LPSPedia

Terms, phrases and acronyms used at LPS

COVID-19 Pandemic Timeline in LPS

March 16-22, 2020

All LPS classes and activities were canceled March 16-22, 2020 (the week after the regularly scheduled spring break) out of an abundance of caution in the interest of public health and safety.

During this time LPS leadership worked with city, county, and state officials to determine the best course of action for the remainder of the school year.

District departments worked to prepare for students to learn remotely in the event of an extended school closure.

March – May 2020 (4th Quarter 2020)

Working with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department, Nebraska Department of Education and the City of Lincoln, Lincoln Public Schools closed all school buildings (in two week increments) from March-May 2020.

​​Education continued from home as teachers pivoted to using the video conferencing tool ‘Zoom’ to connect to students who were on Chromebooks.

Students in grades 6-12 who were already used to taking their district-assigned Chromebooks home with them each night were able to use them to connect with teachers via Zoom, a video conferencing software. These teachers and students already had structures in place for digital learning via systems like Google Classroom.

Elementary schools worked to mobilize the Chromebooks that already existed in 2nd-5th grade classrooms, and Computing Services provided older Chromebooks for all Kindergarten & 1st grade students.

Curriculum Specialists created 10-days of digital learning activities (translated into 6 languages) with the expectation that teachers provide them to students via Google Classroom. Elementary teachers pre-loaded these materials on all Chromebooks so that students without home internet access could access them.

Elementary families came to buildings on March 19th or 20th to pick up the Chromebook that had been assigned to their student(s).

A website (lps.org/remote) was established to be the central point of information for all students and families on accessing remote learning materials and supports.

From March 23 through April 3, all students worked independently on review materials provided by teachers. All review work was optional for students, and was not collected or graded by teachers.

Librarians across LPS recorded fun, optional activities to help parents and caregivers keep their kids reading, writing and creating while out of school. Some of the lessons were so incredible that they were nationally recognized.

Internet providers in the City of Lincoln provided free or low cost high speed internet connections to the homes of any LPS students for a period of time that covered the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. LPS offered mobile access points to any family in the district who requested one. The devices were acquired from Verizon, and configured to allow LPS Chromebooks to connect to the internet, but were unable to be used for any other purpose.

Beginning April 6, many teachers attempted to pick up where they left off when students left for spring break at the end of the third quarter. Teachers used Zoom to schedule class sessions, and students joined them through links provided in Synergy StudentVUE.

Curriculum Specialists for the elementary Computer Science, Art, Music, and Physical Education coordinated a program in which teachers recorded lessons. These video lessons were streamed from the LPS web site, and also broadcast via the City of Lincoln’s television channel (LNTV) on cable TV systems, as well as on KLKN-TV channel 8.3 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for any family with an antenna. This broadcasting partnership to meet the needs of students without home internet access was a first in Lincoln!

While there were many, many things to celebrate as LPS made the sudden, unexpected transition to remote learning, it was not a universally positive experience. There was a lot of need for support from adults in the homes of elementary students, and engaging middle and high school students who were in their own homes proved difficult. Early in the process, students found new ways to express inappropriate behavior by disrupting Zoom meetings. Students faced many challenges as they attempted to learn in environments not suited to the task. Teachers across the globe had mixed success as they changed from the century old expectations of face-to-face learning to a new environment where everyone was in a different location and the computer screen was the connection. Everyone did their best in the face of many challenges.

May 21, 2020 was the last day of school for students. Sadly, traditional end-of-year celebrations were unable to happen. Schools had drive-through drop off lines for families to return materials. High school seniors also received diplomas through drive-through lanes.

Graduation ceremonies were postponed for two months, eventually held at Pinnacle Bank Arena on July 24-26, 2020 under guidelines established with the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department.

The start of summer school classes were delayed as teachers prepared for fully remote offerings. From June 3 to July 16, summer school was held with teachers located in LPS classrooms, and students connecting from home via Zoom.

2020-21 School Year

LPS worked with city, county, and state leadership through the summer to create a “Safe Return to School Plan” that allowed students to return to schools for in-person instruction in August 2020. The plan included practices to be followed in all buildings such as:

  • daily self-screening for COVD symptoms
  • focus on personal hygiene measures
  • physical disinfection of surfaces
  • students and staff were required to wear multilayer face masks
  • visitors were not allowed into buildings
  • plexiglass barriers were used between students in lunch rooms
  • elementary schools worked to eliminate practices that required room switching for students
  • room capacities were reduced
  • teachers sanitized tables and manipulatives multiple times a day
  • many events were held via Zoom instead of in-person
  • COVID testing was made available to all high school students

To meet the needs of the community, LPS allowed families to choose whether their students attended school in-person, or remotely from home. There was also a great deal of need for instructing students who were to be excluded from the classroom for lengthy periods after receiving a positive COVID test, or being identified as a close contact to a positive COVID case.

