An Oregon middle school is halting in-person learning because some students are “struggling with the socialization skills necessary for in-person learning.”
Reynolds Middle School, which was one of many schools that provided virtual learning through the pandemic, is making a brief return to distance learning while school faculty and staff formulate “operational safety procedures” to address the problem.
These procedures are meant to ensure the school “has the necessary social–emotional supports and safety protocols in place to provide a safe learning environment,” according to Fox News.
“The shifts in learning methods and isolation caused by COVID-19 closures and quarantines have taken a toll on the well-being of our students and staff,” Superintendent Danna Diaz said. “We are finding that some students are struggling with the socialization skills necessary for in-person learning, which is causing disruption in school for other students.”
Diaz did not comment on what sort of fights took place, the frequency of these fights or the severity of the outcomes.
“The safety and security of our students, families, and staff is our highest priority,” Diaz said.
It is unclear what protocols or safety measures are to be taken when the students return to in-person learning, or whether any steps had been taken before the decision to shut down had been made.
School has been cancelled on Thursday and Friday to allow teachers to prepare for the transition.
This news has fallen on some displeased ears:
SCHOOL CLOSURES: Wow, think we should invest in emotional support for children instead of closing schools again after prolonged schools closures last year (that led to mental/emotional difficulty). https://t.co/sECrFumNbY
— Monica Gandhi MD, MPH (@MonicaGandhi9) November 17, 2021
1 – I believe this school district has officially adopted “Restorative Justice” policies where no one is disciplined and the response to everything is to “talk it out”
2 – At least one member of the school board publicly stated that doing what you suggest would not be “equitable”— Diana Villiers (@DianaVilliers1) November 18, 2021
How about a novel concept of suspending the ones who are doing the fighting. Assuming others are “disrupting” other students, those may get the message to moderate behavior. Alas, it’s much easier to punish everyone instead of addressing the problem every other school does.
— rick stanfield (@rockytfs) November 17, 2021
