NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – While each school year can bring something new, this one is especially different. In Nassau County, masks are required for students and staff in the classroom and on the bus and other rules in place to help limit the potential spread of COVID-19.
Parents were also wearing masks when they dropped their little ones for their first day at Wildlight Elementary School.
“We’re glad to be back in person. At this age, making new friends and being around other kids is really important. We’re glad the teachers are here for us,”parent Christa Jurkovich said. “We feel really comfortable.”
The district released a video for parents to help manage expectations of what school would like for returning students.
It includes several protocols for multiple school settings and scenarios. The district said buses will be cleaned before each route and disinfected at the end of each day.
To minimize contact, students will load the bus back to front.
In the classroom, students will be given hand sanitizer as they walk in, face masks will be required, and students will be spaced out as much as possible. Students will not be allowed to share supplies. Rooms and equipment will be thoroughly cleaned. The Nassau County school superintendent, Kathy Burns, says safety is the top priority.
“We have spread out our classes as much as possible, we have sanitation provided throughout the school, we have signs throughout the school, we have masks available for everyone,” Burns said. “Additional kits for our teachers in the classroom with cleaning products and PPE.”
The district also says cafeteria workers will use personal protective equipment during meal prep. Trays and utensils will be disposable, markers will be on the floor to make sure students socially distance as much as they can, and each student will remain with their class.
Acrylic shields are also being added to cafeteria tables.
The district also says hallways will be guided to keep student contact at a minimum, large gatherings will be discouraged, and the number of people allowed in the bathroom at one time will be limited. The district also says signage will be posting outlining COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control.
“I’m not really nervous,” parent Matthew Worth said. “Obviously wear masks and wash your hands everywhere you go. So, I think we’ll be OK.”
According to the district’s reopening plan, if a student or teacher tests positive, they will notify the health department and conduct contact tracing.
“A Health Department letter will be sent home with all students having close contact with a confirmed case. In consultation with the Health Department, a decision will be made regarding which individuals should quarantine and for how many days,” reads an excerpt from the district’s reopening plan.
The district says if a student does need to quarantine, they will give them a plan for remote learning.