As teachers returned in August they were prepared to lead instruction in a “hybrid learning” environment in which teachers and most students would be in the classroom, while a portion of the class was at home, connecting from their Chromebook via Zoom. LPS was well positioned to successfully deliver a hybrid learning environment due to extensive work done in the previous decade to implement the Board of Education’s technology plan.  However, having all of the resources needed was not enough to overcome the realization that teachers were unable to fully meet the needs of students who were at home and the needs of the students in the classroom at the exact same time. Hybrid learning environments were necessary to meet the demands of the pandemic, but no one (teachers, students, or families) felt that it was the best that could be done for students.

In an effort to offer transparency, LPS became one of the few school districts in the country that offered a “Coronavirus Dashboard” that was regularly updated with data about the number of COVID reports in our buildings.

In March of 2021, COVID vaccines became available for educators in Lancaster county. Many LPS staff members chose to receive the vaccine as soon as it was available. By May, the vaccine was made available to children over the age of 12, allowing students to receive the vaccine.

The strategies of the “Safe Return to School Plan” combined with many other factors and efforts allowed all LPS buildings to remain open for the full 2020-21 school year, a feat that few school districts in America were able to accomplish.

Following the school year, LPS utilized Federal funds to provide the largest assortment of summer learning programs and opportunities in the district’s history.

2021-22 School Year

The “LPS Safe Return to School Plan” continued to be adjusted through the summer of 2021 as the COVID situation locally and nationally changed. When students returned in August 2021, there was no longer a need for hybrid learning and all students were expected to attend school in-person.

Knowing that families faced many variables and uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, Lincoln Public Schools developed a one-year only Remote Learning Program (RLP) for students in grades kindergarten through eighth for the 2021–22 school year. The RLP required a full year commitment from families. This offering allowed families an opportunity for their students to stay on track with their peers and receive instruction from certified LPS teachers, while reducing exposure to COVID by remaining at home. RLP Teachers worked out of classrooms across the district, and were provided with a kit of enhanced technology tools specific to the needs in fully remote teaching.

As school was starting in August and September of 2021, a new COVID variant caused an increase in students excluded from classrooms due to positive COVID tests or exposures. In order to meet the needs of these excluded students in elementary schools, a couple of new strategies were used.

“Chromebook Kits” were sent home with excluded elementary students. This allowed the students to access the materials shared by teachers, as well as a number of online tools that offer meaningful math and reading practice opportunities during the extended absence from the classroom.

The Board of Education approved the purchase and installation of ceiling mounted cameras in 24 elementary classrooms across LPS. These cameras integrate with the existing audio system and allow teachers to record their daily math and language arts lessons, which are then made available to excluded students.

LPS announced that due to an ongoing staffing crisis they would have three “COVID Closure days” on Jan. 21, Jan. 28 and Feb. 4 of 2022. Most students got the days off, while staff used those Fridays to make up for lost planning time due to covering for absent colleagues. Teachers also used the time to help quarantined students who missed instruction. The Friday dates were selected because there were more staff unavailable than could be covered by the existing pool of substitute teachers, and Fridays are always the hardest days to achieve sub coverage.

2022-23 School Year

The 2022-23 school year felt like a return to “normal” in regards to COVID related impacts on the school environment. While COVID-19 remained prevalent in the community, there were more resources to reduce the severity and risk of spread. These included vaccines and boosters and understanding more about the transmission of COVID-19. The 2022-23 Safe Return to School Plan considered these factors in preparing for the upcoming school year.

Highlights of the 22-23 plan included:

  • Face coverings OPTIONAL for everyone inside all LPS buildings and on all LPS buses.
  • Students and visitors entering any LPS facility were expected to conduct a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms
  • Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are expected to stay home for 5 days.
  • Individuals who are exposed to COVID-19 through a close contact are expected to wear a face covering for 10 days and seek testing 5 days after the exposure.

The weekly total of positive COVID-19 cases identified in each building and across Lincoln Public Schools was posted on the LPS website. LPS was one of the first, and is one of the last school districts in the country to make this information easily available to the public.

LPS ceased sending out daily emails to staff and families about positive COVID-19 cases in buildings.

Family messages transitioned from weekly to monthly updates.

On April 10th 2023, President Joe Biden signed a bill terminating the national emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic

In May 2023, the White House unilaterally ended national emergency declarations related to the pandemic.