SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — The San Diego Unified School District and other school districts on Monday began distance learning Monday as campuses remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
For now, students will not be graded for school work until after April 24.
Administrators have put a lot of work into the launch of distance learning, but some critics said students are not getting enough.
Poway Unified Superintendent Dr. Marian Kim Phelps said, "Essentially we're turning education on a dime."
Each class will look a little different. Some teachers will meet with students via Zoom. Others will email assignments to be completed online.
The soft launch period will last for two weeks until official grading begins April 20th. At San Diego Unified, grading starts on the 27th.
"We're trying to work out the kinks and technical difficulties."
Poway Unified has passed out thousands of chrome books to ensure students have access to learning. San Diego Unified has also done the same. San Diego Unified is also offering grades no lower than what students were earning before.
Poway Unified is considering that or credit/no credit.
The San Diego NAACP, which has been critical of the move, in a letter directed at San Diego Unified said:
"Taking the easy way out is not acceptable in any way, shape or form."
The organization also questioned why distance learning is being rolled out now as opposed to weeks ago.Dr. Phelps said thousands of hours of training and planning have gone into this system of learning.
"The rollout could have been fast, but it would have been half hazard, and it would have been maybe careless," said Dr. Phelps.
Another area of concern are special education students, who often meet with instructors one-on-one.
While they won't have access to the same type of instruction, teachers are reaching out to affected families to decide the best way to move forward.
“We're all trying to figure it out, and the thing we need to remember is we're all trying."
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For students in TK-12 - in the San Diego Unified School District - who need a computer, Chromebooks will be available for check-out, depending on where students attend school, at the following high schools: Clairemont, Crawford, Hoover, Lincoln, Morse, San Diego High and Scripps Ranch. Families will receive information this weekend on when and where to pick up their Chromebooks.