District Leaders Putting Plan In Place For The New School Year

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Students return to school in August which is right around the corner.

In the Magnolia State, each school district is in charge coming up with its own path for return.

As the fall semester approaches, leaders in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District are hard at work coming up with a plan for students and staff.

District Superintendent Dr. Eddie Peasant said traditional, online, and even hybrid classes are all options they’re considering.

For the traditional style learning, the SOCSD is looking at reducing the number of students in each classroom.

“The number of students that will be able to fit into the classroom will vary based on the size of the classroom and the age of the students,” said Dr. Peasant. “For our older students, we’ll look fewer, whereas our younger students, we should be able to get anywhere from two to four more students into a classroom.”

Peasant said they’re also considering having classes on Mondays through Thursdays, and alternating the days students will come to class.

“We’re looking at hopefully getting our K-5 students in for the full week that we are offering classes, and then for our secondary level students, our 6-12 (grades), we’re looking at some other options such as an ‘A-B’ grouping,” the superintendent explained.

However, Peasant said he understands some may not feel comfortable returning to school, that’s why they’re proposing another option, online courses.

“There will be some live zoom or virtual class meetings, there will be some where teachers have recorded lessons and then have assignments that are attached to those lessons,” Dr. Peasant described.

The school district is still in the planning phase and leaders want to know what parents think, that’s why within the next few weeks, they will send out surveys to get feedback.

“We will be developing our plan between now and the next two weeks or so, and then we will get some input in the beginning of July to try and finalize our lesson plans by early-to- mid July.”

For those who choose to come back to campus, the district will check the temperatures of students and staff each day before class.

At of now, the SOCSD is considering using Friday as the day they deep clean all school buildings.

Dr. Peasant said they will continue to update students and parents on their plan throughout this entire process.