Learning goes online: Coeur d’Alene school district distributes devices to keep students on track

Schools are closed, but learning continues.

On Wednesday, Coeur d’Alene Public Schools distributed hundreds of Chromebooks to high school and middle school students in preparation for at-home learning, starting Monday, at the conclusion of spring break.

With Idaho public schools closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic until at least April 20, administrators, teachers, parents and students will have to learn together how to navigate the next three weeks – and perhaps much longer – together online.

Cars were lined up in the drop-off lane at Coeur d’Alene High School at 9 a.m., but the dozen or so administrators, teachers and volunteers made quick work checking out the devices to the waiting parents and students.

The district checked out 510 devices among three high schools and three middle schools.

Parents and students were instructed to remain in their vehicles to avoid crowding and ensure proper social distancing. Gloved school staff members greeted each vehicle, retrieved registration forms – which were distributed online – and then checked out a device and charger to each student who needed one.

Of course, each unit was sanitized before being distributed.

Additional checkout windows will be available in the near future. Elementary students can pick up devices on Monday.

Amanda Bishop, mother of four school-aged children, was one of the parents in line – with her kids in tow.

“I’m a stay-at-home mom,” she said. “I think the hardest thing is just making sure each knows what they’re doing, because I don’t know what I’m doing. But honestly, I’ve loved having them at home.

“The older ones are pretty self-sufficient and my kindergartener’s pretty easy, so it’s not too bad.”

Coeur d’Alene High School freshman Ashlynn Bishop said she misses her friends and teachers and is excited – and a bit nervous – about learning online.

“I have mixed feelings about it,” she admitted. “I think it’ll be different solving a new experience, but I think it’ll also be hard to just learn all this stuff by ourselves online.”

The experience is tough on all involved – including the teachers.

“I think we’re all in the people business – we ‘grow people,’ ” said Coeur d’Alene High School principal Libbi Barrett. “Anytime you take their young people away, that is cause for thought and, I’ll be honest, some anxiety.”

Barrett expected “three or four” volunteers to show up to help Wednesday, but was gratified that more than a dozen from the school staff came out on a cold, dreary morning to assist.

“I can’t tell you how again inspiring it is,” she admitted. “You can see all the help that we have today, so that’s kind of a ‘feel good’ in a time of unprecedented sadness and anxiety.”

Scott Maben, director of communications for Coeur d’Alene Public Schools, said the district wants to make online learning as easy as possible, and there shouldn’t be much of a learning curve utilizing the devices.

“When we’re in our schools normally, the first thing (students) do is they come in and they go to the cart, they just grab one and they’re up and running,” Maben said.

“In lots of households, students have their own devices, or they can use their parents’ device,” Maben said. “But we have nearly 2,000 students so far that have requested, ‘Hey, if we’re going to do this from home for the long haul I need some help.’ ”

Maben said the district is working with businesses to help families in need of WiFi and suggested the possibility of schools putting up WiFi antennas and allowing students to download assignments and upload completed work from the parking lot, if necessary.

“It’s not an ideal scenario, but we want to make sure every family has a way to be connected to us during the next, however long this goes.”

One concern about online education has been the grading system, especially for seniors trying to finish their graduation requirements. Maben indicated that was a “hot question” and speculated letter grades may not be appropriate this semester and senior graduation requirements might be on a pass/fail basis.

“The state Department of Education has been pretty clear … that no student should be penalized as a consequence of what’s happening right now,” he said.

Maben explained that the school district and state board recognize that when students return there will likely be a gap in progress that they’ll need to address – and they might have to be creative filling it.

“How many years will it take this generation of kids to get back to where they need to be in their educational journey?” Maben asked. “That’s what we’ve been talking about.”