20 minute read
MO KNOWS
Viewpoints Editor Molly Harwell describes her freshman year experience with virtual learning in 2020, and how it impacted her going into sophomore year.
Recently, one of my freshman friends asked me how to get to a classroom, and I couldn’t give them an answer. “I’m not sure," I told them. “I’m basically a freshman like you." It’s true -- even though I’m a sophomore, I am one of the newest students to the building. Going into high school, I had a very clear BY MOLLY HARWELL set of expectations for myself. I was going to Viewpoints Editor get good grades, I was going to dress and act a certain way and I was going to get into the top colleges in the nation. I was prepared to do my best to achieve those goals.
However, I was not prepared for COVID-19 and the lasting effects it would have on me going into my sophomore year.
This semester, it has been difficult to find the motivation to complete work. During virtual learning, it was easy to turn off my camera and stop listening, but I can’t do that when I’m in person.
I was pushed into 10th grade -- a year when so much is expected of me -- having little to no previous experience with the realities of high school. Suddenly, I'm thrown into advanced and AP classes full of rigorous learning that I wasn't prepared for after freshman year. My extracurricular and academic roles demand the maturity of a sophomore, when I only have the experience of a freshman.
A couple of months ago, I had to be checked out early for a dentist appointment. My heart was pounding as I brought the note to the Attendance Office, and I was shaking with fear and anticipation throughout the rest of the day.
I had never been checked out early before, so I was nervous the entire day that I was doing something wrong.
I often find myself asking the question, “Will I ever feel like I belong here?"
While the few weeks in person last spring helped me transition into high school, I still had no idea where I was supposed to go or what was expected of me when I started this year.
Despite the difficult circumstances of my introduction to high school, I have found a wonderful group of friends who have made the transition easier and make me feel like I am starting to belong here. My teachers have been kind and welcoming, and I have become comfortable with my schedule.
The work is still hard, of course, but at least I have an excuse. “Sorry I didn’t complete that assignment, I started high school a year late." O
Above: UNCHANGED: An illustration shows Viewpoints Editor Molly Harwell looking in a mirror, but instead of seeing herself as a sophomore, she still sees herself as a freshman. Because of virtual learning last year, it was difficult for Harwell to adjust to high school and the expectations of being a sophomore. Illustration by Antonio Starks
EQUITABLE EDUCATION
Schools should make federal learning plans more accessible to students in order to help reach those who struggle with learning disorders or mental health.
BY AUDREY ST. ONGE Viewpoints Staffer
Federally-mandated resources such as the Individualized Education Program and 504 plans aim to help students get the learning accommodations they need. However, schools are not advocating for these resources to many students who qualify. While both plans are individualized, a 504 plan is a more attainable option as students do not need a doctor’s diagnosis to qualify, but rather an evaluation from a teacher, according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
According to the Georgia Department of Education, IEPs offer a more extensive approach to accommodating curricula for students that have are defined as having a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, while 504 plans aim to adjust a student's learning experience within set curricula through adjustments for a wider range of conditions that inhibit academic success, such as ADHD.
These plans provide resources for students to overcome learning differences in the classroom through extended time for testing, changed seating, and other more general support that can help make education more attainable. However, these accommodations won’t help many students unless they are made aware of available accommodations that can support their success in school..
When the plans that are available go unknown to the people who need them, there is a gap between a teacher’s curriculum and the student’s understanding of it, which puts some students at a disadvantage in the classroom.
According to Understood For All Inc., one in five children in the United States have a learning disorder. However, only one in six have an IEP, and one in 42 have a 504 plan. A lack of accessible information about these options can prevent students from getting the help they need. Instead of offering these resources to students only when they see them struggling, teachers and counselors should inform students should be knowledgeable about these options in order to seek help on their own when they need it. According to Advocacy Institute, White students comprise 65% of students with 504 plans, but 51.7% of total student enrollment in the U.S. In comparison, Black and Hispanic students make up 39.5% of student enrollment and 29.7% of students with 504 plans. This inequity proves that schools have more work to do in providing not only more accessible, but more equitable academic resources. Students will not be able to get the help they need without proper understanding of support systems that may be available to them. Counselors should send informational materials to parents and encourage teachers to reach out to students they see struggling. If more access and information is provided to families about these supportive resources, schools could help a broader number of students succeed in the classroom.
