Temperature checks? Masks required? What we know about Columbus-area school reopenings
While the Muscogee County School District reconsiders its reopening plan, here is a roundup of when and how other Columbus area public and private schools will conduct the 2020 fall semester as the coronavirus pandemic surges in the Chattahoochee Valley.
The following information came from responses to a Ledger-Enquirer’s questionnaire and from policies posted online.
Harris County
First day of classes: Aug. 10.
Learning modes: Options for in-person, remote or homeschool.
Personal protective equipment: Masks required in the following situations:
- When unable to socially distance by at least 6 feet, all faculty and staff must wear a mask. A face shield also may be worn but can’t replace a face covering.
- All students and employees must wear a mask on a school bus.
- In grades 5-12, when unable to socially distance by at least 6 feet, all students must wear a mask.
- In prekindergarten through fourth grade, all students are encouraged to wear a mask..
- Exceptions will be guided by special-education plans and medical directives.
- Masks won’t be required during breakfast and lunch..
Social distancing: School spaces and operations will be modified as feasible to support increased distancing. School leaders will monitor the situations.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Every classroom will provide disinfecting solutions, sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer. Heating and air-conditioning units are continually maintained. The district’s private contractor for cleaning and custodial services, ABM, has been trained in enhanced cleaning and sanitation techniques. Schools will be cleaned and sanitized each night. Throughout the school day, each school will have trained personnel constantly cleaning and sanitizing frequently-used areas and surfaces, such as tabletops, restrooms and door handles.
Temperatures taken? Teachers will have contactless thermometers to check each student at roll call. Employees should take their temperature each day before coming to work. Parents/guardians are asked to do this for their children as well.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: If students or employees come to school sick, they immediately will be sent home. Sick students will be quarantined in an isolation room until their parent/guardians picks them up. Students and employees who test positive for COVID-19 must remain in isolation at home for 10 days. They may return to school or work after symptoms have resolved and they are fever-free without medication for the last three days of isolation. Students and employees who had close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 must stay home for 14 days after exposure. They should be tested on the 10th day after exposure. Regardless of the test result, they must complete the 14-day isolation period.
Waiver required? No.
More info: https://www.harris.k12.ga.us/domain/758
Chattahoochee County
First day of classes: Sept. 9.
Learning modes: Hybrid instruction for at least the fall semester. Students will be assigned one day per week to attend in person, allowing schools to operate with greater ability for social distancing. Families will be grouped to ensure that siblings attend on the same days. When not attending school in person, each grade level and subject will have assigned days and times for remote instruction online. A consecutive decrease in the 14-day period of daily new COVID-19 cases will prompt a review for additional days being added to the in-person instructional days of the hybrid model. Families may choose another instructional model for their child by completing the application for their student to participate in the full-time virtual option..
Personal protective equipment: Students will be highly encouraged to wear face coverings when inside the school in a group setting and on a bus. Faculty and staff will be expected to wear a face covering of their preference during the same situations. The district has received enough donated masks to give at least one to every student and employee.
Social distancing: Where feasible, classrooms will be arranged with increased space between students and with desks facing in the same direction. Meal times, class changes and dismissal times will be staggered. Where feasible, class changes will be conducted by having K-8 teachers rotate to the students and grade 9-12 students rotate by grade level. Loading and unloading buses will be conducted in a systematic manner. Students will be assigned bus seats and share seats with only family members when possible.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Custodians will clean and disinfect by following protocols monitored by a national cleaning service. Frequent handwashing will be encouraged, and handwashing stations have been installed throughout all facilities. Hand sanitizer will be included as a required school supply. Students will be encouraged to bring water bottles. Water fountains designed to fill up water bottles will be available so drinking from the fountains can be discouraged.
Temperatures taken? Health screenings will be conducted, and periodic temperature checks are included, but that plan won’t be finalized until the July 28 board meeting.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: If students don’t attend school in person because of coronavirus symptoms, they can be counted present for online instruction if they complete the available lesson on Google classroom or emailed to them. If the school is aware of a coronavirus diagnosis, parents/guardians will be notified via letter.
Waiver required? No.
More info: https://www.chattco.org/article/266171?org=district
Phenix City
First day of classes: Students will be divided into two groups for their first two days of classes. The Trailblazers will attend Aug. 17 and 19. The Innovators will attend Aug. 18 and 20. All will attend Aug. 21 and onward, if conditions allow, but the two groups will be utilized again if COVID-19 conditions warrant. They will be utilized the first week to practice the procedures.
