determine if a switch to only serving medically fragile students is necessary. “There are no questions, it's been a challenge. We recognize that and we are looking at alternatives,” Henriksen said. The district is exploring the possibility of looking to curriculum vendors for help. Where outside vendors could possibly provide teachers and curriculum for the district. “It’s just not a sustainable model that we’re in. We need to look at alternatives,” Henriksen said. District Certified Enrollment Down 44 Students Later during the board meeting, Superintendent John Henriksen presented the district’s 2020 certified enrollment numbers. According to the numbers prepared by the district office, the district's actual or total enrollment is 1,858.4 students, which is down by 44 students from 1,902.77 students in 2019.
This leads to a marked decrease in funds available to the district from the state. The loss of 44 students cost the district around $484,000 in total funding, with per-student funding at about $11,000, for fiscal year 22. According to Henriksen, this downward slope is a trend for the school district, which according to AEA numbers is seeing a 16.2% decrease in certified enrollment over the last 5 years. Henriksen also stated that the numbers are showing about the same across the state, emphasizing that the district will have to, “Wait and see what the legislator does,” regarding funding for public school districts and student weighting. Districts around the area are seeing similar effects, with school districts like Burlington, Seymour, and Winfield-Mt. Union seeing declines in their 5-year averages above 10%. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News As Southeast Iowa’s coronavirus cases and positivity rate continue to skyrocket, Mt. Pleasant Community School District is keeping an eye on the numbers and continuing with full Face-To-Face instruction.
According to Superintendent John Henriksen, the district is continuing with Face-To-Face or in-person instruction until the district sees a rise in infected students or staff. “We are committed to our families to stay face to face as long as our kids are healthy and we have enough staff,” Henriksen said. According to the district’s return-to-learn plan, a move to a hybrid learning model would have to be triggered by the county positivity rate being between 15 and 20 percent and an absenteeism rate of over 10%. The absenteeism rate is determined only by students out due to illness and does not include those quarantined due to potential exposure to the virus. As of Monday, November 9th, Henry county sits at a 19.8% 14-day rolling average positivity rate, and 1,258 cases. The district is seeing high attendance rates, between 94% - 98%, at all buildings; meaning that students are not being affected drastically by the county’s community spread. However, the district is seeing an increased number of students being asked to quarantine due to family members contracting COVID-19. As of Friday, November 6th, the district has 33 high school students, 16 middle school students, and at least 32 elementary school students out due to quarantine. The district also faces an issue with staff absences. According to Henriksen, last week they saw 4 staff members absent at the middle school; however, the district was able to get substitutes to cover their absence. Mr. Henriksen explained that if there are lots of staff absences they would consider a hybrid model. This is due to the decrease of students in attendance every day allowing them to spread staff resources to make up the difference. The district has seen no cases of coronavirus transmitted inside school buildings. Many attribute the lack of transmission in schools to their mask mandate in all district buildings. “If the reason for that [no transmission in schools] is our mask mandate, it is a good reason to continue it,” Henriksen said. If the district were to transition into a hybrid learning model, grades Pre-K through fifth grade would attend in-person every day, but the district would space them out in the elementary buildings. This would require the district to utilize alternative spaces as classrooms including the library, cafeteria, gym, and other spaces. Sixth grade through 12th-grade students would attend every-other-day, alternating between in-person and virtual learning. The student body will be divided in half by the last name, into “Maroon” and “Gold” days. The plan calls for students in the same family to attend on the same day. Students with special needs, no internet, or other accommodations would attend school every day. These plans would allow the district to space out students to help prevent the spread of coronavirus in the classroom. Should the district decide going to hybrid is necessary, Mr. Henriksen said the district has a level of flexibility in implementing the learning model and would most likely opt to go hybrid in specific school buildings or grade levels rather than implementing a districtwide switch. “We would like to address where the issue is [rather] than go across the whole district,” Henriksen said. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News The Panthers were taken out of the playoffs by No. 10 North Scott, Friday night, after Mount Pleasant lost 58-26. The difficult matchup wasn’t one and done Friday night, the Panthers put up a fight.
