Jonathan Alder School officials are working on a plan to reopen schools.
“Our intention still is to open up with all of our students, in-person, traditionally,” Alder Superintendent Gary Chapman said at a special board meeting Thursday morning.
He said options include bringing all students to schools, all day, each day; combining on-line and in-person instruction so buildings are only half full each day; or 100% online learning. Additionally, the district is preparing the Jonathan Alder Digital Academy for those students who are unable to attend in-person classes.
Chapman said that earlier this week, he and other superintendents met with the Madison County Health Department. He said guidelines offered by the Madison County Health Department are “more restrictive than the governor’s.”
Chapman said he has met with district administrators who will be meeting with teachers to see if and how the requirements can be met. The superintendent said those meetings are so important because the teachers are able to see concerns and solutions in a creative way.
Chapman said the district has five, very different school buildings that each pose challenges. He said that once the administrators and teachers meet, the district will make decisions about the opening of school.
“We have to determine, can we meet the guidelines at each of these buildings, as outlined by our health commissioner?” Chapman said.
He said the ability to meet those guidelines would be, “the first indicator” for choosing a plan.
District officials said the start date for school could be moved if that would help the district meet the guidelines. Chapman said the district is working hard to begin school Aug. 19 and a change could “cause issues within our community.”
Chapman said he is “optimistic” officials will be able to meet the health department guideline but if the logistics and requirements make it impossible to reopen the district buildings, the decision will be easier to make but more difficult for the community.
He said that if the buildings must open at half capacity, the district will look at the best options on a building by building basis. He said it will be important to keep family groups together, but the building size and challenges, combined with class size and make-up will dictate what the plan could look like.
Board member Shannon Foust asked about taking temperatures at school. Chapman said the district does not have enough equipment or personnel to do that. He said students and families should check for symptoms, including a fever, before coming to school.
Chapman added that the health department is “working” on protocols should a student develop symptoms while at school. He said he hopes they will be created, “in the next couple of weeks.”
The superintendent said the district currently has one nurse, a nurse aid at Plain City Elementary School and a part-time nurse aid at Monroe Elementary School. Board members asked about the possibility of having nurses from the community volunteer time in the schools. District officials said the district is working to create separate clinics at each school to keep COVID-19 infected students from other students needing medical attention.
“So, if a student comes in with a bloody nose, they go to one area,” said Assistant Superintendent Misty Swanger. “If they come in with a cough and possible fever, they go to another area.”
Chapman said the district is working on a face mask policy. The mandates from the Madison County Health Department do contain face covering guidance.
“All staff, students and visitors (including outside contractors) must wear a cloth face covering while at school,” according to the health department. Coverings must be worn over the nose, mouth and chin. Staff or students who have a documented (from his/her doctor) medical breathing issue that prevents a cloth facial covering from being worn must wear a clear face shield. Students who refuse to wear a cloth facial covering (or a face shield if they have an aforementioned documented medical breathing issue) may not be in the school.”
Foust said he doesn’t think the masks will be “as big an issue as we think.”
Board member Steve Votaw said that if the plans are going to work, district officials will need to communicate with the public. He said so much around COVID-19 has “become political.”
“How are you going to make decisions?” Votaw asked. “As a school, I think people are going to want to know how you are going to make decisions, what is going to be your guiding voice.”
Chapman said guidance from the health department is “the critical piece.”
He said the safety of students and staff is “of the utmost importance.”
Chapman said everyone needs to be flexible. He said parents need to prepare for a variety of options.
“Conditions are changing weekly, even daily and we may have a plan and come back to the community a week from the start of school, or even sooner and say we have to make a change,” Chapman said.