By SUSAN RUMBLE

Special to The Press

During a presentation to the board on district goals, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Rodney Troutman included a section on COVID-19 issues.

He said a new goal will be to support staff needs, questions and inquiries regarding COVID-19 related practices, processes and laws.

Troutman noted Parkland’s human resources personnel have been striving to address the variety and volume of staff questions.

The department works closely with the district’s supervisor of health and wellness, Sheri Deeb, to address employee safety concerns.

The human resources office also consults with principals and supervisors regarding staffing needs due to COVID-19 related absences.

Troutman said the district will have unique staffing challenges arising due to the coronavirus in the 2020-21 school year.

“There will be an increased need for subs and overall staffing needs,” Troutman said.

“HR is working proactively to recruit and hire more subs for the district.”

Another goal, he said, was for the district to create a short video for new substitutes to present important material to them, especially during the pandemic.

Troutman said another new goal will be to provide training for school counselors on programs related to anxiety and depression as a result of COVID-19 and other events.

He stated all Individualized Education Program students will receive compulsory services monitoring due to COVID-19.

All staff will have trauma sensitivity training, and Learning Support teachers will continue with hybrid and online professional development.

On a different topic, Troutman said staff will persist in the goal of integrating STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medical elements) throughout the kindergarten through 12th grade curriculum.

He said a focus for 2020-21 is integration of inquiry-based learning into all subject areas.

This educational technique emphasizes the student’s role in learning and the goal is to activate curiosity by encouraging children to ask questions, explore materials and share ideas.