Keep the students & teachers in school safe

Teach the students learning online effectively

For students & teachers in school

1. Move as many classes as possible outdoors, weather permitting

   And ideally, build some outdoor classrooms too. Canopy-like outdoor (and heated!) structures are common in the Army. We could build those in Barbourville.

2. Upgrade our ventilation system

   Every time you talk, sneeze, our cough, not every particle is large enough to fall to the ground or get caught in a mask. Some potentially infectious droplets smaller are small enough to float in the air and circulate. This makes upgrading our HVAC system absolutely critical. Phoenix will ensure that air flow in all classrooms are tested, upgrade our HVAC’s filtration systems to MERV-13 standards or higher, make portable HEPA filters available for classrooms that need it, and ensure the Barbourville’s ventilation systems exceed ASHRAE standards for air quality.

3. Be flexible and experiment

   Ever heard of “teacher rotation?” Instead of having students move from classroom to classroom, have teachers rotate instead. This reduces the number of people coming in contact with each other, and helps keep teachers safer. Practices like these are the sorts of flexible policies we may need to adopt to keep students and teachers safe.

4. Encourage mask use - and have spares on hand

   Phoenix will continue ongoing efforts to make washable - and stylish! - masks available, and that a steady supply of spares are always on hand.

5. Test widely & test everyone regularly

   Phoenix will tap state and federal emergency resources to try and get every student, teacher, and staff member tested monthly. As soon as cheaper tests (currently in development) that allow for daily testing become available, he’ll ensure Barbourville adopts that too.

6. Be Together Apart - Organize small social events that allow for social distancing

   Being torn away from your friends is super-depressing! Phoenix will work to make sure at least some small school social events are scheduled, where adequate safety measures can still be taken.

7. Implement Contact Tracing

   Phoenix will ensure Barbourville Independent School District trains contact tracers so that if anyone tests positive, the virus can be contained.

8. Help create a safety net

   Parents need help with child-care, both teachers and staff need paid sick leave. Phoenix will work to make sure these benefits are defended/expanded, and will recruit a network of volunteers to create these if necessary.

9. “Last to Close, First to Open”

   Schools don’t just provide education. They’re also the biggest provider of childcare and many other essential services. Phoenix will work with Barbourville and Knox County government to ensure that if the pandemic worsens again, that schools are the last thing to close and the first thing to reopen.

10. Create a two year plan

    Do NOT assume that this pandemic will simply go away when a vaccine is created. Even a 100% effective vaccine will still need to be distributed nation-wide, and that will take time. Phoenix will make sure Barbourville Independent Schools are prepared through at least 2022.

For online learners

1. Make HIGH QUALITY books, e-books, audiobooks, & lesson plans available to students/parents at NO COST

   Kids love learning new things! Beyond just textbooks, Phoenix will make books and e-books on history, literature, science, math, and social studies available FREE to both parents and students. He’ll also make sure lesson plans are available to help make sure parents and students can keep up with what they would have learned in class.

2. Give teachers a MASSIVE amount of help learning how to teach online

   Teaching online isn’t the same as teaching in-person. It’s possible to become better at it, but our teachers will need all the support they can get.

3. Create more internet hotspots

   Students will need access to the internet in order to complete online assignments. Data plans aren’t going to be enough - we need to expand wi-fi internet access. Phoenix will work to create more internet hotspots, starting with hotspots in the school parking lot. Older students, many of whom drive themselves to school already, will be able do online classes from their car, while being close enough to meet with teachers one-by-one if needed

4. Expand tutoring

   Many students don’t learn the best online, and will need need extra help. I’ll work to assemble a cadre of QUALIFIED volunteers, retired teachers, and Union college professors willing to tutor any students who need it. I myself volunteer to tutor any student in social studies who needs it. Our goal: No one gets left behind!

5. VIGOROUS follow-up & OPEN communication

   For school districts across this country, this pandemic has been like building a plane while flying it. There will be bumps in the road. Which is why Phoenix will ensure vigorous steps are taken to follow up with EVERY household, to make sure no students fall through the cracks. Phoenix will stay in open communication and dialogue with the Barbourville community over all school matters - including pandemic response measures.

6. Improve teacher peer learning, and higher quality professional development

   For years, teachers have been wishing for more opportunities to learn from each other. Phoenix will ensure that teachers, particularly new ones, are given regular and ongoing opportunities to learn best practices from each other - especially when it comes to online learning.

7. Get rid of low quality professional development

   In my education experience, I’ve seen more than enough useless teacher training masquerading as “professional development” (PD). I promise to work with teachers to make sure all professional development is genuinely high quality and useful, and that teachers’ time is not wasted though low quality PD.

8. Understand the limits of online teaching

   Here’s the truth: Online classes are not the same as in-person teaching. They’re good for self-motivated students, and as an emergency measure during the pandemic. But they are not a long-term fix. Phoenix will do his utmost to make sure in-person classes can be resumed as soon as can be done so safely.

9. Adopt a content-focused curriculum

   In times of educational uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to be clear on what students need to learn. Switching from a curriculum that teaches vague and often meaningless “skills” in early elementary school to one focused on teaching knowledge will help make online teaching much more focused, and thus easier/less frustrating for teachers and students alike.