County, city schools resume with hybrid schedules due to virus

New Albany city schools began their fall session this week and Union County students will go back next week.

Union County School Superintendent Russell Taylor announced Monday that county schools will resume classes next Monday, Aug. 17, using a hybrid schedule.

Generally, half the students will attend classes in the morning and the other half will attend in the afternoon.

This will require two complete bus routes each day but, as one official pointed out, this will make it easier to insure that all students receive meals at the schools.

“After careful thought and consideration of the needs of our students, the most current health data from our state and county, and the role our schools can play in protecting our community as a whole; it has been decided the Union County School District will begin as planned on August 17, 2020 with a hybrid in-person schedule and with distance learners,” Russell said in a letter to parents and students. He added the schedule would provide the best opportunity to most closely follow the guidelines for safe re-opening of school provided by State Health Officer, Thomas Dobbs, Aug. 6.

Officials don’t know when they will return to a traditional schedule.

All the COVID precautionary measures in use for the hybrid schedule will remain for the traditional schedule. “The only thing that will change is the number of students in the school,” he said concerning a switch back to traditional.

The hybrid plan calls for students to be split into two groups attending in person mornings or afternoons Monday-Thursday. On Fridays, only distance learners will come at 8 a.m. on the hybrid schedule. Upon return to a traditional schedule Fridays will return to the half-day schedule for in-person and distance learners found with the traditional schedule.

“While we regret these inconveniences, it is our belief these changes are currently necessary and our plans are that this hybrid model is temporary,” he said.

The return to school plan includes protocols for dealing with students or staff who may have COVID-19 symptoms. Screening may lead to isolation, testing or possible quarantine.

Schools are required to notify those in close contact with a student or staff member who tests positive for COVID, but not required to provide public notice or even notice to the entire school, according to Gov. Tate Reeves and state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs – although the two have praised the Corinth school district for making public announcements about cases.

“While state guidelines say schools should notify teachers and the parents of students who have been in contact with an infected person, they aren’t required to notify the entire school or the community at large,” Dobbs was quoted as saying in a news report.

Taylor did not say the county district has plans for any widespread notice of what are considered to be inevitable cases of someone testing positive.

“Our plan is to notify any students, staff, and families that would be ‘close contact’ or in the same cohort group (i. e. – classroom, team, etc.). We will also notify MSDH of any contact if the UCSD has a COVID contact. Once an individual has tested positive, tracing will take place. Families will be notified,” he said.

New Albany schools resumed classes Monday using a hybrid schedule that is different from the one the county is using.

Students in grades three through 12 will be divided into two groups, Team Maroon and Team Bulldog. One group will attend a full day of classes Monday and Thursday while the other group will attend Tuesday and Friday. Groups not attending in person will have virtual classes and everyone will use the virtual classes on Wednesday.

New Albany grades K-2 will attend in person Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday but have virtual classes Wednesday.

Pre-K students will attend in person Monday through Friday.

Detailed daily schedules are available on the school web site.

City school officials do not know when they will return to a traditional schedule.

New Albany Superintendent Dr. Lance Evans said the same precautions in use during the hybrid schedule will be used when there is a return to the traditional schedule, however.

Evans does not have plans to make a public announcement when or if someone in the schools tests positive for COVID-19, but the schools have protocols for informing increasingly large numbers of individuals as needed based on individual cases.

If someone in a class or group tests positive or has symptoms various letters are available to send depending on whether other students need to be tested, quarantined or simply monitored. In more serious cases the schools will phone parents directly and, of course, the CDC and state health department will be notified.