Newsmakers: Osseo 279 Superintendent Talks About “Forging a New Path”
As students prepare to go back to school, many students will have new mask policies and increased mitigation efforts, all to try to keep students in-school and in-person.
Osseo Superintendent Cory McIntyre says they’ve put several COVID-19 mitigation strategies to work.
“That’s one thing we learned from last year, moving in and out of learning models is that we need kids in school for their learning to be at optimal levels,” said McIntyre.
When it comes to masks, McIntyre says the district will follow the guidance of the CDC, MDH and local county public health recommendations.
“We look at a number of different data points and transmission rates, not only in the county, but in our local cities,” said McIntyre. “Historically, the cities in our district have been some of the highest transmission rates in the county.”
McIntyre says the district will be constantly monitoring the numbers and making adjustments to the plan.
“Honestly, it changes all the time. A month ago, it wasn’t where it is today,” said McIntyre. “We are always challenged to stay on our feet, make the commitment, and being willing to adjust should the information change.”
A New Strategic Path
The theme for this next year is “Forging a New Path” which recognizes the new pathways educators and students have had to take during the pandemic.
“It’s a tribute to our students, families and staff. Every time we had to do something new, we stepped up and met that challenge,” said McIntyre. “This year is kind of the same. We are going to do some things we’ve never done before and forge a new path.”
Parents, staff and community members can also expect the rollout of a new strategic plan in the upcoming year.
“Our stakeholders, our students, our families and our community have said we want excellence, we want engagement and we want equity,” said McIntyre. “Those are the three themes that we are going to build this new plan off of, and really drive the success for the future.”
School starts in the Osseo School District on Wednesday, Sept. 8.
Osseo Senior High School