The Panthers broke out a strong defense and an offense unseen this season, to give the Lancers a fight they were not prepared for in the first half. Panther quarterback Jack Johnson racked up 378 passing yards and a 69.2% passing average this game, compared to his season 54.7% catching average. Johnson unloaded his throwing arm Friday, allowing the Panthers to score three touchdown passes, and only one rushing touchdown. The Lancers took the lead early, scoring two touchdowns 5 five minutes apart. The Panthers defense barely kept a hold on the Lancers, 12-0 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Panthers broke down the door. Scoring 3 touchdowns themselves in rapid-fire succession. Panther Wide Receiver Brady Hall made a 93-yard touchdown moving the momentum to the Panthers, with 10 minutes left in the half. Bringing the Panthers up 6 points, the Panthers were on a roll ahead. The Panthers were then able to score two more touchdown passes, breaking down the Lancer’s defense. The first a 54-yard touchdown pass by Panther WR Brevin Wilson with 6 minutes left in the half, scoring the Panthers 13-19. Then WR Chase Williamson was able to make a 24-yard touchdown run, with 48 seconds left on the clock leaving the Panthers on top at halftime, 20-19. “They do a great job both offensively and defensively just lining up and taking things away from us,” said Head Coach Shawn Striegel. “We saw those things in practice this week but we didn’t see it at the speed of the game.” In the third quarter, the Panthers lost their momentum after the Lancers made well-timed adjustments in the locker room. The Lancers quickly took control on both sides of the ball, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal during the quarter. The fourth quarter wasn’t much better for the Panthers. Quarterback Jack Johnson scored one touchdown early on but the Lancers answered with two more touchdowns, bringing the Final Score of the game to 58-26. “They came out well prepared in the second half, I don’t think that they were prepared for us to fight the way we did in the first half,” Striegel said. This game marks the end of a crazy season for the Panthers, with a shortened schedule, cleaning regulations, and rule changes. However, the Panthers are grateful for a season and grateful to be able to play. The Panthers end their season 4-4 overall. “We didn’t know which practice would be our last or when our last game would be our final until today. We’re really happy and fortunate to get the season, but it wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but that’s the case across the state,” Streigel said. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News The Panther Varsity Football team broke down the Benton Bobcats Friday night at Evans Field, to finish a tough run during the first round of the Class 3A playoffs. Mount Pleasant firmly finished Benton off in quick fashion, ending the game 30-7.
The match wasn’t an easy one. Neither team was able to score in the first quarter, with the Panthers being half a yard away from a touchdown when the buzzer rang. Then early in the second quarter, Panther quarterback Jack Johnson made a touchdown after carrying it into the endzone from the ½ yard line. The Panthers score 7-0. Later in the quarter Panthers kicker, Brady Hall landed a 38-yard field goal kick, one of the best of the season. The Panthers finished on top at halftime with the score 10-0. Defense on both sides dominated in the third quarter, and neither team was able to get ahead. The stalemate left the score unchanged at the end of the third quarter 10-0 Panthers. The Panther offense finally broke out during the fourth quarter, scoring three more touchdowns to cement the victory. The first Panther touchdown was early in the quarter, Grifen Molle carried the handoff from Jack Johnson across the line to score 17-0. A few minutes later, quarterback Jack Johnson railroaded the ball 49 yards into the endzone. Leaving the score 23-0 after a failed extra point conversion. The final Panther touchdown of the night was a Johnson shotgun 25-yard pass to Brennen Bender, score 30-0. The Panther defense only slip was in the final minutes, when #22 Lawrence Wallace for the Bobcats, scored a touchdown bringing the final score to 30-7. The Panthers now faceoff against the North Scott Lancers next Friday, on the road. They will have to stretch their might and play smart because they will be going up against a team ranked #10 in the 3A division. The Panthers are now 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the postseason. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News Editor-In-Cheif During the monthly meeting of the Mt. Pleasant Community School District Board of Directors, Director of Instruction, Katie Gavin, presented an update on remote learning in the district.
