INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — Monday was the first day back to school for students and staff in the Independence School District.
The district started the school year with its hybrid model of reopening, which places middle school and high school students on an alternating week-long schedule based on their last name.
Half the students whose parents chose the in-person learning model will be in class all week and the other half will "attend class" online. The next week, the groups flip-flip between in-person and remote learning.
A worldwide zoom outage made virtual learning difficult for students and staff Monday morning, but Independence schools Superintendent Dr. Dale Herl said the first day back to school went better than planned all things considered.
"The feedback from parents has been incredible so far," Herl said.
Not everyone agrees.
Independence schools parent Kellie Ruiz opted for virtual learning for her two elementary-aged children. She doesn't think the district properly prepared parents for how the online learning would go.
"They made it sound like it was going to be this super simple, easy process and it was the complete opposite," Ruiz said. "They should have done some sort of prepping with the parents prior to this, but they didn't."
Ruiz said some of the information about virtual learning the district sent out was not age-specific and the technology given to students was not working the week before classes began to get parents and students ready.
Herl said the district put a lot of work into getting parents ready for virtual learning.
"Leading up to this, we sent out multiple emails to parents," he said. "We've sent out tutorial videos both from us and from Canvas, our platform we use. Friday, we set up a phone bank manned by our tech staff and our instructional coaches."
Herl said techs were answering emails late Sunday night to provide parents with help.
Jana Corrie, a district parent and staff member, said she felt comfortable sending her elementary-aged children back to in-person classes because of the district's safety steps.
"They do temperature checks when they walk in the building, they have hand sanitizers everywhere, they have socially distanced the desks," Corrie said.
But for older children, Shannon Miller worries about the hybrid model and its impact on family and the learning environment.
"For working moms, working parents, single parents, the kids aren't going to get up and they're not going to get online and they're not going to do their school work," Miller said.
Ultimately, she wishes her kids were in-person full-time, but she thinks the district is doing the best it can.
