During a work session Wednesday, the Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School Board continued its discussion about reopening for the 2020-21 school year.
The district plans to combine in-person instruction and distance learning, in accordance with the safety precautions laid out by the Mississippi Department of Education to protect against the coronavirus.
Under a tentative plan, students from pre-kindergarten through third grade would meet Monday through Thursday with social distancing measures in place. For students from fourth grade through high school, half would meet in person on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the other half would do so Tuesdays and Thursdays. When students are not in the school buildings, they would be learning virtually, with Friday set aside for additional learning help.
“We do understand all students need some type of face-to-face instruction with the teachers,” said Dr. Mary Brown, the superintendent.
For pre-kindergarten through third grade, depending on class sizes, a room can hold eight to 12 students, Brown said.
She said this plan is still being developed. “We do not have it to a place where we can comfortably say this is how the schedule will operate, but we are working on it.”
The board also talked about a modified bus schedule that would split pick-ups and drop-offs into two groups. Buses would pick up one group of students who would begin classes at 7:45 a.m., and another group would begin at 8:30.
“Dealing with transportation is going to be one of our biggest issues this school year,” Assistant Superintendent Charles Johnson said, “just based on the number of drivers, the number of buses we have and the requirements of only being allowed just 12 students per bus. And then also the cleaning and disinfecting of each bus during and between the routes.”
The board discussed having bus monitors check temperatures and supervise social distancing, as well as creating instructional videos for students and their families to watch.
Johnson also said they do not foresee having to use plexiglass barriers between seats. This might cause more serious injuries if there were an accident, he said.
Certain teaching, such as for students needing additional services and resources, may be done safely face-to-face and, when possible, with some guided learning virtually or with parents or guardians after tutoring from the instructor.
For “certain students in our population — for example, our autistic students — this is a struggle,” Assistant Superintendent Likisha Coleman said. “We found that we work with our related services this summer, and we have just determined some of those things cannot be done virtually. We are seeking related service providers, interpreters, occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech therapists that will be working more with not just the students but more with parents.”
The district has also allowed community members to fill out a survey about the schools’ reopening.
As of Wednesday, almost 60% of parents said they would not feel comfortable sending their children back to school in August. The survey can be filled out online at glcsd.org.
At a special called meeting before the work session, the board approved conducting competitive bidding for waterproofing the central office building as well as budget changes to athletic, student and commercial insurance.
•Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
