LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Some parents are scrambling to make sure their kids have the right set up at home after learning their students at Leavenworth High School are moving from in-person classes to a hybrid model.
Sophomore Meagan Hardeman tries to find the words to describe dealing with so many changes this school year. And they are only two weeks in.
Leavenworth School District gave students the option to learn remotely or in-person.
In-person, split into Group A & Group B, started two weeks ago with an “on-site student Phase-In” plan. They kept the building at 50% capacity alternating days between the two groups.
Hardeman got a taste of the new normal and did not like it. Be she was happy to at least be in front of a teacher.
“It feels foreign, like it doesn’t even feel like school really. The halls are just so empty,” Hardeman said. “My classes there’s only like 5 people maybe six and then everyone else is doing online and it’s just weird.”
The district planned to have all students on-site Wednesday for their first full day.
But last week, Leavenworth Board of Education met for a special session.
They unanimously voted to switch to a hybrid learning model – citing new gating criteria from the Leavenworth Health Department, the latest COVID data and the safety of students and staff as the reasons.
Group A will be on-site Mondays and Thursdays. Group B will be in-person on Tuesdays and Fridays.
On Wednesday, all students will study from home.
Kaden Bentley’s parents and several other LHS families found out over the holiday weekend, just days before what was supposed to be their first full day.
“They were kind of upset because my mom has work and stuff,” Bentley said. “I did that last year and I didn’t like it because I wasn’t really learning what I was supposed to get.”
“They only gave them a couple days and that’s not enough time at all,” LHS Student Madyson Stephens said.
She understands the struggle her friends and their parents are facing, but nothing changes for her senior year.
Stephens chose to learn from home due to her epilepsy and weak immune system.
“Now I feel safe at home,” Stephens said, “and I feel like I learn better online than in person.”
But not everyone feels the same. Hardeman is left shocked and disappointed.
“My mom’s very upset with it because of the fact that she was expecting me to go to school and actually have fun and engage in school because I learn way better in person than I do online,” Hardeman said.
With the new hybrid schedule, more families are having to worry about internet access.
The district has set up free hot spots for students to use at different locations across Leavenworth, according to the district website.
Click here for a full list of locations: https://www.usd453.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_431774/File/internet%20provider%20information%20combined.pdf
