Schools weigh their options

The Richland School District approved plans to begin its fall semester on August 6, with the district using an AA/BB scheduling system. Interim Superintendent Rosa Romero said the staff has been working diligently on a plan that will give students the best education and keep them safe and healthy for the school year. "

In the approved plan, students would be in either Group A or Group B. Each student would go to the school two days a week and would distance learn the other three days. "Our desire is to return to school as normal as possible," Romero said. "However, we must be proactive and be prepared for ever-changing circumstances."

At the school, students will have their temperature taken upon entering, and will also be given verbal health checks. Students must also wear masks and practice social distancing, with each class limited to 12 to 14 students. There will be no recess. Students will have a 15-minute break, but there will be no playground equipment use, with nothing utilized that would be considered a shared item. School will begin at 7:45 a.m. and dismiss at 12:30 p.m.

Parents are encouraged to bring the children to and from school, avoiding riding the bus. For those students who ride the bus, students will be loaded from back to front, and will unload front to back, to avoid students crossing paths. In order to maintain social distancing, buses will be limited to 12 to 14 students, and buses will be disinfected before and after each trip. While at school, all staff are required to wear face masks and students will wear them also. They can bring their own from home, or masks will also be provided.

All students will be provided a laptop for distance learning. With the week broken up, students will have a chance to work and learn from their online instructors and will still get the opportunity to assemble with their classmates and return to a classroom environment.

If parents do not want to have their children go to the school, they can elect to have their child do strictly distance learning. They can have their children use the online resources and work from home the entire week. Romero said all school activities that have students assemble in a large group, such as rallies, shows, etc.., will not take place until the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the county deem it safe to do so.

"We are just excited to get back to school and give our kids the best education we can in these trying and challenging times," Romero said.