State Says Big Changes Needed for Many School to Reopen
Wednesday, June 24th, 2020 -- 11:56 AM
(AP) -Reopening guidelines for Wisconsin schools released Monday make clear that big changes are in store if and when in-person classes resume.That includes teachers, staff and students wearing masks, classes with no more than 10 students at a time and schedules where buildings are open as few as two days a week, with the bulk of instruction continuing online only. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s 87-page guidance document, dubbed “Education Forward,” is not a mandate for Wisconsin’s 421 public school districts, 26 independent charter schools and 792 private schools. But it does provide a framework for schools to use as they plan for what instruction, both in the classroom and online, will look like in the fall amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Flexibility will be key given that a vaccine for COVID-19 likely won’t be in broad circulation for 12 to 18 months, the recommendations said. The education department stressed that the guidance, the first comprehensive set of recommendations for reopening in the fall, will be ever-evolving as more is known. When schools reopen, it is likely that students and staff will be screened for symptoms; social distancing will be in effect in all settings; and there will be isolation and the timely removal of students and staff who are displaying symptoms, the guidelines said.
The education department also cautions that another wave of infections could result in changes to operation and school closures. There may be a need for increased mental health support given the fear, loss and isolation that can occur, the guidance said, while noting that deaths from COVID-19 are possible, especially among children and adults in high-risk categories. Among the recommendations: wear masks as much as possible; develop schedules that accommodate physical-distancing recommendations and allow students to move in shifts between in-person and virtual attendance; and be prepared to move completely to virtual learning if there is an outbreak. They also include: considering modified schedules where students go to in-person classes as few as two days a week; limiting class sizes to no more than 10 students; bringing elementary students back first while keeping middle and high school students in virtual learning; rearranging desks; and adding other protections to limit potential exposure.
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