Ripley Central School District is striving to reach out to its students. Submitted Photo

RIPLEY — Ripley Central School District is considering the possibility of delivering enough food for its students to provide meals for the weekend as well as the week during the time of school closure caused by the COVID-19 virus.

Many districts have been considering the action, noting that “hunger doesn’t take a few days off on the weekend,” said Ripley Superintendent William Caldwell. “We haven’t committed to that process, but it is something we will be discussing and considering,” he added.

The district is also committed to delivering meals to every family who requests them, Caldwell said. “We are currently doing this using a ‘drop-off’ model, since we felt that many of our students would not be able to access meals if they were pick-up only,” he said.

The district is delivering about 140 meals a day, Caldwell said. A letter from school principal Micah Oldham on the district’s Facebook page states: The Ripley Central School District will be delivering “Grab and Go” breakfast and lunch to RCS district residents for the duration of the school’s closure. All children 18 and younger can receive meals at no cost, regardless of lunch status. Students will receive a breakfast and a lunch each day, Monday through Friday.

Caldwell said it may be necessary to transition to fewer days of delivery, but pupils will receive meals for all of the days.

“Regardless of how many days we deliver, we will definitely continue to ensure that each student has enough food for all the days they are out of school,” he said.

The school building is in the process of being sanitized from top to bottom and, once that is completed, it will be closed, except for the cafeteria, Caldwell said.

After the building is closed, access for teachers will be for emergency purposes only and they will be required to communicate that need to the administration before being permitted to enter the building.

“All administration was present last week as we wrestled with all the details to coordinate meal and instructional delivery,” Caldwell said. “But starting Monday, 3/23, we will be rotating our time in the district, with one administrator and one office person in the district to handle phone calls and any other issues that arise.”

Caldwell also noted that Ripley students have the opportunity to listen to a story each day. “Mr. Oldham has been reading a different book daily to our students and that has been broadcast on Facebook,” he said.

Caldwell said keeping the students engaged is a big concern with the current situation. He said all students received work in the form of printed copies, worksheets and online content to get the ball rolling with home instruction, but teachers are being encouraged to use the technology available to them to instruct and interact with the students.

Caldwell said the district has sent Chromebooks to all students in grades 3 through 6 as well as any kindergarten through grade 2 students who indicated they do not have access to a device in their home. “Our goal is to continue to minimize the use of worksheets and have our students access online lessons from their teachers,” he said.

Caldwell said the teachers have been expanding their use of online lessons, and instruction is fluid. “It is up to the teachers to decide how and when the instruction is being delivered (i.e. live or recorded and when it’s scheduled) and to communicate that information to their students,” he said.

Caldwell says he is very concerned about the students, noting that the longer the school is closed, the more difficult it will be for them to stay engaged and continue to tune in to their teachers.

“My biggest concern is our students and keeping them engaged,” he said. “They are missed by everyone here at the school and I believe they feel the same way. For some of our students, school is the highlight of their day and the longer this drags on, the more upset they will be.”

Caldwell believes the district is handling the current situation well but notes that the full impact of the COVID-19 virus is not known. “There were definitely no chapters about how to handle this type of situation in any of the books I used during my administration program,” he said.

Caldwell says he tries to view the whole situation as if his own children were Ripley students, and make decisions accordingly. He said, “I look at this situation and make decisions as if my own children were part of the student body and how would the decisions I’m making impact my family in or out of school.”