BOX ELDER COUNTY – By Cari Doutre – July 15, 2020
The Box Elder School District Board has approved and released their official plan for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year amid the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The plan, “Return to Learn 2020” was released on July 15, at a school board meeting in Brigham City.
Anxious parents, students and educators have been waiting to hear what the school district’s plans will be as students are set to return to the classroom on August 31, 2020. All school districts in Utah are required to submit their approved plans to the state by August 1.
Box Elder School District’s “Return to Learn 2020” plan will be posted on their website, www.besd.net soon. That plan includes the following details:
· School starts on Monday, August 31, 2020
· Minimum school days for students for the first 2 WEEKS of the school year
FACE COVERINGS OR MASKS:
· Face coverings (masks) must be worn “unless they can physical distance up to 6 feet.”
· Students and employees are “strongly encouraged to bring a cloth mask”
· All visitors will be required to wear masks and complete a symptoms check list
· Masks must be worn on school buses
· Reasonable accommodations will be made for special education related services including “students who are unable to wear face coverings in settings where it is required for other students”
CLEANING AND SANITIZING EFFORTS:
· Sanitizing stations will be available as students enter and exit the building and classrooms and before and after meals in the cafeteria
· Reinforcing hand washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
· Custodial services will “schedule increased routine cleaning and disinfecting”
· Increased airflow throughout buildings
MEALS:
· Breakfast will be served in classrooms for elementary schools
· Expanded lunch rotations
· Staggered lunch times
· Eat outside when weather permits
LARGE GROUP GATHERINGS:
· No large group gatherings such as back to school nights, band or choir concerts, etc.
· No assemblies that include the whole school
· In secondary schools, “timing class changes will be shortened to discourage congregations of students”
· In elementary schools, “students will be released at the end of the day on a staggered schedule”
CLASSROOMS:
· No lockers will be assigned, and backpacks will be encouraged
· No sharing of classroom supplies
· Minimize student movement and groupings
· Students to be seated at individual desks “according to seating charts and spaced according to physical distancing protocols to the greatest extent possible”
· Remove all non-essential classroom items to increase instructional space
ONLINE LEARNING:
· Parents can enroll students in online learning through Box Elder School District’s “Box Elder Online” program
· Students will not be enrolled through their local school
· Registration opens on August 3, for students choosing to enroll online only
· One (1) trimester commitment is required
Box Elder School District will post the full plan, along with a letter from Box Elder School District Superintendent Steve Carlsen and any other changes or pertinent information, on their website, www.besd.net
“We are planning a normal school opening with added implementation of protocols to help us prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Box Elder School District stated.
On July 9, Utah Governor Gary Herbert stated in a press conference in Salt Lake City that all students, teachers and faculty at K-12 schools in the state are required to wear face coverings (masks) to prevent further spreading of COVID-19. This mandate includes masks be worn on school buses.
COVID-19 statistics as of July 15, 2020 (Bear River Health Department):
BOX ELDER COUNTY:
240 confirmed cases of COVID-19
114 recovered cases
One (1) death
CACHE COUNTY:
1,658 confirmed cases of COVID-19
1,327 recovered cases
3 deaths
Opmerkingen