Keystone has implemented new safety protocols, including touch-less faucets and soap dispensers, daily wellness checks and staggered pick-ups and drop-offs. When indoors, all students will wear face coverings, sun hat face shields for the younger students and masks for the older. The entire school will have a space theme in an effort to help acclimate students to the face coverings. “Our space theme provides a connection for our ‘space cadets’ to wear ‘space helmets’ and ‘atmosphere masks,’” said Jenny Dunning, Key- stone co-founder and co-director. “Infusing lots of fun and redirection is just one of the ways we will attend to their emotional safety.” Masks will be required for EPS students in grades 1 through 12, with preK and kindergarten students required to wear them in the hallways at all times. EPS will take student temperatures every day and teachers will be trained in recognizing potential COVID-19 symptoms. Superintendent Bret Towne said medical technicians will be assigned “Students will have exposure to digital learning on a daily basis, so if we have to go from brick to click overnight, closing a classroom or entire school, they will have had that practice.” Cara Jernigan, EPS executive director of elementary education
to each EPS school site to assist in symptom monitoring. The A/B learning model will allow for more effective social distancing. “Teachers are arranging students’ learning environments where all students are facing the same direction, avoiding small groups and keeping same classes together without a lot of back and forth,” said Cara Jernigan, executive director of elementary education for EPS. Preparing for distance learning Hofmeister says it’s not a matter of if Oklahoma students and teachers will revert to distance learning, but when. Many districts that are planning to begin the school year in person are also building online learning into their traditional classroom schedules so students and teachers can more seamlessly shift to it when the need arises. “Students will have exposure to digital learning on a daily basis, so if we have to go from brick to click overnight, closing a classroom or entire school, they will have had that practice,” said Jernigan. Distance learning will focus on continued learning rather than just maintenance of skills already learned as most students experienced in the spring. One major challenge of distance learning is that not every student has access to virtual education at home. Hofmeister says she will not rest until all students in our state have access. “We have to solve this once and for all,” said Hofmeister. “This is part of a strong, vibrant, competitive public education and should be the right of every child.” The Department of Education will provide 50,000 hotspots to students who need them, free of charge. Reduced monthly subscription rates can be covered by emergency relief funds.
18 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / AUGUST 2020
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