Colleagues:
Our schools have not been in session full-time since Thursday, March 5. It hurts to scratch that date from my memory and acknowledge that it has been that long. This weekend, we have seen our country, state and county all eclipse COVID-19 case records that were thought to be the “worst case scenario” by experts as far back as early summer.
Despite these historic marks, several people in our SPPS community have continued to safely serve our students in various capacities. I am also aware that our staff and community have not been immune to contracting COVID-19 or supporting family members or friends who have had positive cases. I’m sorry to all of you and my heart goes out especially to those who have suffered the most, including the loss of loved ones.
I have previously stated clearly that I have no desire to continue business as usual as Distance Learning continues. We learned a great deal from our spring experience and have come together to provide a better experience for our students and, I hope, our staff, too. I do know for certain that our SPPS students are not responsible for the COVID-19 global pandemic. Our students are not responsible for the lack of federal response, the decisions made at the state level, or the extent to which residents of our communities follow public health guidelines.Simply put, none of this is their fault.
Earlier this month, I asked for a district report of the 1st quarter progress reports for our high school students. The results were eye-opening and very disturbing. The number of failing marks at this point in the 20-21 school year is simply unacceptable. I understand the purpose of progress reports, as a former high school teacher, AP and Principal, I have spent my fair share of time tracking down students and intervening with support.
This year, the number of failing marks more than doubled what have been reported in previous years. What is even more disheartening is the presence of race within these data. Native American, Asian, Hispanic, Black, Pacific Islander, and students who identify by two or more races have a staggering percentage of failures received when compared to their White peers.
These early indicators of student success are unacceptable, and we have time to turn this around. I implore each one of us to deeply examine how we are reaching out to students, families and each other to offer support. The traditional system has historically excluded and minoritized our students and families; it is time for us to recommit to all of our students. I am encouraged by engaging with our school and district leaders who are crafting plans to engage and support our struggling students.
Thank you for your careful attention to this message. I want all of our students to know that we will not give up on them, none of us. While it may be frustrating and disappointing that directions are not being followed, deadlines may not be met, and the quality of work turned in may not compare to work submitted prior to March 5, we need to also remember that none of us have lived through a time like this. All of the unique members of our community are facing COVID-19 fear, uncertainty and to different degrees, destabilization. I ask you to lead with care, grace and compassion to help our students navigate this unimaginable time.
While we remain in Distance Learning, I will continue to monitor local health data for future dates when we will consider a transition to hybrid learning. We have listed January 19 as a possible date to transition stages 2 and 3 in addition to restarting stage 1. I will look to the week of December 14 to communicate with you based on the data available at that time.
In partnership,
Joe Gothard, Superintendent