O
Featured: A HIDDEN WEB OF SUPPORT: A neurodivergent student sits at a desk, supported by hands that represent 504 plans and Individualized Education Plans. Counselors and teachers should work to make these resources more widely understood and accessible to students and families. Illustration by Antonio Starks
OUR TAKE
Because the COVID-19 vaccine is a crucial element to moving past the pandemic, the CCSD community must work together to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
No, the vaccine won’t give you COVID-19. It won’t implant a microchip in your bloodstream and it won’t alter your DNA. It will, fortunately, help the Clarke County School District return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
On Dec. 11, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for people ages 16 and up, and later extended access too all children under 16. Though the vaccine will not make its recipients completely immune to the virus, it will significantly reduce their transmission potential and reduce their chance of serious illness should they test positive.
“COVID-19 vaccines are effective and are a critical tool to bring the pandemic under control; however, no vaccine is 100% effective at preventing illness," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website stated. “The risk of infection, hospitalization, and death are all much lower in vaccinated people compared to unvaccinated."
Despite these benefits, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health, only 46% of Clarke County residents are fully vaccinated. The county hit 40% at the end of May, showing that new vaccinations mostly levelled out months ago. Those who aren’t currently vaccinated aren’t likely to make large strides on their own.
The impact of such a large unvaccinated population extends beyond those infected with the virus. According to Commercial Appeal, pressure on healthcare workers at Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital rose to a recent high on Oct. 8 with 98.2% of ICU beds full. While this number has since
Though the vaccine will not make its recipients completely immune to the virus, it will increase their chance of survival, should they test positive.
decreased to 86% as of Dec. 3, this is still only 8.4 empty beds. This dangerous shortage of space is preventable through vaccination, seeing as 96% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated, according to Piedmont Healthcare.
This high capacity in hospitals makes it difficult for Athenians with other health issues to receive care, strains the work of healthcare workers, and inflicts high costs on patients. Health System Tracker reports that from June through August, COVID-19 hospitalizations among unvaccinated adults cumulated in a $5 billion cost.
Students’ quality of learning is also impacted by the low vaccination rate. In August through October, there were 881 COVID cases in the CCSD, according to the CCSD COVID-19 Case Reporting Dashboard. If cases rise, the CCSD may transition students to online learning for at least a portion of the year, a step backward to the infamous “Zoom school” that disconnected students from so many learning resources they need to succeed. The consequences of remaining unvaccinated are not limited to one person’s health or that of a single school community -- they ripple out into the Athens community. “It’s kind of the most foundational question of life or death," Athens Clarke-County Mayor Kelly Girtz said in an interview with The Red and Black. “We’ve been heavily incentivizing vaccination, and every person who gets vaccinated becomes less of a factor for COVID spread." With under half of the city vaccinated, the effects of a low vaccination rate are becoming more apparent in our school district and across Georgia. A collective effort in the CCSD and Athens toward getting vaccinated is crucial to eliminating the COVID-19 virus and returning to normalcy without the threat of another spike. O
Above: GETTING ON BOARD: An illustration ahows the Clarke County School District community being overtaken by the coronavirus while vaccinated individuals encourage others to join them in overcoming the pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy in the CCSD is negatively affecting students academically and straining many other sectors of Athens. Illustration by Eleanor Robinson
neutral necessities
Some students at CCHS feel uncomfortable using exclusively gendered restrooms, but the administration has limited space in the school to implement a gender-neutral option.
It is second block and Clarke Central High School senior Mick Bothe, a nonbinary student, needs to use the restroom. As they walk into the women’s bathroom swarming with teenage girls, they take one look around and feel out of place.
“When I do feel my most androgynous or even masculine, I sometimes don't feel comfortable going into the women's bathroom," Mick said. “The bathroom is actually a really small part of people's day, but it can be very significant."
In 2016, the Obama administration issued guidance to educational institutions to allow trangender students the opportunity to use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identities. However, according to National Public Radio, this protection has since been reversed by the Trump administration, leaving transgender and nonbinary students in public schools vulnerable to discrimination.
“Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker rooms, or school sports," President Joe Biden stated in the Jan. 20 Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
After extending Title IX’s protections to include transgender students in June, the Biden administration plans to continue advancing transgender people’s rights through the Interagency Working Group on Safety, Opportunity, and Inclusion for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals.
“In October, the Biden administration issued the first-ever national gender strategy to advance the full participation of all people -- including transgender and gender diverse people -- in the United States and around the world," the White House website stated in its Memorializing Transgender Day of Rememberance report on Nov. 20.
