By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson USD 308 hopes that getting back in person as they did on Wednesday can continue through the rest of the year, but if we do have further weather issues, the plan is to do a virtual learning day in those instances rather than have any more snow days.
"We really don't want to have to add minutes to the day or extend the day, even though there's going to be lots of additional learning opportunities for remediation to get caught up," said USD 308 Superintendent Mike Folks. "We just didn't want to add that to our plate. Unless we just absolutely can't have a remote day, that will be the plan when we have inclement weather."
It's an important time in the school year to get back in person in the classroom if possible.
"Some school districts are talking about March 1," Folks said. "That falls pretty close to our third trimester. We really wanted to bring all the students back a couple weeks in front of that for finals and to get back to the new normal, whatever that is and to get students and staff acclimated before we transition into that third and final trimester."
Finals would have been difficult to execute remotely.
"Logistically, it's kind of like the Kansas State Department of Education saying, you know, you can give state assessments, but you can't give state assessments remotely. I think the finals would be in that same category."
HHS will be on finals schedule the week of Feb. 22. After a regular school day on Feb. 22, HHS will have finals on Feb. 23, 24 and 25, with finals for two class periods given each day, and students done each day by 11 a.m. HHS staff will have a work/professional development day on Feb. 26.