Claysburg-Kimmel Plans to Have Students, Staff Return to Schools in Fall

The Claysburg-Kimmel administration is currently planning for the district’s students and staff to be back in the school buildings to begin classes on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020.

The district released its evolving Phased School Reopening Plan – that was adopted by the school board on July 15 – on Thursday, July 16. The plan discusses enhanced cleaning and safety protocols that the district will follow during the 2020-21 school year. Based on the results from its district-wide survey sent to parents/families in the district, parents/families want their students back in the schools at C-K.

“If the state allows us to return school and we feel we can do so safely, we will return to school,” Darren J. McLaurin, CKSD superintendent, said. “I am hoping we get direction from the state as soon as possible because parents and teachers need to know what to expect in the fall.”

The district’s reopening plan, which is available for review at http://www.cksdbulldogs.com, is likely to change weekly from now until the start of the school year as new information becomes available, McLaurin said.

Face Coverings

Although C-K will follow the state’s guidelines in regards to face coverings (masks and face shields), McLaurin said the district will make every attempt possible to provide social distancing within classrooms so students will not be required to wear face coverings when they are seated at their desks in their classrooms.

“Currently anytime you’re unable to social distance the state mandate requires you to wear a mask,” McLaurin said. “We are working hard to set up our rooms with the appropriate social distancing so students will not have to wear a mask while seated in their classrooms.”

According to C-K’s reopening plan, schools may allow students to remove their face coverings when students are eating or drinking when spaced at least 6 feet apart; seated at desks or assigned work spaces at least 6 feet apart; or engaged in any activity at least 6 feet apart.

In an effort to prevent crowded hallways during the school day, McLaurin said the district is looking at staggered class changes, specific traffic flow patterns and other ideas to limit the number of students in the hallway at one particular time.

McLaurin said the staff will be required to wear face coverings when social distancing from a student or another staff member is not possible.

Student transportation will be provided. However, district officials are encouraging parents who do not feel comfortable putting their students on the bus to drive their child/children to school. The administration and staff at the C-K Elementary School will be working with The Learning Lamp on providing before and after school care to help meet parent work schedules.

Bus drivers and passengers will be required to wear face coverings while on the bus, in accordance with the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health’s Order Requiring Universal Face Coverings issued July 1, 2020.

McLaurin said seating on the buses will be prioritized by family units, if possible. Families or those from the same household together will be grouped on the bus. Students will also load from the back to the front.

Cleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting

Ensuring buildings and grounds are cleaned and disinfected are a priority of the C-K School District. Special equipment and cleaning supplies have been purchased to combat the spread of COVID-19 for the upcoming school year.

McLaurin said that during the day the district will be implementing a two- hour cleaning cycle for high frequency areas, door knobs, handrails, restrooms, light switches and other touch points.

The superintendent said frequently touched surfaces on school buses will be cleaned and disinfected between routes.

High-risk students will have in-house cyber options available to them. Parents not wanting to send their students back to school are asked to contact their building principal no later than Aug. 7 to set up admission into the district’s C-K cyber program.

“Parents always have the option to home-school their children and we do offer an in-house C-K cyber program as a another option,” McLaurin said.

McLaurin said higher risk staff members will be afforded flexible leave time in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act.

If Schools Can’t Reopen Or Are Directed to Close

McLaurin said the district has received parent feedback on how CKSD can improve remote learning. He said the overwhelmingly consensus was that if the district is required to re-implement remote learning, students need more face-to-face time with their teachers.

McLaurin said the administration is working with the technology department and teachers to include daily face-to-face time via Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams in the event remote learning is needed.

Officials are looking at two models in the event the district is forced to transition to remote learning.

The first model is “Hybrid” – where McLaurin said students would alternate days working in school or on remote learning.

The second model is “Full Remote Learning” – where McLaurin said schools are closed and all students are on remote learning, similar to the end of the 2019-20 school year.

“There is no replacement for face-to-face instruction. Everyone wants to be back in the classroom, we just want to make sure we can do it safely,” McLaurin said,

McLaurin said the district had input from the following to help put together the reopening plan: families/parents (more than 300 responses to survey), teachers (open forum in the auditorium), its solicitor and transportation directors.

McLaurin said input was also derived from weekly Tuesday meetings with maintenance, food service, business office, building principals, special education technology and athletic directors and the superintendent.

C-K’s plan has been submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and posted on the district’s website.