Learning Models
This summer, the Minnesota Departments of Education and Health have directed districts to prepare for three scenarios (distance learning, in-person, and hybrid) for the 2020-2021 school year.
Some families may not be comfortable with their child(ren) returning to school at all due to the COVID-19 global pandemic health crisis. Parents may select our full-time Distance Learning option by contacting the principal’s office of their child’s school, unless they already indicated their Distance Learning preference in the District’s family survey.
*Subject to change: COVID-19 and the resulting global health crisis remains a fluid situation. Therefore, plans are subject to change based on circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click on the scenarios below for additional information.
During in-person learning, students will learn on-site in school daily.
Attendance
Attendance is taken daily.
Schedule
Schools follow a traditional schedule with all students on campus, every day.
Safety Procedures
Parents and staff are required to complete a daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms using the Qualtrics system and agree to keep their child/self home if they are ill.
Face-coverings are required per Executive Order 20-81 and School District policy 808. The school district will provide one face mask for each student. Face shields are available based upon need. Families are expected to ensure their child has a clean face-covering daily.
Maintain as much physical spacing as possible.
Frequent handwashing and/or hand sanitization are encouraged.
Isolation processes will be implemented when COVID-19 symptoms are reported during the school day.
Enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols will be implemented.
Technology
All PreK-12 students will be provided with a district-issued iPad and protective case.
Students without internet access should email Jason Hulstein at hulsteinj@willmar.k12.mn.us or call 320-231-8545 for assistance.
Bussing
Busing will be provided to the following eligible students:
- Students in grades PreK-5 who reside one or more miles from school.
- Students in grades 6-12 who reside two or more miles from school are eligible.
Due to capacity constraints related to COVID-19, Willmar Bus Service and Palmer Bus Service will not be able to provide an “In Town Paid” option for the 2020-21 school year.
Meals
Breakfast and lunch will be available to students on-site each school day.
Meals will be prepared on-site. Meals will be served either hot or cold. Meals and beverages may be prepackaged grab-and-go or served directly to students.
Depending on the site, student meals may be served in the classroom.
School-Aged Child Care
A fee-based program will be available before and after school.
Visitors
Nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations will be restricted, and in most cases, non-staff will not be allowed in the buildings.
Parents will be able to drop off essential items for their students due to forgetting them at home (iPads, lunch, backpack, medication, etc.) in accordance with building procedures.
After-School Activities
After-school activities will be determined based on current public health conditions and decisions by the Minnesota State High School League.
When after-school activities occur, students must immediately report to the activity after the school day is done.
During hybrid learning, students will report to school on a rotating schedule, alternating between in-person and distance learning.
Attendance
Attendance is taken daily.
Schedule
Students are divided into two cohorts. Students from the same family will be assigned to the same cohort, attending their school(s) on the same days.
- Cohort A meets in-person Mondays/Tuesdays and works via distance learning on Wednesday-Friday.
- Cohort B meets in-person on Thursdays/Fridays and via distance learning on Monday-Wednesday.
- Buildings will be deep cleaned on Wednesday.
**This does not apply to the ALC and Pre-K at Jefferson Learning Center students.
Safety Procedures
Parents and staff are required to complete a daily screening for COVID-19 symptoms using the Qualtrics system and agree to keep their child/self home if they are ill.
Face-coverings are required per Executive Order 20-81 and School District policy 808. The school district will provide one face mask for each student. Face shields are available based upon need. Families are expected to ensure their child has a clean face-covering daily.
Maintain six-feet of physical spacing between individuals.
The number of people on-site must be less than 50% of each building’s fire marshal’s occupancy limit.
Frequent handwashing and/or hand sanitization are encouraged.
Isolation processes will be implemented when COVID-19 symptoms are reported during the school day.
Enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols will be implemented.
Technology
All PreK-12 students will be provided with a district-issued iPad and protective case.
Students without internet access should email Jason Hulstein at hulsteinj@willmar.k12.mn.us or call 320-231-8545 for assistance.
Bussing
Busing will be provided to the following eligible students at 50% capacity:
- Students in grades PreK-5 who reside one or more miles from school are eligible.
- Students in grades 6-12 who reside two or more miles from school are eligible.
Due to capacity constraints related to COVID-19, Willmar Bus Service and Palmer Bus Service will not be able to provide an “In Town Paid” option for the 2020-21 school year.
Meals
Breakfast and lunch will be available to students on-site each school day.
Meals will be prepared on-site. Meals will be served either hot or cold. Meals and beverages may be prepackaged grab-and-go or served directly to students.
Depending on the site, student meals may be served in the classroom, in the cafeteria, or in other common spaces that accommodate social distancing for all students.
Students will be able to pick up meals at the end of the school day on Tuesdays and Fridays for consumption during the days they are learning at home.
School-Aged Child Care
A fee-based program will be available before and after school. Child care is available at no charge for Tier I critical care workers on distance learning days during the regular school hours.
Visitors
Nonessential visitors, volunteers, and activities involving external groups or organizations will be restricted, and in most cases, non-staff will not be allowed in the buildings.
Parents will be able to drop off essential items for their students due to forgetting them at home (iPads, lunch, backpack, medication, etc.) in accordance with building procedures.
After-School Activities
After-school activities will be determined based on current public health conditions and decisions by the Minnesota State High School League.
When after-school activities occur, students must immediately report to the activity after the school day is done.
During distance learning, students will learn remotely and not come to our school buildings.
Attendance
Attendance is taken daily.
Schedule
WPS Teachers deliver instruction online via Google Classroom (PreK-5), Schoology (6-12) and videoconferences (i.e. Google Meets or Zoom).
Safety Procedures
Students remain at home. All school buildings will be closed to the public.
Technology
All PreK-12 students will be provided with a district-issued iPad and protective case.
Students without internet access should email Jason Hulstein at hulsteinj@willmar.k12.mn.us or call 320-231-8545 for assistance.
Bussing
Buses will not transport students. Buses may be used for other needs such as food delivery and wifi access.
Meals
Breakfast and lunch meal service will be available to students on regularly-scheduled school days. Meals may be delivered by school buses or may be picked up at school buildings. If the district uses this model, a schedule will be posted on the district’s website.
School-Aged Child Care
A fee-based program will be available before and after school. Child care is available at no charge for Tier I critical care workers on distance learning days during the regular school hours.
Visitors
All facilities are closed to the public.
After-School Activities
No after-school activities.
Learning Model Determination
Which learning model the district will be in will be determined by the Superintendent in consultation with the District's COVID-19 incident command team and driven by the Minnesota Departments of Health and Minnesota Department of Education’s Safe Learning Plan for 2020-2021.
The Safe Learning Plan outlines an approach to determine the learning model based on new COVID-19 cases per 10,000 over 14 days by county of residence.
The District will review bi-weekly data with the Kandiyohi County Public Health Department. If the data indicates a change in the learning model should be considered, a regional support committee composed of MDE, MDH, and the Southwest West Central Service Cooperative will advise the District on the next steps. While the primary driver will be the number of cases per 10,000 over 14 days at the county level, other factors will also be considered such as specific locations of virus outbreak associated with the increase/decrease in cases.
| 0-9 | In-person learning for all students |
| 10-19 | In-person learning for elementary students; hybrid learning for secondary students |
| 20-29 | Hybrid learning for all students |
| 30-49 | Hybrid learning for elementary students, distance learning for secondary students |
| 50+ | Distance learning for all students |