Learning modes: Options for in-person or remote learning. As of July 16, approximately one-third chose remote learning.
Personal protective equipment: It is recommended that parents purchase their child a face covering. When and where they must wear a mask isn’t certain in the plan. The only specific situation regarding masks is for transportation: “It is strongly recommended that students who ride a bus wear face coverings.”
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on July 15 ordered masks to be worn in public spaces when within 6 feet of a person from another household. Phenix City Schools superintendent Randy Wilkes told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email July 16 that the order “makes the likelihood of required masks even greater at the beginning of school. Those on campus beginning today at 6 p.m. will comply. Any change to current policy will come early August.”
Social distancing: Desks should be spaced to allow for social distancing “to the greatest extent possible.” Protocols have been established for more social distancing when the school system’s alert level is higher.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Clorox 360 machines have been purchased for every site. Hand sprayers have been purchased for each classroom. Each student will need to bring a water bottle, with their name on it. If there is any level of outbreak, water fountains will be turned off.
Temperatures taken? All persons entering PCBOE properties will have their temperature checked daily. Those with a temperature of 100.4 or higher won’t be allowed to remain on the property.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: Persons within the class/organization of a student or employee who has tested positive for COVID-19 will be notified. All students and employees who are diagnosed must test negative or be quarantined for 14 days and be asymptomatic for three days before returning to school.
Waiver required? All employees entering PCBOE properties must sign a form attesting “no” to the following questions:
- Have you been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 in the last two weeks? After the person’s first day of reporting, the question will be: Have you been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 since the last time you were here?
- Have you had a fever in the last two weeks or since the last time on campus?
- Have any of the persons living in your household been around anyone with COVID-19 since your last time on campus or in the last two weeks?
More info: https://www.pcboe.net/domain/575
Russell County
First day of classes: Aug. 10.
Learning modes: Options for in-person or remote learning. Students must stay with the selection for at least the first nine-week grading period.
Personal protective equipment: Students must wear a mask on the bus and during designated times throughout the school day. All employees must wear a mask or a face shield. The district will provide each student and employee three cloth masks.
Social distancing: All students and employees will be trained on social distancing. The expectation will be communicated daily. Implementation will be monitored and enforced by school personnel.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Routine cleaning of surfaces, such as tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards and toilets. Used EPA-approved disinfectants against COVID-19. Routine checks of HVAC systems. Open windows when possible. Sanitation stations installed as necessary. Plexiglass installed as necessary. Discontinued use of water fountains and replaced with hydration stations. Students may bring their own clear water bottle with their name on it.
Temperatures taken? Students and employees will be checked daily.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: Those with symptoms should voluntarily quarantine for 14 days and consult with health officials for possible testing. Must be fever-free without fever-reducing medication for at least three days before returning to school/work. Those diagnosed with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days. They may return to school/work only three days after resolution of symptoms and fever without fever-reducing medication.
Those exposed to someone diagnosed with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days and have a medical professional sign a note verifying they are cleared for return to school/work.
Waiver required? No.
More info: https://www.myrcsd.org/Page/559
Lee County
First day of classes: Aug. 12.
Learning modes: Options for in-person or remote learning.
Personal protective equipment: The school system “strongly recommends” the use of face coverings and requires them to be worn on buses. Face masks have been ordered for all students and employees. Face shields will be provided for all employees and students in grades K-3.
Social distancing: Eliminate large gatherings. Restructure class changes and walking through hallways. Restrict access to buildings for only essential personnel and students. Lockers won’t be available. Desks and tables will be socially distanced where possible. All meals will be picked up in the cafeteria and taken to the classroom to be eaten.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Implemented according to guidelines from Alabama Department of Public Health. Regularly clean high-traffic areas. Hygiene practices include frequent handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes. Each facility will be provided hand sanitizer and disinfectant. Touchless water bottle fillers have been installed in each school cafeteria. Students are encouraged to bring their own water bottle.
