School is out for FRHC students Thursday, e-Learning is in

Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools will be having their first try at a distance learning day on Thursday, Nov. 1st. Instead of heading into the school building, students will be heading to their iPads.

On Thursday, staff and teachers will come to school, but students will stay home with online lessons. FRHC Superintendent Shawn Price said that all students have been issued the iPads and have been practicing for the first e-Learning day with teachers posting lessons to the online system.. 

"It is not nothing really new to the students, but they will be doing that from home without the teacher being right there with them, doing those lessons," Price said.

This year, the district has two such days built into the schedule. Unlike other districts, Hope Elementary and Hauser will not be using e-Learning for bad weather alternatives. Instead, the district's teachers and administrators will be using the days for training and planning purposes, Price said. 

The teachers and staff will use Thursday to learn more about the new NWA standardized test the school district is using.

Price said there are allowances built into the system for students without the appropriate home internet access.Price said the district sent out surveys to homes to find out how many students are without internet. 

"Those assignments are actually the attendance for the child, so for the child to get credit for their attendance that day, they have to turn in the assignment,' Price said. "But the assignment doesn't have to be turned in on the e-Learning day."

Price said that the assignments will be posted for student access tonight and there will be extra hours at the end of the school day Friday and Monday where students can complete those assignments. The deadline to turn them in for credit will be Monday, he said.

Price said that the district will be looking closely at how Thursday's efforts go.

"This is our first time working through this so there will be a time of reflection after the fact to look on what worked during and what didn't," Price said.