How will Muscogee schools reopen amid COVID-19? Here’s what’s planned and undecided
The Muscogee County School District has been conducting a series of video conferences with students and parents to help develop its plan to reopen schools in time for the 2020-21 academic year to start as scheduled Aug. 10.
The four Q&A sessions began Thursday and concluded Friday. The recordings are available on MCSD’s YouTube channel.
A survey is expected to be sent to parents/guardians and employees next week.
MCSD is planning options to be implemented based on local health conditions and government regulations amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The options are:
- Fully reopening schools with in-person instruction for all students as well as social distancing and personal protective equipment guidelines.
- A hybrid model with a mix of in-person instruction at school and remote learning at home.
- Schools remaining closed with all students continuing virtual classes at home like they ended this past school year.
Here’s a summary of what’s currently planned and undecided, based on answers from MCSD superintendent David Lewis, communications director Mercedes Parham and student services chief Angela Vickers.
What’s planned
Timing
To discuss MCSD’s options for reopening, the school board will conduct a called work session via video conference June 29, starting at 6 p.m., and streamed on MCSD’s YouTube channel.
MCSD’s plan is expected to be announced in early July. The first day of classes still is scheduled for Aug. 10.
“It is our hope and intent to try and start school as much in person on Aug. 10 as at all possible,” Lewis said during the Friday video conference with students. “There are going to be situations, however, that we know people are not comfortable, and we want to honor and respect that to provide a remote option.”
Registration
New this year, parents and guardians will be allowed to register their children online. Information about that process will be sent home, Vickers said.
Those without online access may make an appointment to register in person, she said.
Remote learning
If MCSD allows remote learning as an option (also called the “virtual option”), parents and students should take these warnings into consideration:
- Unlike the final six weeks of the past school year, when students’ grades couldn’t drop during remote learning, the regular grading system will be used, regardless of where students are taking classes.
- Students who select remote learning to begin the school year might be required to stay with that option for at least the first nine-week grading period. That’s because the district will have assigned staff according to those choices, Lewis said. After the first grading period, he said, students could change the option they choose. If students have extenuating circumstances before then, he added, requests to change their option would be considered.
Parents and students have expressed concern that too many teachers didn’t have the technology skills to provide proper instruction during remote learning.
Lewis admitted the need for improvement.
“We’re trying to provide as much opportunity for teachers as possible to hone their skills with virtual instruction,” he said. “… If there is a situation where we need to have virtual, we’re going to do our best to make sure our teachers are wholly equipped to be successful in that.”
To that end, Lewis said, MCSD has ordered several thousand mobile wi-fi units to help students who don’t have strong and reliable internet service at home.
The district also is considering training for parents to help their children with remote learning, he said.
Cleaning and sanitizing
Custodians will clean and sanitize the schools daily, Lewis said, as well as high-traffic areas multiple times throughout the day.
Teachers also will be provided sanitizing products, he said, and hand sanitizing stations will be set up throughout the buildings.
Outbreaks
If a coronavirus outbreak occurs in a school or in a classroom, Lewis said, he doesn’t envision closing the entire school district. Instead, officials would do contact tracing to determine the extent of the infection and isolate it, he said.
Every school will have an isolation room, Lewis said.
What’s undecided
Masks
The district’s plan will outline the expectations for personal protective equipment, such as masks, but that decision hasn’t been made, Parham said. It will be based on advice from public health agencies, she said.
If masks are required, Lewis said, “We will provide those for our faculty and staff as needed, as well as students if absolutely needed, but we would prefer that everybody bring their own, from both the cost standpoint but also because of personal preference. But we have not made a definitive decision on that. That’s one thing we’re trying to discern from these focus groups.”
Social distancing
Lewis acknowledged that enforcing social distancing will be a challenge, “especially when you think we bus about 68% of our 32,000 students.”
“It’s not practicable to think we could put on a 72-passenger bus only 15 or 20 students, as recommended in the current guidelines,” he said. “So I think we’re going to see those modified.”
To reduce the number of students on buses, Lewis said, MCSD has asked local companies to give employees more flexibility to drive their children to and from school.
MCSD is considering a new system and more time for changing classes.
“There might be a schedule where we have half the classes move the first 5 minutes of a passing period at the high school and middle school level, and every other room in that hallway move the last 5 minutes,” Lewis said. “So there might be a 10-minute passing period.”
Students also might eat lunch in a classroom instead of the cafeteria, he said.
If the time for changing classes is extended, or if the lunch schedule is broadened to accommodate social distancing, the school day might be lengthened to keep the required instructional time.
Decals will be placed on floors for reminders about social distancing, Lewis said, and some classes could be taught in larger spaces that aren’t be used at the moment, such as the cafeteria and auditorium.
Temperature checks
MCSD is waiting for guidance from the state and determining how practical it is to conduct daily temperature checks, Lewis said.
Coronavirus testing and vaccination
Whether coronavirus testing or a vaccination (whenever its developed) would be required to return to school depends on health department guidelines and the opinion of MCSD’s legal counsel, Lewis said.
Waivers
Also undecided is whether parents and guardians must sign waivers to allow their children to return to school, Lewis said.
Sports
How sports will be handled depends on guidance from the Georgia High School Association and the conditions at the time, Lewis said. MCSD is expected to announce Monday its plan to start practices for athletics.
This story was originally published June 19, 2020 at 12:07 PM.