While the Biden administration continues to advance the rights of transgender and gender diverse Americans nationwide, changes still need to be made at CCHS. "(Having a gender-neutral bathroom) helps us, as
BY SOFIA BALSAMO a school, take some of the pressure off of gender," News Staffer senior Mel Bothe, who identifies as genderqueer, said. "(It’s) both a thing for the general community of making gender matter less in (Athens-Clarke County) and the immediate comfort of some of the students here (at CCHS)." Currently, CCHS offers exclusively-gendered bathrooms, and those who wish to use a faculty gender-neutral bathroom, must request a pass from their counselor or adviser in advance. "(The counselor or adviser will) look at the student’s schedule and come up with a plan," CCHS Associate Principal Linda Boza said. “We would tell them which (faculty) restrooms are closest to their classes (and) which ones are available." CCHS visual arts department teacher Amanda Price believes that more accessible gender-neutral bathrooms are necessary. “I think that we need to provide inclusive bathroom options for our students and recognize that not all of our students (and) not every person in the world would fit into a category of male or female," Price said. “They, just as much as everyone, deserve to have a place where they feel safe to go to the bathroom and free from judgment." Without easily accessible gender-neutral bathrooms at CCHS, Mick has experienced difficulties with members of the school community not respecting their gender identity. “I don’t feel pushed to the side, but I also don’t
-- Mick bothe, CCHS senior, a nonbinary student
feel particularly seen," Mick said. “I see most students and some teachers not caring about how honestly deep the experience of just going to the bathroom can be for some students because of their gender identity."
According to Boza, accommodating the needs of CCHS students is a top priority for the administration, but implementing gender-neutral bathrooms is not feasible for CCHS due to a lack of space.
“When students present themselves, we become solution-oriented, and we work out a plan to make the students feel comfortable. Our goal is always for students to feel safe at school. I mean, if you can't feel safe here, where can you feel safe?" Boza said. "(But) we're landlocked, so we can't add those bathrooms. We don't have any space to add them."
CCHS Assistant Principal Summer Smith feels that if these bathrooms were multi-stalled, they may present safety concerns in the high school setting.
“Would you want a 14-year-old girl in a restroom with an 18-year-old male? I would not. So (we’ve) got to keep everybody safe, transgender students and (cisgendered students)," Smith said. “You have to keep everybody in consideration, and so I think that single stall (restrooms) would be more appropriate to help people stay safe."
CCHS counseling department member Lynn Butler worked with LGBTQ students during his time as a practicum student, connecting them to community resources and student organizations. Butler feels an implementation of a gender-neutral bathroom can be beneficial, but may ultimately "I think that we need to provide inclusive bathroom options for our students and recognize that not all of our students (and) not every person in the world would fit into a category of male or female."
-- Amanda price,
CCHS visual arts department teacher
create more divides betweeen cisgender and nonbinary students.
“I think there are definitely pros and cons to it. I think it would be good in the sense that it would make everyone feel more comfortable as if the bathroom is actually theirs and designed for them. But I do think it could also present some bigger issues," Butler said. “A lot of transgender individuals are private about that part of their life, and they don't want people to know, or to be able to spot them different than what they present."
With school buildings on the CCHS campus at capacity sparking conversations between administrators and faculty about expansions, Price feels now is the time to prioritize gender-neutral bathrooms.
“If (this) was something that students were wanting to move forward with advocating for, now is the time to do it knowing that Clarke Central is in need of more space, like in thinking about that being included in administrative conversations about the additions," Price said.
Ultimately, Mick doesn’t feel that placing a gender-neutral bathroom in the school will resolve the persistent issues of negative remarks toward non-cisgendered students.
“I don't think that the problem that they're trying to address would be solved by creating gender-neutral bathrooms and kind of leaving it there," Mick said. “I think you would have to change the students' attitudes about gender before you change the bathrooms." O
leveling the learning field
For students who need additional support in the classroom, IEPs and 504 plans work to provide them with accommodations. With the pandemic and virtual schooling, CCHS counselors and the special education department team have been forced to adapt.
Clarke Central High School, as a U.S. public high school, provides additional support for students through Individualized Education Plans and 504 plans -- a function that was complicated by COVID-19.
