DAY IN THE LIFE School administrators have mapped a day in the life of a 7th and an 11th grader during the upcoming school year. Here’s how they fare.
At a school board meeting in early August, board members were taken step by step through a day in the life of a student in selected grades. A hypothetical 7th grader begins her day at a specified drop-off point based on grade level. She won’t stop at a locker before reporting to first period—there’s a good chance no lockers will be used at all this year, in support of social distanc- ing. The 7th grader also won’t have any, or many, textbooks, and the school system suggests that students report to school with their Chrome- books in their cases and use simple cinch sacks to carry any personal belongings. Class changes will be stag- gered and minimized. Middle schools have 60-minute and 90-minute blocks, meaning students will move three to four times each day. Protocols for minimizing traffic in hallways will be enforced. The 7th grader will eat lunch in a predetermined area, one of many within the school. She will wear a mask for the entire day, observe social distancing, and sanitize her desk area at the beginning of each class. An 11th grader’s day looks similar. Car riders will arrive on campus through designated entrances, as will those who ride buses. Face coverings will be required and provided to students
who don’t have them. There’s no mingling in the hallways before the first bell, and the 11th grader reports directly to first period. In his first period, he might use an app called e-hallpass to sign up for lunch; he’ll also use that to request visits with school personnel, like guidance counselors and office staff. His lunch location will likely be determined by the location of his previous class period. Every effort will be made to minimize students in the hallways. The usual even and odd day schedule will remain in place for high schoolers, and there will be opportunities for tech support and assistance on working in a blended learning environment. An 11th-grader who attends MTEC will report there for his first day, September 9. His second day of in-person instruction during the phased-in reentry period will be on his own school campus. Any time students are to work remotely, the remote learn- ing environment will mimic the in-person school schedule. Both the 7th grader and the 11th grad- er must be present in the remote classroom environment when at- tendance is taken and is expected to participate. Things will look very different from the way they looked in the spring, with extra measures in place to track atten- dance, enforce accountability, and support fair grading.
We are working literally around the clock to get kids back to school. We need to be willing to look at every solution. — Monongalia County Schools Superintendent Eddie Campbell
September 11 Students A–M have their second day of remote instruction; students L–Z have their second day in the classroom.
September 12 The first Saturday after school starts that the color-coded map will be updated, possibly affecting attendance mode for the following week.
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