Keeping Our Schools Safe

On August 25th, Fair Grove schools resumed attendance for the 2020-2021 school year amidst the coronavirus pandemic, making for a lot of new rules and changes within the district.

Over the summer, it was determined that in school learning would commence for Fair Grove schools after the last school year, when it ended abruptly after the students were let out for spring break due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus in the United States.

In order to return, several new rules and changes were to be implemented to keep the student body and faculty safe. Superintendent Mike Bell was in charge of creating these changes for the administration to carry out. The administration met at least once or twice a week from when the school closed in March to discuss the protocols that needed to be put in place to ensure the school could reopen safely, some of which include: wearing face masks, no assemblies, physical distancing in classrooms and lunchroom, multiple lunchrooms, delayed bus arrival times, multiple entrances, changes to the nurses offices, hallway markings and reporting directly to class when you arrive. 

In regards to learning with the new rules involved, things are bound to look a bit different. “Physical distancing has negatively affected learning in my opinion,” Chris Stallings, the high school principal, stated, “While it is necessary, it has forced teachers away from more progressive teaching styles like cooperative learning, alternative seating arrangements and group projects.” Stallings goes on to list the limits that the rules create, even still, he has hope in the teachers’ abilities to teach the students.

In spite of having these regulations put in place, there is still a risk of contracting COVID, of course. The school nurse is working directly with the Greene County Health department who will be guiding the school on how to respond to any situation that may arise. They will be who determines if Fair Grove should be required to shut down.

If Fair Grove happens to return to online learning, the school has preparations put in place. Each student is equipped with Chromebooks so instruction will look like any other normal school day. 

Students attending school in person this year have mixed feelings about returning. Jacob Smith (12) spoke out about his thoughts on in school and online learning. He said, “After being stuck at home for so much time it’s a nice time to come back and talk to people I haven’t talked to in a while. [Online is] definitely a different experience. I wake up later in the morning. I can quickly get one class taken care of and move on to the next, resulting in a lot more free time.” Jacob stated that after undergoing what both options have in store, it’s hard to say what he prefers best. “I would prefer online just because I get through my classes more quickly, but I do miss the social aspect of school too much to say I prefer online.”