WSV Columnist Steph Hightree writes, “Most of all, I have learned I never want to be a teacher, and that teaching is a thankless profession. We really need to give these teachers a little more grace and credit than we are giving them in this unprecedented time. Teaching in a normal environment is hard enough but teaching remotely during a pandemic? It’s nearly impossible.”

This school year has been challenging for students, teachers, parents and administrators for a long list of reasons, ranging from technology issues to struggles with mental health, some of which are universal across the board this year and some are unique to the individual classroom dynamics and communities. One thing is clear: Educators across Michigan are feeling burned out.

Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) announced this afternoon that all school buildings will remain closed to in-person instruction into January. In response to a pandemic health order issued earlier this month by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), TRCS began fully conducting instruction for all in-person and hybrid students through online streaming. That closure was scheduled to last through the expiration of the HHS order, which occurs on December 8.

During a special meeting Thursday, the Board of Education (BOE) said it found Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) Superintendent Ron Moag to be “effective.” The statement came at the end of a closed session that lasted well beyond two hours. Thursday’s meeting concluded a two-meeting process wherein BOE members conducted Moag’s annual performance evaluation, facilitated by Rod Green of the Michigan Association of School Boards. During closing comments, BOE members also discussed the status and future of online instruction in the district.

At a regular Board of Education (BOE) meeting Monday evening, Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) principals and administrators discussed current performance amid ongoing pandemic measures. Through a series of presentations led by TRCS Curriculum Director Nikki Nash, principals from each of the TRCS buildings discussed where current performance measurements stand among students, and what measures they are taking to improve student engagement and results.

In response to a directive by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Three Rivers Community Schools announced it will be closing Three Rivers High School and Three Rivers Middle School starting this Wednesday and continuing through December 8. In a Monday press release, TRCS Superintendent Ron Moag said school will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, November 17, to allow teachers and staff time to prepare for a transition. Virtual instruction for students affected by the closure will commence Wednesday.

Administrators and staff at Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) continue to adjust pandemic response plans and the operation of virtual learning platforms as the fall semester begins to wrap up its second month. At a regular meeting of the TRCS Board of Education (BOE) Monday, Superintendent Ron Moag and Curriculum Director Nikki Nash provided updates on the status of each, and BOE members approved a reconfirmation of the district’s state-mandated COVID-19 Extended Learning Plan (ELP).

A series of rumors circulating around social media came to Watershed Voice’s attention over the weekend. Most of said rumors have to do with when and how Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) will use teachers or other, third-party service providers to deliver virtual, online instruction programs for students. In the interest of confirming what decisions are actually under discussion at TRCS, Watershed Voice reached out to School Board President Erin Nowak and TRCS Superintendent Ron Moag for clarification.