Richland board grapples with rapid asynchronous pilot as teachers warn of a 'watering down' of classes

Teachers, department leaders and school board members spent much of the Dec. 9 Richland School District meeting debating a proposed asynchronous learning pilot that district staff say would be offered on a small scale next semester to students who are credit-deficient.

"This plan will ruin that," said Brian Palmer, a science teacher at Hanford High School, criticizing a proposal that he said would force PE and health teachers to build new fully online programs on a tight timeline.

District leaders, including Dr. Jones, presented the pilot as a targeted, supplemental option for seniors and other students who are behind on graduation credits. "The intent was really to try something on a small scale going into second semester, and trying to identify the needs of students that had credits that were credit-deficient for graduation," Jones said, adding that nothing in the presentation was "set in stone."

Why it matters: Board members and teachers said the plan, as described in meeting materials and public comment, lacked clear implementation details on who would teach asynchronous courses, how students would be selected, and how the district would ensure online offerings meet the district's learning standards.

Teachers warned the pilot could unintentionally encourage students to take easier online options rather than stay in comprehensive classes that teach teamwork and other in-person skills. Janet Shuster, department head for physical education at Richland High School, asked multiple procedural questions about eligibility, crediting and task-force membership. "An asynchronous learning environment for especially physical education and health is putting our department and the integrity of our department in jeopardy," she said.

District staff and partners: District staff said the pilot would leverage some existing curricula used by HomeLink and purchased asynchronous products, and that the district had included a PCOA teacher and high school principals in planning. Staff said PCOA currently delivers synchronous online courses and HomeLink has purchased asynchronous offerings; the new pilot would aim to keep more students enrolled within district-run programs rather than purchasing third-party courses. The district also noted data collection and a related program audit being conducted with Whitworth University, which will provide recommendations and an implementation timeline.

Board concerns and next steps: Several board members said they supported the concept of offering more in-district options but asked for a slower, more collaborative approach. "I want it to be done well and collaboratively," one board member said, urging a backward implementation plan that identifies staff, curriculum and student sign-ups before a pilot begins. Board members repeatedly asked staff to return with clearer staffing plans, training timelines, and enrollment criteria. The Whitworth team's recommendations are expected to be available in February; board members asked for the district to present the recommendations and a concrete implementation plan for review before any pilot launch.

The board did not take a vote on launching a pilot during the meeting; instead, members directed staff to continue stakeholder engagement, provide required clarifications about curriculum and staffing, and report back with specific recommendations and timelines.