School updates plans as online instruction continues Monday

Janelle Jessen/Siloam Sunday School employee Ashley Shoptaw helps pass out food from a school bus near Bob Henry Park on Thursday. The Siloam Springs School District is expanding its meal program starting Monday to deliver lunches and breakfasts on regular bus routes between 10 and 11:15 a.m.
Janelle Jessen/Siloam Sunday School employee Ashley Shoptaw helps pass out food from a school bus near Bob Henry Park on Thursday. The Siloam Springs School District is expanding its meal program starting Monday to deliver lunches and breakfasts on regular bus routes between 10 and 11:15 a.m.

Siloam Springs Schools will be providing school bus meal delivery and internet safe zones when students resume online learning after spring break Monday.

Schools across the state are closed for on-campus instruction through Friday, April 17, due to covid-19 concerns.

Free Wi-Fi locations for SSSD students

1. Bob Henry Park

2. Nicodemus Community Church, 20185 Fisher Ford Road

3. Mosaic Community Fellowship, 17410 Kincheloe Road

4. Logan Community Center, 15249 Logan Road

5. Siloam Springs Public Library - no password needed

6. Parking lot of all Siloam Springs Schools — student district password

* The wireless internet name for locations one through four is “Panther WiFi” and password is “Panther2019!” Internet access is for SSSD students only.

Free meals for kids

Lunch and breakfast for the following day for all kids under age 18 will be provided on weekdays beginning Monday, March 30, through Friday, April 17.

Buses will follow normal routes beginning at 10 a.m. and deliver meals at their usual stops. Even if students don’t ride the bus, they can wait at any bus stop close to their location. Buses should finish delivery by 11:15 a.m.

Pick up for grab-and-go meals will be available at the following locations from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.:

• Allen Elementary School side door of cafeteria

• Middle school at side door of cafeteria off Dogwood Street

• High school at front office entrance

• Intermediate school front door

• Southside Elementary School front door

Superintendent Jody Wiggins detailed the district's plans to continue educating students and providing for their needs in a video message to students and parents Thursday.

The school district has been providing students with grab-and-go meals Monday through Friday at 10 locations since schools closed on March 17, including during spring break. On Monday, the meal program will be expanded to a school bus delivery service, Wiggins said.

Lunches, along with breakfasts for the following day, will be delivered at bus stops along regular bus routes between 10 and 11:15 a.m. each day. Even if students don't usually ride the bus, they can receive meals by waiting at the bus stop closest to their location, Wiggins said. Grab-and-go meals will continue to be available from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at each school except Northside Elementary School. No eating on site will be allowed in an effort to limit crowd size and person-to-person contact.

The school district sent devices, including Google Chromebooks and iPads, home with students before school closed. The district has added several free wireless internet (Wi-Fi) hotspots, inside and outside of city limits, for students who don't have internet access at home,Wiggins said.

Parents can park in the parking lot of any school building to access free Wi-Fi, using the student's school login information. Free Wi-Fi will also be available for students only at Bob Henry Park, Nicodemus Community Church, Mosaic Community Fellowship, Logan Community Center and Siloam Springs Public Library.

When schools closed on March 17, the district transitioned from in-person teaching and instruction to digital instruction over the course of a couple of days, Wiggins said.

School administrators are addressing the feedback they received from parents after the first few days of online education, Wiggins said. Some parents found their students had too much work and from others who said their students could do more, he said. Teachers and administrators worked during spring break to standardize expectations across the district and especially across grade levels, he said.

Wiggins said that district officials have also heard questions about graduation, prom, athletic events and other large events.

"Just know, as of right now, all large events in the district have been postponed pending what happens over the next few weeks," Wiggins said.

The school cannot use the University of Arkansas' Barnhill Arena on the date they have chosen, so the district is trying to postpone the event or make other arrangements, he said.

Prom, originally scheduled in April, is also canceled, he said.

"If we have the possibility of rescheduling it on another date, we may do that," Wiggins said.

Athletic events, as well as any other large events related to band, choir or extracurricular activities are also postponed, he said.

"We will look at rescheduling the things that we can if we can," he said.

The district is also working to keep non-certified employees working during the shut-down, Wiggins said. Maintenance crews are cleaning and sanitizing buildings in a staggered schedule to conform to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. One administrator and administrative assistant is working in each building and all other administrators are working from home, he said.

The district is utilizing transportation, food service and other non-certified personnel for the food delivery program, Wiggins said.

Wiggins said he is hopeful that on-campus school will resume on April 20 but asked parents and students to stay tuned for further updates.

"We have a wonderful community and I appreciate your efforts to try to keep our kid's engaged as we struggle through this unprecedented time and please note that the school district is trying our hardest to keep instruction going, keep learning going with our students and maintain contact with our students as we move forward," he said.

For updates and to view Wiggins' message, visit the school website, siloamschools.com, or social media pages.

General News on 03/29/2020