The Board’s vote to return all students to in-seat learning was unanimous.
This followed a lengthy presentation from Superintendent Peter Stiepleman that covered everything from the current COVID-19 case rate in the community, vaccination rates of CPS staff and teachers, as well as the status of safety precautions – like air ionization units.
Stiepleman said the current data was “encouraging” even following elementary students return to full in-person learning and high schoolers return to a hybrid model on January 19.
He cited a community case rate, as well as a hospitalization rate for the Columbia community that remained low or even reduced.
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During Monday evening’s more than four-hour meeting, the board got an update on COVID-19 from Superintendent Dr. Peter Stiepleman and heard from many concerned parents, teachers and staff – some in support of a return to in-seat learning and some in support of remaining entirely virtual.
Kathy Steinhof, the President of CMNEA, spoke first and urged the Board to consider the needs and fears of teachers before voting to send students back to in-seat learning.
“I am not dismissing the cost of being virtual. We know virtual learning is not ideal, and we are keenly aware that our students and our families and the community and our employees are facing other critical and unintended consequences of our district being virtual,” Steinhof said. “But virtual has kept many in our community safe and potentially alive. It doesn t make sense to give up on the data driven plan we have been committed to, and we re so close to the finish line.”