Custodian Penny McGuire methodically moves down a hallway at Brown County High School, spraying lockers with a disinfectant that kills COVID-19.
“We just love it,” she said as she moves the motorized sprayer nozzle from the top of a locker to the bottom.
The disinfectant dries on its own and does not require custodians to wipe the surface, which means they can disinfect more hard surfaces quickly.
It will be used on all hard surfaces in the schools as well as on school buses daily as part of the school district’s plans to bring students back into buildings this fall.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Custodians started summer cleaning early this year.
Custodian Candice Henderson has worked in the high school for eight years. This summer of cleaning is definitely different from previous years because of the added responsibility, she said.
Extra disinfecting is happening all the time, like wiping down walls and tables more often, but custodians are up for the challenge, and supplies like the motorized sprayer help them handle it.
“It’s a learning curve and a challenge,” Henderson said of the extra precautions being taken before the start of the school year.
“But what job doesn’t have challenges?”
It won’t be long until students are back in those halls.
Last week, the Brown County Health Department signed off on Brown County Schools’ plan to bring students back on Wednesday, Aug. 5, with some modifications to “normal.”
Remote or in-person?
Parents were notified of the plan via ParentSquare on July 8. Superintendent Laura Hammack went live on Facebook that day to discuss the plan and answer questions.
She explained how the plan was a result of feedback, consultation from guiding organizations and the analysis of data.
“We’re doing the very best that we can. This is a situation that is completely unprecedented. The plan that we put together we believed with significant confidence that it is the best plan for Brown County,” she said.
The plan outlines how school would be conducted in three different situations: Low to no spread of COVID-19; minimal or moderate spread; and substantial spread.
The low- to no-spread plan, or Plan A, is implemented when 0 to 10 percent of students per building are reporting COVID-19 symptoms. That plan has students attending school in the buildings every weekday.
Plan B — the minimal or moderate spread plan — kicks in when 11 to 15 percent of students per building have symptoms, not active COVID-19 cases. It is a hybrid of in-person and online school. Fifty percent of students would be attending traditional school every other day, with remote learning happening on days they are not in buildings. Families would have the same schedule assignments.
When 16 percent or more of students in a building are reporting symptoms, then the substantial spread plan, Plan C, is put into place. Remote learning would occur for all students until the community spread decreases.
Then, it would switch to Plan B, then back to Plan A when the case number thresholds were met. This could also mean one school building could close while the others remain open if the increase of students having symptoms is limited to one building.
Plans A and B allow for a remote learning option for families who do not yet feel comfortable sending their children to school or for students who are in a high-risk category.
“100-percent remote learning will be available for students with at-risk health issues or those who have immediate family members with health issues. We recommend traditional in-person instruction; however, this option is available for families in need,” according to the district’s frequently asked questions document.
During her Facebook Livestream, Hammack said she cautioned families who do not have reliable internet access to think before choosing the remote learning option because it will be more rigorous than the eLearning that happened at the end of last school year, and will require students to be online more often. Internet is “critical,” she said.
“We are sensitive to, and deeply understand, the fact that there will be family situations that will require a student to stay home,” Hammack said, adding the district will have individual conversations with families to walk them through the options.
Students in kindergarten to sixth grade will be expected to engage in remote learning five hours a day. Junior high and high school students will be expected to engage for six hours a day.
The district has 30 hotspot devices that will be distributed via a lottery to families who qualify for free or reduced lunch; who do not have internet access at their home; have the ability to connect to Verizon; and have medical needs that require that students stay home for remote learning.
The district also applied for grant funding to purchase more hotspot devices, and if they receive the funding, more hotspots will be distributed.
Remote learning will be structured similar to an actual school day and will have the same hours Monday through Friday.
Chromebooks will also be available to students who do not have other devices at home if they do remote learning.
During the livestream, a parent asked if they decide to send their child to school, could they switch to remote learning if they wanted. Hammack encouraged families to commit to their decision for a trimester.
“Students will do so much better in consistent structure. In-person and remote are so different. It can be really confusing for a child,” she said.
On the flip side, if a student is on a remote learning plan, Hammack said the district would work with the family to get the student back into a school building as soon as possible.
“We really feel that is best,” she said of having students in school buildings.
Plan basics
Hammack compared the plan to a stoplight, with Plan A being the green light, which is where the district will be when the school year begins.
These plans were put together by the district’s Return to School Task Force and Hammack said they will be updated as the district receives more information about the pandemic.
“Our commitment to you all is we’ll continue to learn, grow and refine that plan so that we can provide for you the safest and healthiest return to school option for our school community,” she said.
To mitigate risk, students and staff are to conduct self-screenings every day to prevent anyone from coming to school or work sick. If their temperature is higher than 100.4 degrees or they have another symptom of COVID-19 — like a cough, chills or a loss of taste or smell — they are advised to stay home.
“Screening at home is a critical component of this process,” Hammack said.
“One of the foundational aspects of a safe and healthy return to school is a commitment by parents, students and staff to not report to work or school if they are sick. If we can do that, that’s a huge piece of this whole puzzle.”
Teachers and faculty will also be trained on how to notice symptoms of a fever, like sweating and red cheeks, then that student will be sent for a temperature check with the school nurse.
The district is following the Indiana State Department of Health’s protocols for situations where a person has COVID-19 symptoms, but did not get tested; if they tested negative after having symptoms; if they tested positive; and if they tested positive with no symptoms. There is also a plan if a student or staff member has been in close contact with someone who had tested positive.
For example, if a student has a fever and another symptom of COVID-19, but they are not tested, the student may return to school after 24 hours without a fever and having a note from their doctor explaining the student was sick with another illness and can return to school.
