InTouch with Southern Kentucky August 2020

Preliminary numbers indicated that roughly 30-35 percent of students/parents selected distance learning online. Kyle Lively Somerset Schools Superintendent Richardson said there will be one opportunity for students and parents to change their type of instruction, but for the most part, once a student is on that particular track, they will not be allowed to switch back and forth between distance learning or attending class. Somerset Independent Schools “Preliminary numbers indicated that roughly 30- 35 percent of students/parents selected distance learning,” Somerset Superintendent Kyle Lively reported. “The schools are calling all individuals that did not complete the application online.” Students coming to school will be required to wear masks at all times except when sitting at their desk within the classroom or while eating. Masks must be worn while riding a bus, during all class changes and anytime students are moving throughout the building. Students with medical reasons for not wearing masks must bring in a doctor’s note. Somerset Independent will provide two washable/ reusable masks for each student, and some disposable ones will be available if students forget their mask. Students will have their temperatures taken before being allowed to board the bus, on which they’ll have assigned seats. They will be sent back to their house if their temperature is 100.4 degrees or higher. School staff will also call parents to let them know their child’s temperature was too high to ride the bus. Bus riders won’t have to have their temperatures rescanned when they enter school through a separate entrance from students who are dropped off and will need to be scanned before entering the building. If a child develops COVID-like symptoms during the day, a “sick bay” will be designated for them to wait at to be picked up. In the classrooms, students will be seated six feet apart. During lunch, students must sit six feet apart and should not sit facing each other. Cafeterias and classrooms may be used for student to eat lunch. All cafeteria staff will wear masks at all times. While all field trips are cancelled, students in preschool through fifth grade will still have scheduled recess times. School surfaces will be sanitized frequently. Students will not be allowed to use lockers. Students are permitted to bring their own water bottles, as water fountain usage will be discouraged. For parents who choose distance learning services, their children will receive assignments both through technology-related means (videos) and through paper/pencil assignments that can be returned electronically or in drop-off areas at the school. Parents and students will have the chance to change their choice of instruction method at the beginning of the school year or at the end of the nine-week term. Lively also assured families that distance learning students can participate in extracurricular activities including sports. Other guidelines and more information is available through the district’s website. Science Hill Independent School Science Hill Superintendent Jimmy Dyehouse’s recommendation for board members to begin classes on September 9 had less to do with the rising (at press time) number of COVID-19 cases and more to do with ensuring that the school is as prepared as possible for whatever comes over the course of the school year. “We’re doing everything we can to be ready,” Dyehouse said. “It’s a good alternative for us because that gives us the opportunity to wait and see what this thing is going to do instead of jumping back into school August 6.” The school is also in the middle of a $1.2 million HVAC upgrade that is expected to be completed the first week of August, he added. Waiting ensures that system will be ready to go when students come back to school. Teachers will be coming back August 17 in order to complete their professional development days before classes begin. Somersets’ authorized MARVIN Window and Door dealer FREE ESTIMATES! • Replacement Windows and Doors VISIT OUR SHOWROOM • Behind the Mall 187 Enterprise Dr, Somerset, KY 42501 cbpky.com Office: 606.679.8660 Windows • Doors • Siding • Sun Rooms • Screen Rooms • New Construction Windows and Doors 24 • In Touch with Southern Kentucky AUGUST 2020

InTouch with Southern Kentucky August 2020 | Page 24