Chilton ISD releases opening procedures
Chilton ISD released their opening procedures for the 2020-2021 school year earlier this month.
Notable changes include instituting a block schedule, entry screenings for all staff, students, and visitors, as well as remote options for those who opt for them.
In order to reduce the number of transitions that on-campus students make throughout the day, the district has adopted a block schedule composed of classes an hour and a half long for elementary school students and an odd/even day schedule for secondary students. Secondary students will attend four classes per day, as well as a daily advisory period, alternating schedules on an odd/even day consistency. Fridays will be a condensed schedule with all eight classes in one day.
There will be daily entry procedures to be followed, with separate guidelines for students and staff. Students will be subject to a temperature screening before entering the building and/or bus and will be expected to use hand sanitizer upon entry. Students in first grade or below will be expected to wash their hands with antibacterial soap and water in lieu of liquid sanitizer. Anyone with an above average temperature will be sent to the nurses station to await parent pickup.
Bus riders will have a special seating arrangement, with a row between each student and a lack of seat sharing unless sitting with someone who lives within their household. Facial coverings are required for the ride.
Breakfast will be served as a “grab and go” for secondary students, who will be expected to eat during their advisory period. Elementary students will have breakfast served in their classrooms.
Facial coverings are to be worn at all times, either as a face mask or face shield, both provided by Chilton ISD to be used at designated times.
Visitors will be expected to wear a face covering or face shield and will be subject to a temperature scan and hand sanitizing.
Staff members will be subject to a temperature scan as well and will be sent home upon a double elevated scan result. They will not be allowed their district badges until the scan is completed and hand sanitizing will be required upon entry. They will be required to wear a facial covering for the entirety of the school day, but are encouraged to wear face shields during instruction to allow for easier learning for students. Staff badges will be left at the school upon exiting, to be sanitized overnight and picked up the next morning.
The district will be offering an asynchronous model of remote learning through google classroom, meaning that pre-recorded videos will be used as opposed to real-time engagement with a teacher. Students will be required to log four to five hours daily, as well as turn in daily assignments. Without this, the student will not receive an attendance credit for that instructional day.
Students without internet access have the option of utilizing a non-tech version of the curriculum, with the same guidelines. There may be an option of hotspots to use with school provided chromebooks, as well as there will be a remote learning assistance lab twice per week.
Remote students will be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities if they so please. This includes UIL (both athletic and academic), band, cheerleading, robotics, theater, FFA, and FCCLA. Students participating will be expected to be at all scheduled practices, meetings, and games; remote instruction will not waive any requirements by each coach/director.
Chilton ISD created a Community Re-entry Taskforce to create this plan. There have been four meetings since the start of June, but there are additional meetings scheduled for Aug. 3 and Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. in the district cafeteria or via zoom. For more information, head to chiltonisd.org.