Local school district preparing for new year after CDC releases guidelines

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Centers for Disease Control has released recommended guidelines for K-12 schools to follow once they reopen for the school year.

That has area districts really doing their homework.

It’s been three months since students walked the halls in Noxubee County Schools. When it’s time to return this fall, there will be some new rules.

“It’s a lot of logistics to this and we’re in the middle of keeping everybody safe and making sure our process works,” said Noxubee County school Superintendent Rodriguez Broadnax.

Broadnax said his team explored new ways to keep students protected.

“I’m developing the R3I Task Force which is our new initiative. Those are some guidelines that go along with the CDC guidelines. It’s to reset, refresh, and refocus our district in a totally new normal throughout this pandemic. Our elementary school framework would be, what does parent pickup look like, what will lunch look like, what will the cafeteria look like, and how will we be able to tell if students have symptoms of COVID-19,” said Broadnax.

Among the guidelines, the CDC recommended keeping desks six feet apart. It also suggested keeping children with the same teacher or staff member for the duration of the day.

“We’re thinking of an A day, B-day schedule possibly for the elementary school students based on what grade level they’re at. If they’re below grade level they come Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Those students that are at grade level or above grade level come Tuesday and Thursday,” said Broadnax.

The new recommendations also affected the trip to and from school. They called for only one child per seat on school buses and leaving empty rows between riders.

Broadnax was concerned more bus drivers would be needed to run routes and ensure a sick child doesn’t get on the bus.

“What measures are we going to take to check temperatures before they get on the school bus, and to turn those kids around? Right now we are disinfecting every school, every office, every classroom every single day that teachers are in,” said Broadnax.

Broadnax said the task force plan would be finalized around the beginning of the school year in hopes to accommodate each student.