Picture created by Sophia Norton to promote town hall meeting
SGA sponsors town hall meeting regarding students’ concerns on In-person instruction
September 29, 2020
On Oct. 1, 2020 , Decatur High School’s Student Government Association (SGA) is sponsoring a virtual town hall meeting to address the concerns and questions of the students in response to the new in-person learning plan. The meeting will take place from 4:30pm to 5:30pm Principal Lofstrand will be answering questions submitted by students.
“We decided to host a town hall because we believe it will be an efficient way to answer students’ questions. The DHS administration was bombarded with hundreds of emails about the return to in-person learning, so this was a way for SGA students to help, ” 9th grade representative Grace Goodman said.
During advisement today, many teachers shared a link to a Google Form in which students can ask up to 3 questions to be answered at the town hall meeting about the return to in person learning.
“SGA knows that receiving a bunch of long emails that do not really answer your questions is not what students want. With the Google Form and town hall SGA has put together, it makes it easier and more engaging for students to find the answers they are looking for,” Goodman said.
The Google Form will need to be turned in by the end of the day today to guarantee a response to comments, questions, and concerns. Further information on how to attend the town hall meeting is in an email sent to the student body.
“I think students should attend because returning to school in person affects everyone. Whether you plan to return in person or not, your learning will be impacted by this decision. It is important that students are involved, and know what is going on. By attending the town hall, students will be well informed about what is next,” Goodman said.
Look back at 3ten for continuing coverage on after SGA´s town hall meeting
Lofstrand addresses students’ concerns at town hall meeting led by SGA
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2020, Decatur High School’s Student Government Association (SGA) sponsored a virtual town hall meeting to address the concerns and questions of the students in response to the new in-person learning plan. The meeting took place from 4:30pm to 5:30pm in which Principal Lofstrand answered questions submitted by the student body.
“In full disclosure, a lot of our plans are still being created,” principal Rochelle Lofstrand said at the beginning. “I will be able to answer a lot of questions, but for some questions I´ll let you know where we are in the process of planning.”
Principal Lofstrand was able to answer most questions. Topics ranged from Masks/Sanitation to Schedules and safety procedures to Athletics, as the students confronted the choice of whether or not to go back to school.
Lofstrand highlighted some important things you should look out for such as a form in the next couple days asking whether or not you believe you will return to in-person instruction.
“Will you guys have the choice to choose? The answer is yes, I believe [a form] is coming out in the next day or two. At first you guys will be able to choose how you are feeling right now – [either] in-person or virtual. It will not tie you in, we are just simply trying to gage how many students are thinking about coming back because that will affect our planning,” Lofstrand said.
She also stated that many district wide decisions which involve the community as a whole will be coming out in the next couple days in a district dispatch.
SGA spotlighted some crucial concerns regarding the students’ health and safety, but Lofstrand also made sure to hold students accountable for their actions outside of school since it affects the community as a whole.
“We want to see you in the building, we want to interact with you, we want to teach you, we want to support you,” Lofstrand said. “We know you all have had a lot going on and we are going to ask that in order to be able to meet in person, we need you to use the best practices outside of school and in the community as well.”
The questions and answers discussed will be posted soon on 3ten. There will also be an email sent out to the student body sharing the link to the live stream.