Middle School Transition Planning – February 9, 2021

Dear Wayzata Middle School Families and Staff,

The purpose of this communication is to provide you information about our current planning process to bring middle school students who are in the hybrid model to full in-person learning.

While we had hoped to be able to share a specific start date, at this time we are still working through an approval process with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). We have proposed a transition plan to our MDE Regional Support Team that would allow us to return hybrid students to full in-person learning for grades 6-8 as early as March 15. However, this is contingent on what is happening with the COVID-19 virus and any changes in state guidance we may receive. We will be meeting again with our MDE Regional Support Team on February 22 and will provide an update to families at that time.

Although we do not yet have approval from our respective state departments, changing our learning model requires significant advanced planning. The following information will be helpful for a successful transition:

We have tentatively identified Monday, March 15, as the earliest possible date hybrid middle school students would attend in-person, 5 days per week. This date is only for planning purposes at this time.
If March 15 remains the transition date for in-person learning, there would be no school for students in grades 6-8 on Friday, March 5 and Friday, March 12 to provide staff time to prepare for students' full return to school. These two planning days are required by the Minnesota Department of Education and will be confirmed the week of February 22.
Distance Choice students will remain in their current learning model through the end of the 2020-21 school year.
Case managers will be in contact with Special Education and English Learner families to discuss schedule changes.

In-Person Learning Model Safety Protocols

In order to return to a full in-person learning model, middle school students must:

Complete at-home health checks and make the responsible decision to stay home when experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Wear a mask throughout the entire school day.
Maintain MDH/MDE social distancing requirements in effect for in-person learning.
Practice frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer at one of many designated locations throughout the school.

Additional safety information for in-person learning would be shared with families prior to the transition.

Previous Semester 2 selections for Hybrid/In-Person and Distance Choice learning models will remain in place for middle school students. In alignment with the guidance from the Minnesota Department of Education, requests to move between learning models may be denied for reasons other than a documented health issue.

We greatly appreciate your patience as we have been working hard to provide the best possible learning experience, while keeping the health and well-being of our students and staff at the forefront of all we do. We will provide more information the week of February 22.

Sincerely,