The Gilmer County School System will begin the new year Friday.
Education around the country will look different than years past as COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to spread and alter instruction.
Gilmer students were given the option to attend traditional face-to-face classes or make use of the Gilmer Virtual Academy online.
Those who return to schools will find new procedures in place to limit coronavirus’ spread.
One of the basic precautions available is facial protection, though in practice its application is not so simple. Gilmer schools will not require masks in its buildings.
“We’re really encouraging everyone to wear a mask, and that’s such a challenge and hot-button issue for so many people,” superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs said Monday. “There are a group of community members who we serve that believe the government should mandate everyone wears a mask. Then there’s another group that thinks it’s their right not to wear a mask.
“We’re kind of stuck in the middle trying to balance and serve groups of people who have a different opinion. Within our buildings, we’re encouraging the use of masks. We want our students to wear them as much as possible and definitely require them on the bus.”
To minimize contact on buses, the first students who board will sit in the back and it will be filled toward the front. Student drop-off and pick-up locations at schools have not changed.
Parents of pre-K, kindergarten and first grade students will be able to walk their child to class the first three days of school. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, all elementary students will transition to the classroom independently.
Downs noted there will be “plenty of extra adult supervision” at elementary schools to ensure students in other grades find their way.
Transitioning between classes will require students to do so while socially distancing. Similar to driving on a road, students will stick to one side of the hall depending on which direction they are heading.
Lunch periods will rotate between days. On some days students will eat in the cafeteria and other days lunches will be consumed in classrooms.
“One of the things that seemed to be important on the parent survey is they didn’t want their child isolated all the time,” Downs said. “They want them to go to the cafeteria, and P.E. and recess. That seemed to be a common thread.
“What we’re doing with the lunchroom is one group gets to go on Monday, another group on Tuesday and another one on Wednesday. Then we start the rotation over. Each school will vary a little bit.”
There are around 700 students in the school system who opted to attend the Gilmer Virtual Academy. A current hurdle includes making sure the needs of all students are met.
“Our biggest challenge is how to serve students with special needs who want to do virtual,” Downs said. “How do you meet the services on their IEP (individualized education program) if they’re supposed to get certain inclusion classes, or speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy?
“We have a number of students who receive services from ESOL (English as a second language), which was totally unexpected. We’re trying to make sure we meet their ESOL services as well.”
Downs has asked for patience in the coming days as schools adapt and learn how to best handle the current situation.
“We’ve stepped up cleaning procedures and changed a lot of things,” she said. “What they see that first day, with all the parents walking their students in, it’s going to look more crowded than we would like it to. It’s going to take a day or two for things to settle down and for the new routine to be learned and established.
“Just be patient with those first couple of days of changing to the new normal.”