The Christian County Public School System is preparing for an unusual year when students return on August 27, but new Superintendent Chris Bentzel says the main priority will be taking care of those students, whether they’re physically in the classroom or not.
Bentzel says it’s his intention to be more transparent with the community than ever before, including making it so school board meetings will be available to watch online from now on. Families in the community have the option of enrolling their students in a Virtual Learning Academy instead of sending them to a traditional, in-person setting. Bentzel says it is its own school, with its own teachers and curriculum while allowing students to still participate in graduations, proms and extra-curricular activities.
Approximately 1,100 students are currently signed up to do the Virtual Learning Academy, and enrollment will remain open until August 1—he says at any point in the school year, if a parent becomes concerned, they can put their child into the academy.
He says things are always changing in the midst of this pandemic, so the school system is preparing to switch to Non-Traditional Instruction if required to do so for the safety of their students. Bentzel says there’s no discipline set up for non-compliance of mask wearing, and he’s confident it’s something they’ll be able to discuss with the student and see what’s best for them.
He says the use of those Non-Traditional Instruction days will be very helpful, especially in the event the Christian County Health Department recommends a school closure due to positive COVID-19, as they’ll be able to shift students to that at-home model of learning.
Bentzel says there are four things he’s focused on while heading towards the new school year—celebrating kids returning to school, getting them back into healthy routines, taking care of the students educationally, mentally and emotionally while keeping them physically healthy and then getting back to traditional instruction.