With COVID rules in place, St. Mary school set to open

St. Mary Parish school students will begin school Tuesday with long-discussed preparations in place to protect students and teachers from the COVID-19 pandemic and accommodating a new way of learning.
All schools will be at only 50% capacity the first two days to accommodate smaller classes to teach social distancing, mask wearing and other protocols that have been incorporated in public education, St. Mary Parish Superintendent Teresa Bagwell said Thursday.
Bagwell said she has been in regular contact with superintendents of school districts, particularly in the region, about how their reopening has gone to gauge how things can be successful here.
“Most report a relatively smooth opening despite all the new regulations,” Bagwell said. “We asked our schools to conduct mock entries/exits with faculty to help work through any potential logistical issues, but until students arrive, we will not know the full scope of instituting vastly new procedures.”
Bagwell said some schools have had virtual open houses for parents to provide them with an idea of how classrooms will be arranged and what safety measures are in place prior to students’ arrival.
Students in grades Pre-kindergarten through fifth will attend school daily, and those in sixth grade on up through 12th grade will attend school twice per week and receive online instruction the remainder of the time. The sixth through 12th graders will be split into two groups, with one group going to school on Monday and Thursday and the second group attending classes on Tuesdays and Fridays. School buildings will be cleaned on Wednesdays.
Special education students will be able to attend school daily.
School class sizes will be capped at 25, which includes the teacher.
While it was unclear how many total students are enrolled with the school system this year, about 2,900 will participate in a virtual educational setting in St. Mary Parish.
Schools have set up schedules for parents to pick up their child’s laptop as well as other important paperwork that comes with the beginning of school.
In signing up for virtual learning, parents consent to providing internet access for their children, Bagwell said.
She said that there have been upgrades of the school’s wireless internet, too.
“We have boosted access in and around school buildings for now and will look at other possibilities as the need arises,” Bagwell said.
As for transporting students to school, Phase 2 calls for 50% bus capacity with social distancing.
Tuesday’s start date will mark the culmination of a long process preparing for the start of school that included delaying school twice. While school originally was scheduled to begin on Aug. 7, in late July, it was pushed back until an Aug. 10 start date to give teachers more time to prepare for starting school with the new COVID-19 regulations.
In early August, the start date again was delayed, this time until Sept. 8, after school system department leaders expressed concern with needing more time to prepare for the opening of school.
This summer, the school board hosted a series of virtual forums to outline different measures for how the school year will look.
When they arrive at school, students will enter one of multiple access points with no more than 25 students at a time moving through the entry point. The students will undergo a health and wellness check, including temperature taken, to identify anyone who is ill, before students will proceed to the cafeteria to wash their hands. There, they will receive a bagged breakfast.
Those with a temperature higher than 100.4 degrees will be isolated and examined for further steps, and parents will be contacted, so they can seek further medical help.
To help limit the spread of COVID, social distancing of 6 feet whenever possible, face coverings and washing of hands will be adhered to. Face coverings will be required in third grade through 12th grade, but the school system will work with those who have medical issues that prevent them from wearing a mask.
As for handwashing, students will be required to do so throughout the day, and time will be built in to the school day to allow for such.