Temperatures taken? If needed.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: Should stay home if they have symptoms or a fever of at least 100.4 degrees. Those diagnosed with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days and follow ADPH guidelines. To return to school/work, they must be symptom-free and test negative for COVID-19 or must have a signed note from a healthcare provider confirming they are symptom-free. Those in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 must quarantine for 14 days to return to school activities. Close contact is defined as being within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes. Each school has a designated are where symptomatic students will be isolated until picked up by parent/guardian.
Waiver required? No.
More info: https://www.lee.k12.al.us/
Private Schools
Brookstone School
First day of classes: Aug. 12.
Learning modes: In-person classes for all students to start, but faculty trained during the summer to be able to conduct remote learning if required.
Personal protective equipment: Students and employees required to wear face coverings. Transparent face shields will be used in the lower and intermediate schools during certain lessons. They also can be used by anyone who is not able to wear a mask for health reasons.
Social distancing: New procedures for car arrivals. Adherence to designated entrances for grade levels. Visitors must undergo health screening. Modification of cafeteria schedule to include staggered times, outdoor settings and eating in classrooms. Other gatherings to be limited in crowd size. Students will be contained in groups either by class or division, and interaction among those groups, including the use of shared space and resources, will be minimized.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Deep cleaning during the summer. Installed air purification technology called Global Plasma Solution in the HVAC system. Faculty and cleaning staff regularly will clean classrooms. Staff has been added to increase sanitation in facilities. Classes that share common tools and supplies will have new safety and clearning protocols. Faculty and students will wash or sanitize their hands as they enter classrooms. Touchless hand sanitizers are being installed throughout campus. Drinking fountains are being replaced with water bottle filling stations and handwashing stations.
Temperatures taken? Yes. Daily screening of students and employees upon arrival.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: Students and teachers who exhibit symptoms or are exposed to COVID-19 must “stay away from classrooms and other shared spaces until they are healthy.” Those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 are expected to stay home for 14 days of quarantine and distance learning. Also required of any students who had direct exposure.
Waivers required? Not mentioned.
More info: https://www.brookstoneschool.org/covid-19-updates
St. Anne-Pacelli Catholic School
First day of classes: Aug. 10.
Learning modes: Options for in-person or remote learning.
Personal protective equipment: Masks must be worn at all times.
Social distancing: Staggered lunch seating for prekindergarten through fifth grade. Lunch in high school auditorium for grades 6-7 and 11-12. Outdoor lunch for grades 8, 9 and 10, and in their classrooms during inclement weather. Outdoor spaces used for classes. Masses celebrated in one classroom and livestreamed to other classrooms. Communion distributed in hallways. Staggered dismissal times. Visitors must remain outside the school’s buildings. No afterschool clubs offered.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Students and employees must sanitize their hands before entering school buildings. Anything that can’t be sanitized will be removed from classrooms. Lunch tables sanitized after each seating. Classrooms sanitized during lunch. Restrooms, common spaces and doorknobs sanitized several times daily. Additional hand sanitizing stations in classrooms and common areas. Employees will be provided disinfectant wipes. Teachers will spray disinfectant on desks before students enter their classrooms. Students then will wipe their desk before sitting.
Temperatures taken? Yes. Conducted each morning at the lower school’s car line and the high school’s entrances. Employees will be checked in their workrooms. Those with temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher must go home and can’t return to school until fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: Students with suspected symptoms of COVID-19 at school will have their parents/guardians contacted to immediately pick up their child. The school has discretion to mandate that the student must be cleared by a medical doctor before returning to school. Protocols also in place for staff as well as students and staff who have been around anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Waivers required? Yes for all people entering the school’s buildings.
More info: https://www.beaviking.com/
St. Luke School
First day of classes: Aug. 12.
Learning modes: In-person for all students.
Personal protective equipment: Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade must wear a mask “while in transit” and when unable to socially distance. In classrooms, they must wear a mask while in close proximity to a teacher. Students in grades 6-8 must wear a mask throughout the school day. Students are asked to bring one clean mask to school each day. Extra masks will be provided as necessary.
Social distancing: Classrooms and lunchroom set up to provide social distancing. Campus movement schedules being updated. Students in prekindergarten through fifth grade will remain with their homeroom class throughout the day.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Each student will be given a bottle of hand sanitizer. They will begin the school day by washing and sanitizing their hands. Staff will intensify cleaning and disinfecting rooms, common areas and frequently touched surfaces throughout the day. As age appropriate, students will clean their desk and chair before changing location. Water fountains will be closed. Students are encouraged to bring a filled water bottle to school each day. Hands-free water bottle filling stations will be available.
