Immanuel Christian goes back to school with COVID-19 precautions

The 2020-21 academic year at Immanuel Christian School in Morgan City is off to a “smooth start” as the first full-day of classes was held Monday, and no COVID-related issues have been reported, Principal Kathy Galloway said.
Galloway said while some students stayed home from school initially after someone in their family was sick, they started school after everyone in the family was medically cleared.
While it’s not entirely back to normal, Galloway said it is great to be able to work with the students in person again.
“The kids are so glad to be back with their friends and for life to be more normal,” she said. “We’re looking forward to a great year.”
She said they have no more than 12 students in each class, but most classes have no more than nine students, all practicing social distancing.
Each grade level stays together throughout the day, eating in their classroom or outside on a picnic table. Teachers conduct recess for their individual classes.
In all, 151 students are enrolled this year, including those from infants to two years old in their early learning center and those in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Upon arriving on campus daily, all students and staff have their temperature taken, and they are permitted to stay at school unless their fever is 100.4 degrees or higher.
After students are medically cleared, they wash their hands and go immediately to their classroom where a teacher is waiting for them.
“We don’t gather in an area,” Galloway said.
Students wash their hands every two hours, while students in third through eighth grades wear face coverings along with staff.
If anyone tests positive for COVID, then as per state Department of Education guidelines, all students and faculty who had class with the ill individual are removed from the classroom and are set up in a temporary classroom. The original classroom is sanitized and it is 24 hours before the students and teacher are allowed to return to the original classroom.
They also have a virtual learning option for those students who have health issues or don’t feel comfortable being on campus.
“We have several families actually, that have opted out and decided to do the online schooling” through the same program they use at the school, Galloway said.