IEPs and 504 plans both provide different accommodations and help for students who need additional support in the classroom, and are federally mandated. IEPs offer more specialized and intensive accommodations for those defined as having a disability according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and are handled by the special education department. The counseling department handles 504 plans. "Last year was really interesting because we had to think of accommodations that would work in a virtual setting. So (the question was) how can we support students with any number of diagnoses learning successfully through Zoom?" CCHS counseling department chair Catherine Melton, who handles 504 plans, said. "How do we accommodate them in class so that they can still learn and access all of their instruction, but also be safe and healthy?"
For students with IEPs, the special education department teachers had to create alternative accommodations that could continue to support their students.
BY NATALIE SCHLIEKELMAN "We (worked to) provide supports for students Digital Managing Editor with IEPs, but it was a struggle for teachers, (and) it was a struggle for the students, themselves, to stay engaged with learning," CCHS special education department teacher Steve Hardwick said. "Specifically with IEPs, we had to come up with new ways to provide supports for students. "If there's things that we can be do- Some of that was through the virtual study halls, or Read Aloud programs like Read&Write for ing in the classroom that can help Google Chrome." According to Melton, with the impact of you to be the best that you can be COVID-19, counseling department personnel also experienced challenges due to an increase then, then that should be available in the number of students with mental health to those students." concerns, many of whom could be eligible for a 504 plan. "Especially in the last two years, we've had a high uptake on the number of 504s because -- Catherine melton, you can get a 504 for mental health purposes," CCHS English department teacher Caitlyn Mozzo CCHS counseling department chair said. "When we were online, there were a lot of kids who were filing for 504s because they were suffering from seasonal depression or anxiety, or they had already had these things and they were just aggravated by quarantine to where it became
necessary to document it."
If a student needs more support in the classroom, there are several avenues through which the school can be alerted. "We hear about it a number of different ways. Sometimes it's (parents or students, or) a teacher who sees a student who's really struggling in class and wants to reach out to other teachers or their counselor to see how we can help the student and that's when we discover there might be some sort of documented condition that would warrant a 504 plan," Melton said.
Any student can get a 504 plan, but only students served in the special education department can get an IEP. When mental health is involved, a 504 plan will usually be the best option. "(A 504 plan) has that huge umbrella of different medical or mental health diagnoses that students might have that would make them eligible for accommodations," Melton said. "An IEP is more specific to the intellectual or learning disability. It's a similar process, but it's also more specific. There are different requirements for documentation and testing."
According to CCHS special education department chair Dr. David Sells, one of the biggest considerations when deciding whether a student will get an IEP or 504 plan is what the accommodations will look like in the classroom. "Level of support needed is usually a strong indicator (of whether a student will get an IEP or 504 plan)," Sells said. “You think about how it can be quantified in terms of action needed on the staff side. If we can put that in one to two pages that we can provide to the teachers, (it’s going to be a 504 plan)."
Ultimately, the aim with any IEP or 504 plan is to help students gain academic support and success in the most effective way possible. "The goal is academic success and increased levels of enthusiasm. (We) put in some accommodations and supports and maybe even some goals and objectives we specifically (work with the student on)," Sells said. “Then on the flip side of that, hopefully, this student experiences more success, and that'll be evidenced through the student’s grades and stress levels."
Despite the disruption from COVID-19, Melton and Sells hope to still be able to provide support so that students can learn to their full potential. "After this last year all of us need some sort of support at school. Receiving extra help and support is really common," Melton said. "Our number one goal is to make sure our students are safe and healthy and successful. If there's things that we can be doing in the classroom that can help you to be the best that you can be then, then that should be available to those students." O
Left: Clarke Central High School special education department teacher Brittany Carter teaches a push-in model class that she shares with CCHS English department teacher Jennifer Tesler. CCHS special education department teacher Brad Williford has taught push-in model classrooms, where a special education department teacher and a general education teacher work together to teach a class with IEP and general education students, as part of his work with students with IEPs. “I work collaboratively with a general education teacher to help deliver instruction, support students, all those things like that. When we do lesson planning (we try) to think of ways that things can be adjusted to accommodate more students," CCHS special education department teacher Brad Williford said. Photo by Aza Khan Above: An infographic displays the different steps of qualifying for and maintaining an Individualized Education Plan and a 504 plan. One key difference is that IEPs targets students with disabilities as defined in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Infographic by Eva Orbock and sourced from CCHS counseling department chair Catherine Melton, who handles 504 plans, CCHS special education department chair Dr. David Sells and Understood For All Inc.
