Lexington School District One delays start of in person instruction

Dr. Greg Little " Bringing back everyone at the same time is not the best approach"

Lexington, SC (WOLO) — The Lexington School District One Board of Trustees have decided to delay the start of Phase Two, which would bring all students back in to the classroom. While Lexington One wanted to have all children return to in person instruction by Monday September 28th, 2020, during a meeting Tuesday night Superintendent Dr. Greg Little said “bringing everyone back at the same time is not the best approach”.

According to Dr. Little they have learned and plan to implement a lot of what they have been able to learn over the past three weeks of school so that they can not only open, but stay open. Board members say the initial goal was to give Lexington School District One facilities a two full complete COVID-19 infection cycles where they would be able to practice safety precautions they put in place. Including adding plexiglass in all schools and creating additional ways for students to continue social distancing since more children in the class will mean, less space.

While the school board says they are committed to reducing student and staff exposure to coronavirus they will continue to keep a close eye on the number of COVID-19 numbers that are being reported throughout the district

Parents and staff came to a joint agreement that phasing in face to face classrooms would be the best way to go by bringing Pre-Kindergarden  through second grade students in four days a week (Monday -Thursday) starting Monday October 5th, and continue to have virtual learning on Fridays.

It was also decided that students who participate in Individualized Education Plans and English Language Learners will also be able to return to class Oct. 5. meanwhile, students in grades three through 12 with IEPs served in Resource programs will continue to learn using their hybrid schedule.

The school board says they chose this model in order to give schools time to adjust to serve more students that will be in the building at the same time. However, it will also allow them to bring in some the youngest students they say could benefit from face-to-face instruction  as they continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19. Mainly, elementary school kids they say have some of the highest educational and social-emotional needs, and do not have to change classes, or travel the hallway throughout the day.

On top of all the other safety strategies, PreK–G2 students will also have Plexiglass dividers at their desks. Grades 3–5 will also receive Plexiglass dividers in the following weeks. As soon as they are installed, we will go ahead and bring them in, too.

The plan does not impact students in the Online Learning Academy.

Board members say middle and high school students who change classes many times during the day will also have other opportunities to gather outside of the classroom when they have to participate in athletics, performing arts, and other school activities. Officials say when social distancing has not been possible for secondary students, school officials have seen a higher rate of students who have had to quarantine. For that reason, the board has agreed to begin to bring secondary students back when we can do more to help them adequately social distance.

If this current model goes as planned, Lexington One says  Cohort A and B students in grades three through five will be the next to transition into school for Phase Three Oct. 19. Last would be Lexington middle and high schools that will come back in sections starting with those who have the highest needs first.

In the meantime, all other middle and high school students will continue with their current AA and BB hybrid model, with each cohort coming to school for face-to-face learning two days a week and e-learning from home three days a week. Some middle and high school students may begin to transition sooner than their classmates as the district focuses on priority groups of students.

As reminder school board officials ask that students remember to do all of the following:

• wear a mask while on a school bus and campus, as described above.
• practice social-distancing measures in classrooms and common areas.
• follow school officials’ directions regarding health and safety.
• practice good hygiene (wash/sanitize hands often, cover coughs/sneezes with inside of elbow or tissue, etc.).
• let their teacher or another staff member know if they don’t feel well or think they may have any of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.