USD 501 says online class attendance is strong

In a world of social distancing, the classroom has transitioned online and some educators worry the virtual seats are empty.

Superintendent Tiffany Anderson says she doesn’t believe that USD 501 isn’t seeing a problem.

“We have had anywhere from one hundred percent to around eight percent of our students attending class so we have had a really great engagement rate.”

Anderson says the district is taking a proactive approach to keep kids engaged.

“So here’s the thing for kids that aren’t showing up. We have been doing some home visits and phone calls and that kind of thing to see what the situation is and helping parents navigate some things.”

Anderson says most students already had laptops provided and they’re working to assist students who have extra responsibility at home.

“What we learned is that several kids have siblings at home and their parents are going to have to go to work and they have to babysit so it’s really hard for them to get online so we came up with something new for students sharing that. This week we are creating some additional after school hours tutoring and class times that they can sign up for outside of the normal school day.”