Working creatively
A hillside view from Cloudland Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Creative solutions were the highlight of Friday’s state press briefing, as Vermont Education Secretary Dan French emphasized a collaboration between Woodstock Elementary School and Billings Farm & Museum as a way to help students fully return to in-person learning.
A partnership between the Windsor Central Supervisory Union and Billings Farm & Museum has enabled the Woodstock Elementary School (WES) to provide in-person instruction to its students four days a week, French explained. The school serves a total of 333 students, in grades pre-K through 6. Before the collaboration with Billings Farm & Museum, students in pre-K through grade 2 were in-person four days a week, and the other students were in a hybrid system including some virtual learning. Thanks to Billings, the school was able to move its sixth-graders to the farm’s Activity Barn for in-person learning four days a week. This freed up space in the school building for grades 3-5, allowing WES to now provide in-person learning for all grades for four days each week.
“Not all communities have a Billings Farm & Museum, but all have local resources of some sort that can be leveraged to enact more in-person instruction, which is essential to our recovery work,” French said.
He reiterated that the entire goal of the state’s efforts is to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on kids.
“The example of Woodstock Elementary School and Billings Farm & Museum is not just an example of a creative solution to resolve space issues, but it can also be seen as an effective recovery solution in and of itself,” he said.
French pointed out the contrast, and positive impact, of having your classroom be on a historic farm with your friends and teachers, and also near a beautiful herd of Jersey cows.
“I have no doubt this experience of these Woodstock students will be the experience they remember when they are asked by their children some day, ‘What was school like during the COVID-19 pandemic?’” French said. “This will also be the experience they remember when they look back on the school year, because they are going to end the year on a celebratory note.”
With vaccination clinics for school staff starting next week, Vermont officials are encouraging school districts to plan innovatively about getting students back to in-person instruction. The state hopes all schools can return to the in-person model next month.
Vermont’s vaccination efforts are progressing more quickly than anticipated. On Thursday, the state reached a big milestone: One-fifth of its population over age 16 had received at least their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
On Friday, that progress led to more loosening of statewide gathering restrictions for vaccinated individuals. Now, people who have been fully immunized against COVID-19 can gather indoors with others who have also been fully vaccinated, Gov. Phil Scott announced. For example, he said, a group of eight fully vaccinated people wishing to have dinner at someone’s house can now do so. Fully vaccinated individuals can also gather indoors with one other household that has not been vaccinated.
Further progress is on the way. Next week, Vermont teachers, school staff and child care providers will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines as a group. School-based clinics are being set up across the state to serve school employees. On Monday, vaccine eligibility will begin for people ages 55 and older with high-risk health conditions. Appointments for Vermonters ages 16 and over with high-risk health issues will open on March 15. A list of eligible high-risk conditions is available at healthvermont.gov/myvaccine.
Also next week, the governor expects to announce further loosening of state restrictions. There was no indication on Friday of what those changes might be.
— Gareth Henderson
