By Amber Hayden
BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville Board of Education and administrative staff held their monthly meeting via ZOOM on Wednesday evening, April 15, and focused on staying connected with students and families during the school closures.
Bonnie Barker, Director of Special Education, stated she was continuing student evaluations using ZOOM or over the phone with parents who do not have stable internet connections.
“For those students without internet access, we are providing packets of material or material on a flash drive that they can use with a Chromebook,” said Barker.
Paraprofessionals have also been assigned new lessons using exceptional child, according to Barker, and they continue to meet virtually each week.
“We are trying to connect with all the families and even those that we are having a hard time contacting,” explained Barker. “The teachers are working together also to learn new programs, and we are trying to connect kids on Google instead of Facebook.”
Middle/High school principle, Tyler Moy, stated he had dropped a bombshell on the teaching staff when he asked them to prep all homework through the end of April, and possibly the end of the 2019-20 school year.
“We will have one more distribution on Tuesday, May 5, to those students without internet access,” stated Moy.
After the last packet distribution of 300 bags, only eight were left at the end of the day, he said.
Moy has continued to meet with other principles in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference in regards to events such as prom and graduation, most of which have discussed having the events before the beginning the 2020-21 school year.
Board president Tim Sempf made the suggestion of holding graduation outside on the football field where distancing would be possible, and everyone could “bring their own lawn chairs,” he said.
The Department of Public Instruction will expect information from the school district by November that will state what was done during the shut down, explained superintendent Nick Kaiser.
Steven Olson attended his first board meeting and took the official oath for school board members, Olson will replace Steve Bird who spent nine years on the board of education.
During the meeting the Board of Education:
• Accepted the resignation of Spanish teacher Katelyn Johnson.
• Approved the compensation for employee groups during the state mandated shutdown.
