MH School District takes safety precautions as 1st day nears

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In three weeks, public schools in Arkansas will begin in-person classes for the first time in what will be over five months. The Mountain Home School District is preparing for students to return to the classrooms on Aug. 24 with several changes expected during the “new normal” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Friday was the deadline for students and their parents or guardians to select their desired learning model. Nearly three quarters of Mountain Home students have chosen the blended learning model, and the remaining students are taking part in the Bomber Virtual Academy. Mountain Home School District Communications Coordinator Jennifer Seaman was one of Saturday’s guests on KTLO-FM’s Local Matters, along with Superintendent Dr. Jake Long and Hackler Intermediate School Principal Allyson Dewey, and explains the differences between the two models.

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Dr. Long says the district is taking safety precautions based on the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention and guidelines set by Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Arkansas Departments of Health and Education. Teachers will be required to have face coverings. They will be allowed to remove their masks during instruction, if they are at least 12 feet away from their students.

Students will also need masks in most situations. Each student will be provided two masks. All students will need face coverings on school buses. Students in third through 12th grades will also need masks on campus, and that goes below the 10-year-old threshold with third and some fourth graders. However, Dewey says children will be able to have frequent mask breaks.

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For students in kindergarten through second grade, masks are recommended but not required.

Other changes include buses without shuttles, so kids will get to their location without getting off the bus. Cafeterias will be in service with most using the pod approach to allow just a few classes at one time. The cafeteria at Hackler Intermediate School is large enough to allow for social distancing. In addition, self-service will not be allowed for salad bars, so those items will be pre-prepared.

The water fountains on each of the campuses will be turned off. Students will be asked to bring their own water bottles, although Hackler students will be provided with bottles. The bottles will need to come with a lid that can be screwed off the top. Pop-up lids are not recommended due to the possibility of getting the mouthpiece in the filling station.

Another addition for the district is temperature checks. Dr. Long says students will be examined when they enter a school building.

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The district dealt with its first positive COVID-19 test from a student taking part in a summer session. Dr. Long says the health department was immediately contacted after the result was confirmed.

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If the district has any more positive coronavirus tests, an update will be put online. Go to mhbombers.com/ready-for-learning/home to find out more.

Prior to the start of classes, the Mountain Home School District will host its open house at all of its campuses Aug. 19 from 8 to 3 and Aug. 20 from 1 to 7. Once class placements are complete, a student’s homeroom teacher or advisor will contact the parent or guardian to set up an appointment for the open house.

To hear the entire Local Matters episode from Saturday, go online to ktlo.com/localmatters.

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