Schools working on reopening plan

With a return to classrooms looming in less than a month in the face of rising positive COVID-19 cases in the county, Escambia County (Ala.) School Superintendent John Knott told the school board Monday that he met with school administrators last week and will continue to meet to discuss and formulate a back to school plan, which is still set for Friday, August 7.

In a letter to parents on the school system website that includes a survey, Knott says his staff is working on a 'detailed 2020-2021 Return to School Action Plan' that will provide both in-school and online learning, noting the scheduling and cleaning protocols for a 'different kind of school year'. As of the Monday meeting, more than 300 had responded to the survey.

“There's not going to be any perfect plan,” said Knott. “When you're dealing with something like a pandemic, you're dealing with something that grows at its rate, not at what we do.”

While county officials update the status of cases daily, school officials across the state work to develop a general guideline that will accommodate frequent changes or adjustments.

“In our plan, we will put in general protocols and procedures that we can follow,” said Knott. “We are going to be fluid where, if there is a need to change, we can already be preparing and planning for the next steps in our plan.”

Knott said his goal by Friday, July 10, is to have a working copy of the plan, then on Wednesday, July 15, he will present the document to the board to consent, keeping in mind it will be a detailed, continuing working document and provide for the safety of the students and employees.

“We will have to be able to modify and adjust, based on resources available, needs in the particular schools and on the particular level of threat the community is facing,” said Knott.

Knott cited the heightened levels of advised precaution due to the recent rise in positive cases in the area.

School programs like Jump Start and the summer reading math camps have started with provisions in place, like staff wearing face masks. He said students may be required to wear face masks and even parents who enter the school in the future.

Knott said it is crucial for school personnel to keep updated on the threat level and respond accordingly to that.

“The Alabama High School Athletic Association has stated we will continue with high school and athletic programs,” said Knott. “We will have to modify our procedures with the way we work things like our concession stands and the number of people allowed to attend will have to be carried out very carefully. We may have to go to 50 percent capacity and do social distancing with groups seated spaced 6 feet apart. Whatever we do, we have to keep in mind whatever is going to provide the best safety for our students and our staff.”

He said the school system has already placed large orders for extra computers for remote learning or for students who may have to learn from home for a certain number of days.

Knott said there have been personal protection devices supplied, such as face shields and plexiglass shields to be installed in between desks. He pointed out that in teaching phonetics, the students learning have to see the instructors lips so a face shield is necessary.

“We have to consider our Child Nutrition Program services and maybe in-classroom feeding services,” said Knott. “To be able to formulate a plan like this is massive. It has to be a working document, and we will have to be able to make adjustments.”

According to Knott, there has been no training and no information provided to any school system in the state, until just recently.

“Training is being provided currently, with a limited number of attendees,” said Knott. “We have two who attended the training, and they will come back and start working with the staff. We have to support our teachers and our support personnel in the schools, to be able to get the job done. That's where the rubber meets the road. Period.”