After a few bumps, SPS adjusting to a new year of distance learning

As it turned out, it was the parents who had most of the back-to-school jitters this week.

As Spokane Public Schools opened the year Monday with distance learning only, a few families struggled with technical issues and promptly did the only thing they could.

They called the techies at the district offices, which received hundreds of calls, emails and other social media posts.

“The first day was very busy,” said Scott Kerwien, the district’s director of technology and information. “I think there were a lot of nerves, and I think people were anxious to see how that first day would play out.”

However, district staff and building administrators reported a steady decline in calls as the week went on.

According to Kerwien, the main complaints centered on login issues – forcing some families to drive in to district offices and sign in – plus the occasional webcam malfunction.

“It will take time to adjust,” Superintendent Adam Swinyard said in a Tweet Monday.

Spokane wasn’t the only district with technical problems; distance learning at Central Valley – which began on Sept. 9 – was disrupted for much of Friday morning by glitches.

Meanwhile, hazardous air forced cancellations at several districts that had opted for hybrid learning models. At Mead, the smoky skies forced the district to scrap the entire week.

Comments on Spokane’s Facebook page were overwhelmingly positive, with praise for quick response to problems.

Even by Monday afternoon, Kerwien said the consensus from principals and teachers “was that toward the end of the day things went pretty well.”

“The issues died down and kids were able to get in more screen time,” Kerwien said.

It probably didn’t hurt that the district postponed the first day of classes by almost two weeks; that time will be recouped later. In the meantime, teachers received more training during the first week of September and were able to meet virtually and in person with families last week.

Looking ahead, Kerwien said teachers will need to be patient as they attempt to introduce more tweaks to Microsoft Teams platform. However, he noted that each building has a teacher who doubles as a tech integration specialist.

“That really takes the pressure off the IT group,” Kerwien said.

Other issues during the first week included shortages of free meal kits at a few locations; hazardous air quality that kept activities indoors and the usual difficulty in finding hard-to-reach families.

“We’re knocking on doors,” said Lori Wyborney, the principal at Rogers High School. “That’s the only way we can reach some of our incoming freshmen.”

However, teachers reported high engagement rates across the board. Participation in distance learning fell below 50% at many schools last spring, but most were in the 80% to 90% range this week. Still, it’s unclear how many students have left the system for private schools, home-schooling and other options; those numbers will become clearer in the next week or two.

Swinyard wasn’t available for comment on Friday, but school board President Jerrall Haynes said he was encouraged by the first week.

“Spirits are high, and I appreciate all the hard work by teachers and staff for digging in and getting after it,” Haynes said. “I know everybody didn’t really know what to expect, but come Monday afternoon there was a huge sigh of relief.”

Haynes also acknowledged the second-guessing of the board’s decision to begin the year with distance learning.

“You always wonder about that decision and the position it puts some families in,” Haynes said.