BY SYDNEY HOOVER
Eudora’s three school principals shared feedback, plans and concerns about returning to school this fall with the School Board Thursday evening.
Each principal has met with a task force of parents and teachers from their respective building over the past several weeks to discuss plans for reopening the schools this fall as the pandemic persists. The three shared a number of concerns with the board, such as logistics of getting all students into the school with temperature checks before the first bell or what to do if a student forgets a mask.
“We know that time is going to be essential,” High School Principal Ron Abel said. “I’m just a little nervous about how do we get transportation done? How do we get kids in the building? How do we make sure staff do all of the things safety-wise and still make that 8:08 bell?”
The reopening plans were similar for each building with some adjustments made to meet the schools’ needs. This includes opening buildings early for students in the morning and scheduling restroom breaks. Students will also not have access to lockers or cubbies at school.
Administrators still have some details to work out depending on the building. For example, at Eudora Elementary, determining how recess will work so each class stays together is still being discussed. At the middle and high schools, administrators are working on how to address students who need to get in contact with teachers during hybrid days without causing teachers to work into the evenings or weekends.
Middle School Principal Jeremy Thomas said one of his biggest concerns in returning to school is connecting with kids when they’re only in the building two days a week during the hybrid model, particularly those who may need services from a school psychologist or social worker.
“A big concern that I have is some students, and I’ve seen it this summer, they’re scared to report stuff that’s going on at home,” Thomas said. “They’re scared to report trauma. They only trust that when they’re in-person, so Tuesday to Monday is a long time.”
The district and schools will continue to update parents on plans for navigating the return to school.
The board also heard a presentation from Dan Partridge, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health director, on the county’s current level of coronavirus cases.
Partridge said the county has been moving back and forth between the “green” and “yellow” phases for reopening schools. In the green phase, the county would average less than 5% positive tests, and in the yellow phase, it would be between 5-10%. Currently, the county is at 5.2%, putting it in the yellow, or hybrid model phase.
Partridge said the city of Eudora is consistent with the rest of the county in its new coronavirus cases. He said the city actually has slightly more cases per 1,000 people than the county as a whole.
“Some of [the emails] I’ve gotten recently talk about, ‘Well, Eudora is different than Lawrence and Douglas County.’ So I asked our epidemiology staff today to tell me, is that accurate? And what I have to say tonight about that is no, not really,” Partridge said. “Eudora is just like the rest of Douglas County.”
School Board President Eric Votaw asked Partridge if the Unified Command would be distinguishing between cases coming from college students returning to Lawrence and the rest of the county. Partridge said the group is meeting multiple times a week to discuss issues such as that. He said currently, the positivity rate among students participating in early testing is relatively low.
“We are looking at that and it is on the radar to make sure that we don’t just turn a blind eye to what that data point is telling us,” Partridge said.
Reach reporter Sydney Hoover at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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