POCATELLO — The Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25 Board of Trustees voted Tuesday evening to transition from the current hybrid instruction model for middle and high schools to a modified traditional and in-person instruction model at the end of the current trimester, effective March 1.

The board made its decision during a special meeting at the district’s main office on Pole Line Road following several presentations from School District 25 administration officials regarding the spread of COVID-19 throughout the region and the logistics surrounding how the transition would impact students and staff.

The option the board approved Tuesday night involves middle and high schools transitioning into a modified, in-person instruction model on March 1, which would involve the Board of Trustees reconvening in mid-February to determine if COVID-19 case numbers would affect the March 1 target date.

The third and final trimester for School District 25’s 2020-21 school year begins on March 1.

Unlike many previous decisions, the board was not unanimous in its vote Tuesday night. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the motion to have middle and high school students return to a traditional, in-person model of instruction on March 1, with Jackie Cranor being the only board member to vote against the motion.

Cranor said she was supportive of middle and high school students going back to a traditional, in-person instructional model this month, adding that she was skeptical about whether or not School District 25 students were any safer than students in surrounding districts who opted to keep their students in school full-time amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cranor’s sentiment sparked a rebuttal from board member Janie Gebhardt, who disagreed, saying the majority of feedback she has received from students indicates a desire to stay the course with the current hybrid learning model.

“I feel really strongly about this because we have basically kept kids outside of personalized instruction all but two days per week in our secondary level for half a year,” Cranor said. “If we wait until March, then we have a week of spring break. That gives them two months and the last week of May right before graduation, which is typically not a great time for learning.”

Cranor continued, “I just feel like we are in the business of educating kids and we have tried everything we can do to keep them safe and to keep our teachers safe. … I firmly believe that we put them back in school in January full-time, or even do a four-day hybrid schedule.”

Gebhardt responded by saying it’s the role and duty of the Board of Trustees to keep students safe until the COVID-19 pandemic eases up.

“So you just throw everybody back in and just say, “Have at it,” Gebhardt replied. “I don’t think so.”

Cranor then asked the board to consider the impact COVID-19 has had on surrounding school districts, asking, “Are the numbers so significantly different?”

School District 25 Superintendent Doug Howell then informed the board that the School District did not request specific data for COVID-19 outbreaks at other surrounding school districts.

“I don’t see things better or worse (at School District 25) than at any other district and they have their kids in school,” Cranor said. “I just think our kids are at a disadvantage.”

Board member Paul Vitale asked Sue Pettit, School District 25 director of secondary education, what the current success rate is for middle and high school students, to which Pettit said the overall grade point average among those students has fallen since the pandemic began, noting that overall GPA has slightly improved from the first trimester into the second.

Prior to the board discussing the various options before them, School District 25 spokeswoman Courtney Fisher provided a statement from Southeastern Idaho Public Health. In its statement, SIPH recognized School District 25 has been proactive in its approach to combating the spread of COVID-19 within its schools.

“These actions have included requiring face coverings, and implementing a modified traditional/cohort approach in elementary schools and a hybrid model in middle and high schools, which has allowed for physical distancing,” the statement read. “These actions taken to date by School District 25 have limited classroom spread to a minimum. The most significant cluster linked to classroom spread involved nine people in a choir class. The vast majority of cases connected to learners, educators and staff in School District 25 seem to have occurred outside the classroom setting.”

Brenda Miner, the director of human resources for School District 25, also provided an update to the board regarding COVID-19 in School District 25 schools after participating in a conference call with SIPH on Monday.

Miner said that between Aug. 24 and Dec. 30 SIPH has reported a total of 292 students, 47 teachers and 43 other staff members within the district who have contracted COVID-19. Additionally, Miner noted SIPH has 221 cases of people under the age of 18 who contracted COVID-19 for which contact tracing was not complete due to a lack of responsiveness.

SIPH said there is no set, correct path for the school board to take, but indicated it was supportive of all three options presented to the board.

“We recognize this is a challenging situation, with no clear answers and no one ‘correct’ path,” SIPH said in its statement. “SIPH staff are supportive of each of the options SD25 is considering for moving forward.”

Further, SIPH provided School District 25 with an approximate timeline for vaccine distribution among teachers and staff members, indicating it’s possible all School District 25 officials who elect to receive the vaccine could get the first dose as early as next month.

“Vaccine availability is one consideration when making decisions about how to proceed through the remaining school year,” SIPH said. “We anticipate that educators and staff will begin to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in February. The vaccine requires two doses, spaced either 21 or 28 days apart, depending upon the manufacturer, for maximum protection. Accordingly, it will likely be mid- to late-March or April for all educators/staff who wish to be vaccinated to complete the two-dose series. Please understand that this timeline may vary based upon the amount of vaccine received in our eight-county region.”

Mary Anne McGrory, the president of the Pocatello Education Association for the last four years, commended the board for making what she described as a difficult decision Tuesday night.

”We’re very appreciative of the board’s decision to delay modified traditional in secondary schools until at least the third trimester,” McGrory said. “We believe changing the schedule in the middle of a trimester would be very detrimental to students and staff as routines have been set. This gives us six weeks to evaluate where we will be at at the beginning of the third trimester. We look forward to re-evaluating where we are at.”

McGrory also took exception to several statements and accusations brought forward over the past several months from a group of concerned parents who ran a successful effort to force a recall election of School District 25 Board Chairman Dave Mattson, as well as members Jackie Cranor and Janie Gebhardt.

The group of concerned parents launched the effort, which will end with a recall election of the three embattled board members in March, after several parents expressed the sentiment the board has not been a representative of the electorate and has refused to listen to its constituents.

“We do have a different sentiment than the group of concerned parents,” McGrory said. “Just because a decision is made in a way in which you don’t agree with does not mean that you were not listened to. There are many voices that must be considered. As the president of the PEA it has been fairly frustrating to hear that the board has its mind made up beforehand. The board has always, at least in our opinion, has always taken their jobs very seriously and listened to all sides, but they must make a decision based on the good for the entire population as opposed to just one group.”