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BACK TO SCHOOL
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2020
Area schools observe protocol during pandemic
By JOB VIGIL jvigil@nptelegraph.com Area schools move closer to one of the most unusual openings of a school year in his- tory as the COVID-19 pandemic forces chang- es in protocols for all. Most area schools are following the same steps, including North Platte Public Schools, North Platte Catholic Schools, Our Redeemer Lutheran School, Sutherland, Wallace, Maxwell, Hershey and Brady. Each school web- site has information on the process of get- ting students back into the classroom, and all have indicated they will follow the West Central District Health Department’s risk dial. North Platte Public Schools Based on the cur- rent directed health measures as well as guidance from the West Central District Health Department and the Nebraska Department of Education, NPPS plans to return to school as expected for pre-kindergarten through ninth grades Aug. 17 and grades 10- 12 Aug. 18. Families are encouraged to speak and work with students about social and physical distanc- ing, hygiene and the proper use of face cov- erings. The school district has posted re- sources about these topics online at smore. com/tyv08. NPPS is planning to start school in August with the following guidance: » Students in pre-K through 12th grade will attend school in person.
Graphic courtesy of West Central District Health Department
As of Aug. 6, the dial was at the low end of orange, indicating an elevated risk of the virus spreading.
Job Vigil / The North Platte Telegraph McDaid Elementary School will open as scheduled on Aug. 18, said North Platte Catholic Schools Superintendent Kevin Dodson.
Telegraph staff reports TheWest Central District HealthDepartment covers Lincoln, Logan, McPherson, Thomas, Hooker and Arthur counties. In late June, the WCDHD introduced a COVID-19 Risk Dial to provide a summary of current health conditions in the area and the likelihood of the novel coronavirus spreading. As of publication, the dial is updated by the WCDHD every Thursday and can be found at wcdhd.org. The following data is used when determin- ing dial placement: COVID-19 risk dial offers guidance for schools
sued this statement: “We will follow guid- ance from the local health department and contact tracing to make any decisions. Each COVID exposure or sce- nario is very different. There are many fac- tors that are taken into account that dictate the outcome. Above all, parents will be in- formed and able to keep their students home at any time if they feel they are vulnerable” said Jodi Miller, NPPS nurse. North Platte Superintendent Kevin Dodson said McDaid Elementary and St. Patrick High School will open as scheduled Aug. 17 and 18. “We plan to start on time unless told oth- erwise,” Dodson said. “Our No. 1 priority is to have the doors open Catholic Schools and the students in the classrooms; and
» Accommodations will be made for K-12 students who are un- able to attend in person to learn online us- ing online learning through Zoom, Google Classroom, Edgenuity and other remote learn- ing tools. Students will have recorded lessons available and the pos- sibility of some live instruction. » Remote learning request forms can be found on the nppsd.org website for elementary, middle school and high school. » Based on current recommendations from WCDHD and to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, NPPS high- ly recommends that students and staff wear face coverings at all times. This recom- mendation is subject to change based on the risk dial and guidelines set forth by federal, state and local health and education officials. Should a COVID ex- posure be discovered at NPPS, the district is-
throughout the day, we want to keep the oper- ation as routine and as close to normal as pos- sible.” He said there would be a few changes on how the schools oper- ate but will try to limit those as much as pos- sible. Hershey Public Schools Currently, school is scheduled to begin Aug. 17. The district plans are that 100% of the student population will be returning to school on this date. The dis- trict will be following West Central District Health Department’s four-color risk dial. Plans have been de- veloped for each of those risk levels in all aspects of the school day. Parents were sent a letter on July 15 from the school board say- ing that when the dial is yellow or orange, instruction will oc-
» Weekly positivity rate. » Overall positivity Rate. » New cases. » ICU availability. » Ventilator availability. » Community spread. » Testing availability. » Contact tracing.
» Direct contacts of positives. » Cases per million per day. » Medical and surgical bed availability. » Availability of reliable and valid antibody testing. » Availability of effective treatment modali- ties for COVID-19. » An effective vaccine that is widely available. » Being able to easily obtain PPE through standard supply chains.
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