School board gets update on anti-virus efforts

CLINTWOOD — According to Superintendent Haydee Robinson, county schools’ return to a hybrid classroom environment has “been really good, not perfect, but really good.”

Robinson reported to the school board Sept. 23 that all plexiglass barriers and water bottle filling stations have been installed as additional precautions against COVID-19.

Robinson complemented the custodial staff on their diligence with cleaning, advising that students and teachers are doing their part by socially distancing, wearing masks and washing hands often.

As of Aug. 18, 1,060 students were hybrid learners while 906 were remote learners. At this point, children are being allowed to move to hybrid learning as long as there can be adequate social distancing in the classroom. Every child has been provided a device to use for digital learning. If a child chooses to return to school, they will keep the device and it will become “just like another textbook.”

The school system’s main goal has been to bring students back as soon and as safely as possible, she said. Robinson said her crew works with the Virginia Department of Health and Virginia Department of Education each day.

With coronavirus numbers on the downturn, Robinson advised her team is looking at a plan to bring students back four days per week in the future. As of the time of the meeting, they were looking at the end of the current nine weeks, Oct. 26.

The plan includes bringing the students back in stages. The first group to return would be pre-K through fifth grade. They would continue to monitor the coronavirus statistics over the next week to 10 days and continue bringing groups back as long as conditions did not deteriorate. The next group would be the sixth through eighth graders, with the high school to be the last group to return. All students will be able to remain virtual if they choose to do so.

Robinson stressed that her team will continue to review the logistics as they get closer to the date and that this plan is tentative, based on current data and subject to change at any time.

Robinson advised that plans are in place to help control the spread once children return to school. Masks will be required any time 6-foot social distancing is not possible, as well as full-time on buses. Students will have assigned seats in classes, on buses and during lunch breaks to help with contact tracing should a child or staff member be diagnosed with COVID-19.

It is possible lunch periods will need to be extended and multiple bus routes may be required to meet social distancing guidelines. Bus drivers are taking temperatures with a hand-held thermometer. Robinson brought up the concern that they do not always read correctly, especially in cold weather. Wrist boxes are being installed on the buses. Children must simply hold their wrist up to the device to have an accurate temperature check before they step on the bus.

Robinson advised that they are watching other districts that have implemented the four-day schedule to measure success rates.

As of early September, the school system had reported five positive COVID-19 cases since the school year began. Of those, three were confirmed to be staff members and two did not specify whether the positive case was a student or an employee.

The board also last week unanimously adopted inclement weather-related closures policies. The virtual learning environment has provided schools with the unique opportunity to be able to have children attend school on snow days.

Each day there is inclement weather, the school system will choose a two-hour delay, code green, code yellow or code red. The two-hour delay will see students attending school from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with virtual students attending from home. A code green means a virtual day for all students from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Code yellow means schools are closed for students and teachers and virtual learning is not possible. A rare code red means school are closed and no employees report to work, with some administrators on call.