Putting some kind of educational materials in the hands of Warren County School District students last week was an undertaking.

That was Phase One of the district’s continuity of education plan.

Delivering materials specific to the classes students are taking is the next step.

“Phase 2 — this is where we are digging in this week,” Superintendent Amy Stewart said. “This is specific. ‘Mrs. Smith’ will be preparing materials for her own kids. K-12 teachers will provide specific online and offline review and enrichment activities.”

Teachers are back at work preparing to deliver those materials.

“At this point, educational continuity is considered ‘essential,'” Stewart said. “Our teachers are going to be back at it.”

“Meeting the needs of our 2020 seniors is a priority,” Stewart said. “Addressing potential secondary student failures is a priority.”

Phase 2 materials will be delivered on Thursday, April 16. The expectation is that there will be enough material to last students through Monday, April 27.

Phase 3A gets back to instruction for students in grades six through 12. Elementary students will remain in Phase 2 longer than secondary students.

“We’re going to be moving to some instruction at that point, not just enrichment and review,” Stewart said. “Students will be required to attend and will be receiving grades.”

Delivery of “application-based projects” will take place on Tuesday, April 28. Students will be expected to complete the projects and turn them in. The online deadline is May 20. Buses will run their normal routes of May 21 to collect offline packets. The deadline for all packets to be returned to schools is Friday, May 22.

Assessment will differ from what happens during a typical school year.

“We’re looking at it almost as if it’s a pass-fail,” Stewart said. “We’re going to be focusing on application-based projects. If the competencies are met, 100 percent. If competencies are not met, it’s a 59 percent. If there is no attempt, they’re looking at 40s.”

The district has a plan, but there are obstacles.

Delivery is one of the challenges. District teachers can’t simply hold online classes. Some teachers could handle that, even in one of the areas of the state with the worst broadband access, according to Stewart. She said about 85 percent of teachers have the internet connections to handle that at home.

The percentage among students is somewhat less.

“We are aware of over 1,000 students who need offline work,” Stewart said. “We expect more.”

There are some homes with no internet access, but those who have insufficient bandwidth to meet the educational needs, and those without sufficient bandwidth to handle parents who are using internet while working from home and siblings who are working on college assignments from home also count toward the total.

The teachers can’t act on their own, even if every one of their students has a suitable internet connection.

The district may not offer different strategies to different students in the same grade, even if some of those are offered online and some offline, Stewart said. “What we do with 12th grade… we have to do as a whole.”

Different strategies may be used in different grades.

Some teachers are better prepared to teach virtually. There has to be some accommodation for those teachers who are not “virtual all-stars,” Stewart said.

“Teachers need to be free to experiment and try new strategies,” she said. “Student grades should not be negatively impacted by this experimentation.”

Although the administration and curriculum, instruction, and technology committee are not recommending an extension of the school year, the district hopes to offer a beefed-up version of its summer programming.

Among the proposals suggested Monday were: Offering one-week programs in the summer, removing fees from the typical summer offerings, and bringing on more staff to handle an anticipated high level of participation.

“The district is prepared to modify typical summer programming,” Stewart said. “We’re going to have to reinvent what that looks like.”

She said the curriculum for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year will also have to change.

“We are biting off what we can chew,” Stewart said. “I feel very good about this recommendation. We’re all very satisfied with where we have landed. This is attainable for our kids.”