According to Gavin, the schools have been getting mixed messages from their remote learners. With some families excelling at the alternative learning style and some struggling to keep up with the work. “There are some families that are just knocking us out of the park,” Gavin said. Some families have established routines, schedules, and are in constant contact with teachers. While some are struggling to gain structure and motivation that is vital to online learning. Gavin admits, “There are the minority of families who are struggling with having that structure and that balance. So weekly we are having a meeting with parents just to check-in to see if we need other accommodations,”. The district is attempting to meet with families on a regular basis to ensure that their needs are being met and that students aren’t falling behind. “We are working on individual situations and trying to make sure that students are being as successful as they can be,” Gavin said. The district is not only working with students to make sure they are successful online learners, they are also meeting with elementary remote teachers and secondary tech adviser’s to see what they need. “We are working with [teachers] on what they need to keep being successful,” Gavin said. With 148 students now enrolled in the program, there is still the question of whether or not teachers are able to handle the workload. School board member Josh Maher, wants another solution, saying that teachers are overworked and stressed due to working online and face-to-face at the same time. “I know it is a very complex situation and the feedback that I continue to receive is that remote learning is pretty terrible,” Maher added. “Students are coming back from [online learning] behind, and teachers are stressed out and working far too much, and it’s just not working for anybody.” With a decrease in 8 students since last Monday, the program is decreasing by small amounts as parents become more comfortable with the district’s safety measures, according to Gavin. The district is continuing to offer remote learning to any student who chooses the alternative learning model as well as students who are opting for the model because of health concerns. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes News Editor-In-Cheif The Panther varsity football team defeated the Burlington Bloodhounds 42-16, during the last game of the regular season for the Panthers. The Panthers end their regular season 3-3. Announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association at Noon today, the Panthers will play the Benton Bobcats Next Friday at home, in Mapleleaf Stadium for their first postseason matchup. Quarter By Quarter Breakdown: The Panthers started their streak early with No. 34 senior Klayton Kleinkopf running the ball into the endzone, giving the Panthers an early lead, 7-0.
Burlington’s kicker answered with a 3 point field goal at 2:31 seconds left in the quarter. 7-3, Panthers ball. Senior Running Back Avery Scandridge scored a touchdown with 2 minutes left on the clock; 14-3 Panthers at the end of the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, senior Jack Johnson pulled in a punt return and poured on the gas, running the ball 80 yards, and tackled just outside of the 10-yard line. With the Panther’s now in possession of the ball, senior Wide Receiver Grifen Molle would finish the job just 2 minutes into the quarter, bringing the score to 21-3. Then it was Burlington’s turn to fly back down the field and score a 60-yard touchdown pass with 7 minutes left in the half; score 21-10 Panthers. That didn’t stop the Panther’s offense from pulling another fast one on Burlington, with senior Quarterback Jack Johnson making a 65-yard touchdown run, with 2 minutes left, leaving the score at halftime 28-10 Panthers. Things slowed down after halftime but not before the Panthers stepped up, scoring a touchdown pass to Chase Williamson, with 6 minutes of play left in the 3rd quarter, Panthers up 35-10. That wasn’t it for the dynamic duo of Johnson-Williamson. Later in the quarter Jack Johnson made another successful pass to Williamson. The Panther’s on top for the rest of the game, 42-10. During the Fourth Quarter, the Panthers subbed in most of their backups for the starting lineup. The Panther’s B team was able to keep the Burlington Bloodhounds at bay, for most of the quarter. Burlington scored one touchdown late the quarter, with 4 minutes left in the game, Panther tight end Carter Amos was able to block Burlington’s extra point, leaving the Panthers on top 42-16 at the end of the game. Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor - In - Chief The Mount Pleasant Panthers Varsity Football Team lost to the Fort Madison Bloodhounds Friday night. The final score was 43-7, Bloodhounds taking the lead. The Mount Pleasant Panther football team is now 2 - 3 overall in their season, and 1-2 in the conference. Quarter by Quarter Breakdown
Quarter 1: 7 MP - 14 FM Quarter 2: 7 - 28 Quarter 3: 7 - 35 Quarter 4: 7 - 43 Liam HalawithMaroon Echoes Editor-In-Cheif Mount Pleasant Community School District Superintendent John Henriksen sent a letter to parents explaining the Iowa Department of Public Health’s new guidelines for close contact exposure.
The new guidelines state that if both the positive person and the person in close contact are wearing face masks, the person in close contact will not have to quarantine. The guidelines also specify that if both persons are wearing a face mask that tightly covers the mouth and nose they will no longer have to quarantine if they come in close contact with an infected person. The new guidelines specify that if a student or other person is wearing a face shield without a mask or a neck gaiter they would still have to quarantine for 14 days. The person in close contact would be encouraged to self monitor their symptoms and the district will still be informing students who come in close contact with infected students. The letter also stated that if a student’s family member or some other person in their household is positive and they are in close contact with them, they would have to quarantine for the required 14 days. Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state medical director, acknowledged that the state's new recommendations are not in line with the CDC guidelines. |
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November 2020
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