Temperatures taken? Yes. Students will be checked each morning before they are allowed to leave the vehicle in which they arrive. Employees will be checked before they enter the buildings.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: Those with symptoms but without fever will be escorted to a central location for a temperature check. If the administration deems it necessary, or if the temperature is above 100.3 degrees, the student’s parent/guardian will be called to pick up their child. The student may not return to school without a doctor’s clearance.
Waivers required? No.
More info: http://school.stlukeum.com/
Calvary Christian School
First day of classes: Aug. 12.
Learning modes: Options for in-person or remote learning.
Personal protective equipment: Students, employees and visitors must wear masks in hallways and other common spaces.
Social distancing: Expected of everyone, with age-appropriate sensitivity.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Janitorial crew has been trained for enhanced cleaning throughout the day. Campus sanitized during the evenings.
Temperatures taken? Yes. Checked for students, employees and visitors before entering the building. Students also screened before participating in afterschool activities.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: When a student or employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the school will be closed for at least 24 hours and until a deep cleaning of the campus is completed.
Waivers required? Yes.
More info: https://calvaryknights.com/
Wynnbrook Christian School
First day of classes: Aug. 12.
Learning modes: Options for in-person or remote learning for the first quarter of the school year.
Personal protective equipment: Face coverings are optional.
Social distancing: Guidelines from CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics used as foundation for policy.
Cleaning and sanitizing: See above.
Temperatures taken? No, but capable to check if needed.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: “Handled appropriately by following the medical protocol.”
Waivers required? Yes.
More info: http://www.wynnbrookcs.org/
Pinehurst Christian School
No classes during 2020-21 academic year. Planning to reopen for 2021-22.
More info: http://www.pinehurstchristianschool.com/
Glenwood School
First day of classes: Aug. 6.
Learning modes: In-person for all students. For health or other reasons, students in grades 3-12 may use remote learning, but they must stay with that option for the entire first semester.
Personal protective equipment: Face coverings optional unless when social distancing can’t be followed, such as assemblies and chapel. Masks must be worn on buses.
Social distancing: Followed to the greatest extent possible. Gatherings limited to areas where 6 feet of social distancing can be maintained, or all attendees must wear a face mask. Preschool through fifth grade will be self-contained with limited mixing between groups. Hallways are marked with a center line and arrows. Must stay in lane and walk at least 6 feet apart. In grades 6-12, only four students per restroom at a time. In the elementary grades, only one student per restroom at a time. In classrooms, students must face the same direction. Desks spaced to the greatest extent possible. Where tables are used as desks in the upper school, sneeze guards will be in place.
Cleaning and sanitizing: Per CDC guidelines. Anyone entering the school must use hand sanitizer provided. Students and employees must wash their hands before and after eating, using the restroom, upon returning from a break, before and after using outdoor or playground equipment, before and after administering medication, and between changing classes if applicable. Students should bring a water bottle with their name on it to school. Hydration stations will be available throughout the school. Water fountains will be turned off.
Temperatures taken? Yes. First-period teachers will check students at the door while wearing a mask. Any student with a temperature higher than 100 degrees must report to the school nurse for further evaluation.
Coronavirus symptoms and diagnoses: It is the parent or guardian’s responsibility to ensure their child is symptom-free before coming to school. Students and employees who develop COVID-19 symptoms at school must immediately put on a face covering if symptoms and age permit. Then they must report to the quarantine area to be assessed by the school nurse and possibly picked up by a parent or guardian. Those that are sent home may not return to school until 72 hours of being free of fever, symptoms and fever-reducing medication.
If diagnosed with COVID-19, everyone in the class will be notified, but the name of the infected person will be confidential. A negative test result with a doctor’s note must be provided before returning to school. Contact tracing will be conducted, and affected areas will be closed for disinfecting.
Those diagnosed with COVID-19 may not return to school for 14 days. Following the 14-day period, they must be bring a doctor’s note and must be free of fever, symptoms and fever-reducing medication. Those who have had close contact with a COVID-19 patient may not return to school for 14 days, unless they submit a negative test result on a doctor’s letterhead.
Waivers required? Not mentioned.
More info: https://www.glenwoodgators.org/
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
