Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Please click on a question
Can students opt out to come back to school? Can students still do distance learning if schools re-opens?
All students will be provided with the option to remain on distance learning for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. The distance learning schedule will be modified to accommodate students returning to in-class instruction.
What if we do not want our child vaccinated?
What will happen with the preschooler’s classrooms and are the rooms equipped with the ventilation and same protocols like the elementary schools.
What exactly does hybrid mean?
Will the teachers be able to control the air conditioner for proper ventilation? I think right now they have to call the district when it is not working properly.
If only a certain amount of students are going back into classroom, what dictates which children will get priority?
All students are a priority for in-person instruction. Schedules will be developed that ensure all students are offered the same options for instruction. For Child Development, class priority must be based on students transitioning to TK/K and special needs students.
How can we ensure and or enforce that parents do not send their child/ren to school sick, if they have no means of care?
Will you be increasing the custodial staff?
As needed, additional custodial support will be provided.
Don Julian has up to 7th grade, are they going to be able to return when the others return?
At this time, only grades Pre-K through 6th grade is allowed to return to in-person learning to include all Special Education classes.
When will all this begin / school, will they go on summer break at same time?
Is this only for K-6 or preschool as well?
Will those touchless water fountains be provided for child Development classes as well?
How will returning to class help those that need after school care? For students/staff?
Who will there be sanitizing for the classrooms between classes? Is there a plan for that? Students, teachers, janitors?
Custodial staff will be responsible for sanitizing the school facilities. Each classroom will also be provided with sanitizing spray and paper towels for staff to use if desired. For Child Development, all education staff will be responsible for sanitizing and disinfecting materials used as required by the program.
Will we be notified beforehand if my daughters’ teacher is vaccinated or not?
For parents with multiple children in school, will they be having the same schedule? To make it easier for the parents?
For elementary schools, all efforts will be made to place families in the same groups of attendance. Principals have been working on placing students into two groups with siblings being taken into consideration.
Can my child receive special education therapy sessions in person, like speech, and stay in distance learning?
If a student is opting to continue in the Distance Learning model, they will need to continue to receive special education services on-line.
How will students stay in the same cohort when they are in middle school or high school?
Middle school and high school schedules are being developed to comply with Department of Public Health requirements. These requirements include students not being mixed with more than two groups.
What type of random testing will be done, the nasal swab or mouth?
Can students bring their own cleaning supplies?
Do teachers and students need to be vaccinated to be able to return to school?
Will the parents be able to go into the class to view the classroom
Parents and visitors will not be allowed to visit classrooms or be on campus at this time. However, school sites will provide videos of the classrooms.
Are they going to be cleaning the restrooms after every use?
Restrooms will be scheduled to be sanitized in high touch areas frequently as required.
I have seen transients at Sunkist, if partial students return back is security being increased for our students as well?
What if kids don’t know about the distance, for example TK students.?
Site staff will be teaching and modeling the expectation of maintaining 6 feet of distance between everyone. Lessons will be provided to all students on the expected safety protocols to include social distancing, proper handwashing, use of masks, and any other required protocol.
If student(s) are placed on quarantine, will those students do virtual classes during that period?
Will the students be provided face masks and/or shields everyday in attendance or only if they do not bring one to school?
Is the playground going to be open for TK?
Students will not be able to use any playground equipment at this time.
Is there a plan if teachers are absent and who is going to cover that classroom?
Will kids still get to play at recess?
Teachers will have the option to take their students outside for recreational purposes while following all required protocols.
Will teachers be provided with thermometers for their classrooms?
Temperature checks will occur before students enter classrooms by staff at designated locations.
Suppose the child is asymptomatic?
The appropriate response will be taken once the district is aware of any exposure. All students and staff will be required to follow all the protocols outlined in the COVID-19 Safety Plan.
Will kids be taking buses to school?
The COVID-19 Safety Plan outlines requirements when students are transported on school buses. Transportation will initially be provided to special education students as routes begin, a review of remaining available seats will determine if additional students can be offered transportation.
What will happen if parent/staff chooses not to be vaccinated but wants to return to class/work?
The district has no control over whether parents are vaccinated. Due to limited availability of the vaccine, at this time there is no mandate requiring staff to be vaccinated.
Why should the students return to school as soon as possible and not end the school year in distance learning when they only have a few months left?
When are your turning the plan into the county?
The district is finalizing the COVID-19 Safety Plan that includes the COVID-19 Prevention Plan to the Department of Public Health no later than the end of this week. (March 1-5th)
What about the water fountains?
The district is finalizing the replacement of most of the drinking fountains. Those that will not be touchless have already been turned off.
When are the students going back?
The district plans to return students to in-class instruction by the end of March 2021, if not sooner. The district is currently in negotiations with the teacher’s union to finalize a schedule for in-class and distance learning schedules. The schedules will include start and end times for each grade and how many days per week.
Everyone goes to lunch at the same time?
The district will continue to provide students and the community with 7 days of meals per child under the Summer Feed Program. Students returning to school will be provided a breakfast each morning. If the schedule requires students to stay longer than half a day, a lunch will be provided through a staggered lunch schedule so that classes are not all eating lunch at the same time.
How many students will be in a classroom at any given time?
The number of students in each classroom based on returning students to in-school instruction will be dependent on the size of the classroom and keeping each student six feet apart and no less than 4 feet with a desk shield.
Has there been any discussions about summer school to try to make up for the year lost?
The school district will be offering a variety of summer programs to make up for the learning loss of its students to include summer school.
I had issues logging in, will this slide be available for working parents?
The slides and presentation have been made available online. Please visit the district website at the link below. https://www.bassettusd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1184756&type=d&pREC_ID=2153116
If one student is experiencing COVID symptoms, will the entire class be in quarantine?
There are several factors that will determine if a class requires quarantine. The district has outlined the procedures in its COVID-19 School Exposure Management Plan. Please refer to the link for more details: https://www.bassettusd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1184756&type=d&pREC_ID=2153116
Will the random testing be covered by the school or out of pocket expense?
There will be no out of pocket expenses for anyone being given a COVID-19 test as part of the random sampling of staff and students on campuses.
Are uniforms still required?
Uniforms will not be required for the remainder of this school year. However, appropriate dress will be required.
With the weekly random COVID-19 testing, does that include kids? Will parents be notified?
Will the schools be providing hand sanitizer for their classrooms? Will mask be available in each classroom?
Do we have desk shields?
Yes, all schools have been provided desk shields for TK-12 grade classrooms.
Will we be notified prior to our children being tested even if the tests are at random?
Does this plan include special education primary who may struggle with masks?