Indian River district expands in-person instruction for high school students

The Indian River School District announced March 23 that high school students participating in the hybrid model will be offered four days a week of in-person instruction in April. 

Beginning the week of April 12, high school hybrid cohorts A and B will be combined, allowing hybrid students at Indian River and Sussex Central high schools to attend classes in person on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, officials said.

Due to a high percentage of families opting for in-person instruction at district elementary and middle schools, district officials said they are unable to combine cohorts with the current three-feet social distancing guidelines. This will result in the continuation of in-person learning two days a week in separate cohorts A and B. Wednesday will continue to be a remote learning day for most students.

District officials said they will continue to explore ways to provide additional in-person instructional opportunities at the elementary and middle school levels.

In addition, all staff will now work in their school buildings on Wednesday rather than remotely. This will give the district a chance to explore increased in-person learning opportunities for hybrid students in Grades K-12 who may need extra support. Schools will coordinate with teachers and families to determine which students may benefit from Wednesday in-person instruction.   

District officials said they will continue to offer full-time remote instruction for parents who prefer that model. Parents who would like to switch from remote to hybrid instruction should contact their child’s school by Thursday, April 15, in order to plan for the fourth marking period. In considering requests, schools will determine if social distancing guidelines of three feet between students can be maintained in the classroom setting. Also, schools must determine if transportation services can be provided with social distancing guidelines of three feet between students on school buses.  

The school board also approved calendar changes at its March 22 monthly meeting to increase instructional time for students. The professional learning day originally scheduled for Monday, April 19, has been moved to Wednesday, April 21, and the teacher work day originally scheduled for Friday, May 28, has been moved to Wednesday, May 26. As a result, April 19 and May 28 will now be regular school days for students and staff. April 21 and May 26 will serve as asynchronous instructional days for students.

The board also voted to move the last day of school for students in prekindergarten to 11th grade to Friday, June 11, which is also the last day for paraprofessionals. The last day for teachers will be Tuesday, June 15.

The changes resulted from unused surplus days built into the calendar for weather-related school cancellations, and from three additional school days during the first and second marking periods.