Redmond adjusts ‘hybrid’ high school schedules for students’ Feb. 22 return

Plans half-day in-person classes 4 days a week, not full-time 2 days a week

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- After exploring various scheduling models in an effort to have high school students on site as much as possible, the Redmond School District said Monday it will bring high school students back to in-person learning on a morning and afternoon A/B hybrid schedule, starting Feb. 22.

All students who indicated they want to return to in-person learning will have a morning or afternoon schedule, based on their need for district-provided transportation.

All students will attend a half-day on site Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week and virtual classes the other half of each day.

Students will learn remotely on Wednesdays, while teachers provide office hours and personalized learning support, which takes place from 11 a.m. to  2 p.m. each Wednesday.

• Cohort A will attend classes in-person at their school from 7:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m., with remote classes in the afternoon from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (district-provided transportation available for this cohort)

• Cohort B will start the day with remote classes from 7:30 a.m. to 10:20 a.m and will attend classes in-person at their school from 12 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. (no district-provided transportation for this cohort. Students will need to self-transport to and from school.)

All students, when not on site with teachers, will attend classes virtually in CANVAS to complete the other half of the school day.

Based on recent survey data, the district said it learned that most high school students plan to get themselves to school. As a result, they were able to create this new schedule.

At this time, the district is unable to provide a morning/afternoon hybrid model for middle schools because that model would require all middle school students in the afternoon cohort to get a ride to and from school.

"When we took a parent survey about transportation in late January, we saw the majority of middle school students needed district transportation," the announcement said. "The district will continue to review the middle school hybrid schedule to determine how to get students on campus on a more regular basis."

This is a change from the previously planned hybrid high school schedule, which would have featured high school students in each cohort attending in person two days each week.

There are advantages to this schedule, the district said. Most importantly, every high school student will attend in person four days each week instead of two.

Student cohorts will stay well under 75, helping the district comply with state rules and cutting down on the number of potential people who would have to quarantine in case of illness.

"We believe this schedule will help our students’ social and emotional wellbeing, decrease their screen fatigue, and renew their connection and investment in their education," the district said. "Because of this shift in schedule, students who have chosen the Full-Time Online option will also have more opportunities to connect with their teachers.