Classes begin Thursday in the Rockdale ISD in a school year like no other.
The reason it’s different is, of course, the COVID-19 Pandemic. Students and parents are being given the option of attending classes in-person or on-line.
Supt. Dr. Denise Monzingo said 64 percent—almost twothirds—are planning to show up Thursday morning at one of the district’s four campuses.
What they will find will be campuses scrubbed as clean as humanly possible and a large number of new protocols they will notice before ever walking through a door.
START TIMES—For starters, school starting and dismissal times will be staggered, enabling more bus routes to place less students on a bus in any one time.
That also allows more time to clean buses in between stops to pick up and drop off students. Here’s the school day at each campus:
Elementary—7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Building opens at 7:20 a.m.)
Intermediate—7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Building opens at 7:20 a.m.)
Junior High—8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Building opens at 8:15 a.m.)
High School—8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. (Building opens at 8:15 a.m.)
PARTNERSHIP—In-person classes are viewed as a partnership between the school district and parents/guardians.
School officials state that parents must not send a child to school if they have COVID-19 symptoms (see box on page 6A) and students will be monitored at school for such symptoms.
Staff members are required to self-screen for symptoms every day before reporting to work.
Face masks are being required in many situations, students are being expected to wash their hands, or sanitize, frequently, with sanitizers available throughout the campuses.
No visitors will be allowed on any campus without an appointment.
Social distancing guidelines will be in effect, where applicable.
CLEANING—Many new guidelines deal with keeping the school buildings and grounds clean:
• Each classroom and restroom will be disinfected daily.
• All high touch areas will be disinfected daily.
• Cleaning cloths will be changed for each classroom and common area to maximize room to room cleanliness.
• Custodians will wear masks and gloves during work hours.
• The cafeteria will be disinfected between lunch periods.
• Staff will have access to disinfectant to sanitize working surfaces and shared objects after each use and during breaks in instruction.
BUSES—There are a number of new protocols in regard to bus transportation:
• When possible, the district encourages families to drop students off, carpool, or walk with their student to school
• Buses will have a hand sanitizer station at the front. Each person entering the bus will be required to apply hand sanitizer as they board the bus.
• Drivers will check each student’s temperature using a no-touch, forehead thermometer upon boarding the bus every day on the morning route. Students with a temperature over 100 degrees will be separated on the bus from other students. The front seats of the bus will be cleared, the student will be required to put on a mask, and the student will be transported to school where the student will be under the nurse’s care for evaluation.
• Drivers/monitors will be provided with a mask to wear at all times while transporting students. When dealing with a suspected sick student, the driver will wear a provided face shield in addition to the mask.
• It is recommended that all students (for whom it is developmentally appropriate) wear a mask on the bus.
• When the temperature is acceptable, windows will be open to allow for circulation of fresh air. Fresh air vents on top of the bus will be open at all times.
• Buses will be thoroughly disinfected after each route. Windows will be open throughout the day in between runs for additional ventilation.
GUIDELINES—Of course there will be lots of differences in school, too:
• Students will be screened regularly for symptoms. Those who present symptoms will be sent home.
• Students and staff will wear a face mask/covering when entering a RISD facility, in common areas such as buses, hallways, the cafeteria (when not eating) and whenever social distancing is not possible.
• Desks/tables will be socially distanced as much as possible and there will be little student movement within the classroom
• Students will be expected to regularly wash or sanitize their hands. (Sanitizer provided.)
ONLINE—The main factor school personnel stress for the one-third of RISD students who have opted to start 2020-21 with online learning is that it’s not “play school,” it’s the real thing:
• Two types of remote learning will be in play— Asynchronous, self-paced instruction with intermittent teacher interaction; Synchronous with live, scheduled interactive classes with teachers and students in real time.
• Attendance will be taken and strictly enforced.
• RISD uses Google Classroom. Students who log into their Google Classroom each day and engage with their assigned classroom will not be marked absent. However, if a student is engaged in Asynchronous Learning and completed the entire week’s worth of learning activities on Monday, and does not log in for the rest of the week, the student will be marked “present” on Monday and “absent” Tuesday through Friday.
COVID-19 Symptoms
The Rockdale ISD does not want you to send your student to a campus classroom if they display any of the following symptoms “in a way that is not normal for them”:
Feeling feverish or a temperature equal to, or greater than, 100; loss of taste or smell; cough; difficulty breathing; headache.
Chills, sore throat; shaking or exaggerated shivering; significant muscle pain or ache; diarrhea.
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