BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — We’re getting a look at what a day in the life of students practicing distance learning within the Panama Buena Vista School District will look like.
District officials said the Federal CARES Act is officially caring for students right here in Kern County.
“We are actually providing Chromebooks to each one of our students and that will be TK through eighth grade,”Assistant Superintendent of Educational Service of The Panama Buena Vista School District Jennifer Irving said.
Officials told 23ABC the CARES Act provided funding locally so that every student regardless of socioeconomic status can stay connected.
"We have ordered hot spots and we have ordered enough where if someone does not have an internet service or they are unable to connect that we will provide them with a hot spot also so that they can have that in their home,” Irving said.
On August 14 and 15 students and parents will be required to train on a new learning system via webinar with the district to help familiarize themselves with the new program.
The Panama Buena Vista School District plans to start the school day online at 8 a.m. or 8:15 a.m. staff will have the option of teaching from home or from their class with the school day lasting until 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. depending on the grade level.
“That day in the life is going to begin with making connections with their peers and their teachers and learning how to practice digital citizenship in this virtual classroom,”The Panama Buena Vista School District Director of Professional Development, Jason Hodgson said.
Students will have a virtual recess and lunch, some will be receiving 30 minutes of intervention time, others will be receiving or English language development minutes depending on their needs. Then the students will head back into 120 minutes of live interaction with their teacher before hopping offline and working on their own with their Chromebook.
Parents told 23ABC News that this new information has been helpful.
“So I feel like it’s really well explained about how everything is going to work out for the school year,” Bakersfield City School District Parent, Jennifer Del Carmen said.
“It helped for them to stay in school but I would rather them be at school in the classroom,” Bakersfield City School District Parent, Judy Andersen said.
The district said they are also encouraging students to get outside at least once a day.
To make it easy on parents they are offering additional times where students can log on to start their school day.
“The students have the opportunity to work in the Canvas system in the afternoon or evening hours if that’s what they need to do,” Hodgson said.