If the student does not have a note from a doctor, then they will need to stay home for at least 10 days from the first day of symptoms. They must also be fever-free for 72 hours without fever-reducing medicine and have improved respiratory symptoms.
A parent or guardian would need to report their student’s absence if they are sick, like always.
“We’re not going to be hunting down families for absences; we’re not going to criticize absences,” Hammack said on Facebook Live.
The schools also will be discontinuing attendance awards that could prompt children to come to school sick.
School staff will now have one pool of leave to draw from, instead of breaking it into sick time or vacation time, so that they can use the time however they need.
Schools also will be promoting hand washing among students, and will be disinfecting surfaces more often. The district has a stock of personal protection equipment and cleaning supplies. In addition to regular cleaning, common areas like buses, hallways, cafeterias and bathrooms, along with door handles and desks, will be disinfected throughout the school day.
Masks, distance
Students will be required to wear masks on the bus, while entering or exiting school buildings, while picking up food in the cafeteria line and during passing periods, according to the frequently asked questions document Hammack shared with parents. Masks also will be required for certain classroom activities, like science labs, when students are working in close groups.
Students are encouraged to bring masks from home because the schools have a limited amount. Lanyards with clips will be given to each student to keep the mask close throughout the school day.
Hammack encouraged families to start educating their children about the importance of mask wearing now.
“Mask wearing does seem to be making a difference out there, so teaching the why and working with students to understand it is keeping them healthier and other students in the building healthier,” Hammack said. “The key is education.”
She said families should let their younger students know they can be a superhero by putting on their masks, or for teenagers that it is doing their part as a responsible adult to wear a mask at times during the school day.
“Being on the same page will make a difference,” Hammack said.
To help kids keep their distance from one another, assigned seating will be required on the buses, with siblings sitting next to each other. Desks will be spaced apart as far as possible and will face the same direction in the classroom. Assigned seating also will be used during lunch time.
Keeping students in groups, or cohorts, will also help the school district not have to close an entire school building if someone comes down with the coronavirus.
“If we have a positive case, we have to say we know exactly where this child has been throughout the school day and who has been around them,” Hammack explained.
“We’re being intentional about knowing exactly where students are. … It could mean we don’t have to shut the whole school down.”
She added that the building principals are looking at ways for students to choose where they sit for their assigned seat.
“We don’t want to ruin your world, but we need to be intentional with making sure we have assigned seating in all of our locations throughout the day,” she said.
There will also be more opportunities for students to be outside, including having class outside. “That is one of the best locations for students to be,” Hammack said.
School day changes
The school day will definitely look different this year.
Recess will still happen, but recess and lunch times will be staggered to have not as many students together at one time. Playground equipment will be cleaned daily and students will wash their hands before and after going to recess.
Principals are also working on schedules for students to have breaks to wash their hands.
Physical education classes will take place outside when possible.
Before- and after-school care will still be offered.
Preschool also will still be offered. A separate protocol for preschool students will be available to parents.
Field trips are canceled for the first semester and will be re-evaluated in December.
Choir and band classes will also look different this year, with smaller groups or individual classes happening.
Free, grab-and-go breakfasts will be available to every student this school year.
The district is also asking that cash not be used in the lunch lines, but it can be still be accepted for prepayment. Most food will be prewrapped and utensils will be prepackaged, so the number of choices may be reduced.
Seniors at the high school will still be allowed to go out to lunch off campus, and there may be opportunities for underclassmen to enjoy lunch outside of the school too, Hammack said.
Water fountains will be turned off in all buildings, and students are encourage to bring their own water bottles to school. Water will be available in all schools.
A survey was sent to parents last week, due back this week, to let the school district know which option families would be choosing to start the school year in the school buildings, so that staffing could be decided upon.
Hammack said the district is doing the “very best” it can in implementing this plan.
“We know in our plan we got some things right. We know there will be things in our plan that we will learn from, that maybe we got wrong, but today, we’re giving you the very best that we have,” she said.
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Superintendent Laura Hammack shared Brown County Schools’ plan to bring students back for the 2020-2021 school year with families last week. It included a document that explains how remote learning will work for students.
“100-percent remote learning will be available for students with at-risk health issues or those who have immediate family members with health issues. We recommend traditional in-person instruction; however, this option is available for families in need,” the frequently asked questions document reads.
“To manage staffing and scheduling, students must commit to in-person or remote learning for an established period of time and will not be permitted to move back and forth during this commitment. Students in grades K-12 will have the option to select remote learning for a trimester grading period session and can return to traditional in-person instruction following the completion of the grading period, or, if it is advisable that the student return to in-person instruction sooner than indicated, this shift will be considered.
“Grades K–8: Students who do not attend school in person will be enrolled in remote learning via Canvas, our learning management system. Students will receive both virtual instruction (class meetings, small group, and one-on-one) and pre-recorded lessons that focus on essential standards in each core subject area (reading, writing and math). In addition, readings, practice exercises and other activities may be given. Students in grades K-6 are expected to be engaged in learning for five hours daily. Students in grades 7-8 are expected to be engaged in learning for six hours daily. Some courses provided in the schools will not be available through this option.
“Grades 9-12: Students who do not attend school in person will be enrolled in a software platform that provides online instruction (Edmentum/Plato) and/or will be enrolled in remote learning via Canvas, our learning management system. In addition to online readings and practice exercises, instruction and assignments may include other activities such as video tutorials and projects. Some courses provided at Brown County High School will not be available through this option. Students and family will be contacted by BCHS staff to assign courses. Students in grades 9-12 are expected to be engaged in learning for six hours daily.”
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