SCHOOLS

Desire for stability, health risks drive some local families to a full year of online school

A door sign on the outside of Bush Elementary School on Thursday, July 30. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)

Nicki Marazzani’s daughter, Chloe, 12, does best in school when she has a clear schedule. 

When she saw the Salem-Keizer School District was offering an all-online option for the entire school year, Chloe was signed up. 

“It was kind of a relief to know we had an option we weren’t dependent on Covid for,” Marazzani said. 

With coronavirus cases still climbing, none of the district’s 41,000 students will start the year in a classroom. Salem-Keizer, like many Oregon districts, is planning to provide remote teaching until at least mid-November. School officials hope that by then Covid will have tamed enough that schools can reopen. 

Yet 5,000 students already have signed up for EDGE, Enhanced Digital and Guided Instruction an online program available for students in every grade. Even if classrooms later reopen, students like Chloe will stick with their online schooling. 

“We really just needed something consistent,” Marazzani said. 

EDGE started as a temporary response to the pandemic, but administrators Artonya Gemmill and Christine Bowlby want to ensure families always have an option for online school. Salem-Keizer previously provided such schooling for some high school students. 

Bowlby said in her 19 years as a Salem-Keizer teacher and administrator, “I saw that a traditional brick-and-mortar school isn’t always the best for every student. This is an opportunity to create something, build something that can meet our family’s needs.” 

Their goal is for EDGE to offer the flexibility and personalized instruction that draws some students to online charter or private schools, but also provides families the option to stay connected to neighborhood schools for activities like sports and clubs. 

“It opens up opportunities for all families,” Gemmill said. 

Many questions remain about which classes EDGE can offer. Last Friday was the soft deadline for students to sign up so Gemmill and Bowlby could determine how many teachers they’ll need and begin more detailed planning. 

Families can still enroll students through Aug. 24 on the district website, Bowlby said, and there’s no extra cost. Students who don’t enroll in EDGE will remain in “blended learning” through their regular school, meaning classes will start all virtual but move back to the classroom as soon as Salem-Keizer reopens. 

But the first round of sign-ups has given the pair a clearer picture of how online school will operate. 

Gemmill said they will offer Advanced Placement classes online, though the specific courses remain to be determined. Specific courses will depend on student interest. 

“If only two students sign up for underwater basket weaving we can’t offer that elective,” Gemmill said. 

About 16% of students who registered for EDGE are not native English speakers, so elementary school will be available in a Spanish-English mix for native Spanish speakers, Bowlby said. 

Many local elementary schools currently provide such programs, where Spanish-speaking students begin kindergarten learning almost entirely in Spanish and incorporate progressively more English through fifth grade. 

That’s distinct from dual language programs where native English and native Spanish speakers are mixed in elementary school, with the goal of all students becoming fluent in both languages. EDGE will not have that option. 

Sign-ups for EDGE are relatively even across the district, with about 11% of students opting in. Percentages for kindergarten, 11th and 12th grade are slightly lower, district data shows. 

Gemmill and Bowlby said they were surprised to see an even split between elementary and secondary students. They had expected a higher share of older students to enroll, because remote learning is often easier for families when students can be work on their own. 

They’re now hiring teachers for EDGE, first opening jobs up to Salem-Keizer staff. Though online teaching is likely to appeal to educators who are at higher risk for Covid, the pair said they want to build a staff passionate about online learning. 

“We want teachers who are interested in teaching virtually and not just temporarily,” Bowlby said. 

Rossella Mariotti-Jones said signing up her two teenage sons for EDGE was the best option for her family because one of them is immunocompromised. 

She said the transition to online school in March had hiccups, but went reasonably well for because her husband’s flexible work schedule allows him to keep the boys on track. Mariotti-Jones expects classes will be better in the fall with more time to plan and train teachers. 

“Some of the teachers were not up to speed about what it took to do online lessons. It was a bit frustrating but understandable,” she said. 

Her 13-year-old son, Romeo, was a student at Howard Street Charter School and will have to give up his spot there to enroll in EDGE. She said he was understanding about the need, and both boys have been flexible. 

Despite uncertainties about what electives or courses EDGE will provide, Mariotti-Jones said the family isn’t worried. 

“I think it’s going to work out anyway in the end, and if he has to work a little harder maybe next summer, it’s going to have to be what it’s going to be,” she said. 

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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.