IDA Temporary Virtual Education
I - INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM
Uinta County School District #1 (the District) anticipates that there may be times when a student, a group of students, or all students may be temporarily unable to attend school for a variety of reasons. The District wishes to allow students to temporarily access classes through virtual learning, in accordance with Wyoming law, Wyoming Department of Education regulations and this policy.
Temporary Virtual Education Days
Temporary virtual education (TVE) days are days in face-to-face classes in which either a student, or, in the case of building closures or planned virtual days, the majority of students or all students, are receiving instruction outside of their physical classroom through virtual delivery. TVE days must account for less than fifty percent (50%) of the total number of school days in any given school year. In-person instructional days shall account for the majority of the school days in any given school year for all children and teachers.
TVE may be delivered in the following ways:
- Synchronous or asynchronous virtual delivery of classroom-based, face-to-face lessons when a student is off-site in conjunction with in-person, classroom instruction for classmates who are in school.
- Synchronous or asynchronous virtual instruction of courses when all students and teachers are off-site.
- Synchronous or asynchronous virtual instruction when students are in the classroom but the teacher is off-site (i.e. quarantine).
TVE may be used when the school building is open, partially closed, or entirely closed, with or without a state or public health closure order. Even if no one is in the building, as long as virtual instruction is being provided, the Temporary School Closure Form does not need to be submitted. If more than half of the students will not be able to attend on a temporary virtual education day, school closure is recommended.
Criteria and Requirements for TVE Use
The District may use TVE in the following situations:
- Course instruction delivery to students who do not want to attend in person for a limited number of days (less than 50% of the total school days) when the school building is open, but do not meet homebound instruction requirements pursuant to W.S. 21-4-402.
- Continued instructional delivery when students, teachers, and /or full classrooms, grade levels, etc. need to stay home in quarantine or isolation.
- Hybrid school schedules with mostly in-person days and some virtual days.
- Virtual school days during inclement weather.
- Virtual school days for emergency building closures (i.e. gas leak, construction delays).
Students will be on-site for in-person instruction the majority of the time, and a majority of total days for each school year. Students may be off-site for TVE depending on school building closures, implementation of a virtual day, individual need (illness, medical condition or emergencies).
This policy shall not be construed to require the District to provide TVE for every student in every situation, or to provide TVE in every instance when a building or school may be closed. For individual students, the building principal shall decide whether to allow a student to participate in school or classes by TVE, subject to review by the Superintendent. For closures of buildings or schools, the Superintendent shall determine whether to deliver classes by TVE.
Teachers may be in their physical classrooms within the District instructing students in the classroom at the same time they are synchronously or asynchronously instructing students off-site. Teachers may, in rare situations, deliver TVE instruction while off-site. Such situations shall generally only occur during school-wide, district-wide, grade-level wide or similar closures where all students and teachers within a building, a school, or a grade-level are attending school through TVE. Teachers will generally not be permitted to deliver TVE instruction while they are off-site to students in the classroom, unless special circumstances exist. Such situations will require prior approval of the Superintendent. All teachers delivering TVE must be teachers currently employed by the District.
No approval from the Wyoming Department of Education is necessary for districts to implement TVE days.
Description of Temporary Virtual Education for Elementary, Middle and High School.
For all grade levels of schools, the District will provide TVE as described below.
The District may allow students to access TVE through the Internet. If Internet access is not available, and TVE will be provided for more than one consecutive day, the District will plan to provide downloadable or printed materials and telephonic interaction with the teacher. If Internet access is not available, and student will be receiving TVE for more than one consecutive day, teachers must regularly contact students by telephone.
The District may provide a device with the software needed for each student off-campus to participate in the class through whatever medium is being used for the virtual instruction delivery including video and audio technology for any synchronous interaction that may be provided.
The District will provide materials for students off-campus to complete and submit electronically.
Attendance
Attendance in the student information system (SIS) indicates in-person attendance and off-site attendance. Off-site attendance for TVE must be verified by the classroom teacher on a daily basis in accordance with Chapter 8 School Finance Rules. Attendance should be recorded for each class period for middle, junior high and high school, and twice daily in elementary schools. Attendance taken in TVE for any given day or class period shall be recorded in the District’s permanent student information system no later than the start of the next school day.
Procedures To Ensure TVE Days Do Not Exceed 50% of the Total School Days for Any Student
To ensure that TVE days do not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the total school days for any student, each teacher shall record the attendance of each student attending by TVE as described above. The District shall track the number of days each student attends school for a day by TVE, or for middle school or high school students, each class a student attends by TVE. When a student has attended 40% of the total days for a school year by TVE, or has attend 40% of the classes for a school year by TVE, the District shall notify the student and his or her parents of the number of days the student has already attended school by TVE, and the maximum number of days remaining that the student may attend school by TVE. The notice shall inform the student and his or her parents that the student may not attend school by TVE after the maximum number of days has been reached.
Monitoring Instructional Quality
To monitor the quality of TVE instruction, principals shall, to the extent practicable, conduct observations of some classes which are delivered by TVE. Since delivery of instruction by TVE may be sporadic and unpredictable, observations of classes delivered by TVE may not always be practicable. Principals shall conduct their observations in accordance with the same methods and using the same evaluation instruments the District uses for in-person, on-site observations.
Notification of TVE
When a school delivers instruction by TVE, the District shall notify the parents of the student(s) as follows:
-For an individual student who will receive TVE instruction, the teacher, principal or other staff member shall call the parent to inform them of the day the student will attend school or certain classes by TVE.
-For a planned school-wide or District-wide TVE days, the District will notify parents by district calendar.
-For unplanned school-wide or District-wide TVE days the District will notify parents by automated calls/texts/emails/radio.