For the first time since March, Bibb Co. students are heading back to the classroom
For the first time since moving to virtual education in March, the Bibb County School District is preparing for a large contingent of students to return to classrooms.
On Monday, some students in kindergarten through second grade, sixth grade and ninth grade will be face-to-face again with each other and their teachers. Next Monday, Nov. 16, the remaining group of elementary, middle school and high school students will return.
But not every student is heading back. Keith Simmons, the Bibb County School District’s chief of staff, explained that, due to space constraints imposed by social distancing, the district had to pick which students would be in physical classrooms.
“Those students who have been approved to return, based on spacing capacity, have already been contacted,” he said. “If a family has not been contacted, our expectation is that those students will continue virtual learning.”
District leaders first surveyed parents and students in the summer to determine who preferred in-person learning, and who would rather stay at home, and conducted another survey in October. Then, principles used learning data to figure out which students were struggling with virtual education and who was excelling, and the district combined that information to pick who was coming back.
Safety measures
Simmons discussed the district’s safety protocols for returning students:
- Students are expected to wear masks “to the maximum extent possible”
- Students will have their temperature checked when they enter a school building
- The district is committed to physical distancing
- Students and employees will have time each day to effectively wash their hands
- The district will intensify cleaning and disinfection efforts
- Water fountains are contactless, meaning students can fill up water bottles they bring (or have provided to them by the school through a partnership with the Macon Water Authority), but won’t be able to drink directly from fountains.
Here’s what you need to know
Simmons advised parents and students to review the following information:
- If their child uses school transportation, parents should visit the district’s website (bcsdk12.net), click on the yellow school bus icon and review expected bus arrival and drop-off times, as well as bus stop information.
- Students who return to in-person learning need to bring their district-provided electronic device, whether a laptop or tablet, back to school. Students will use those devices in the classroom.
- Parents of students who remain learning at home will need to continue to order meals for their students online, but rather than meals being delivered, parents will need to pick them up at their child’s school on Mondays and Wednesdays
A significant delay
While the largest neighboring school district, Houston County, began classes on Aug. 6, Bibb County schools postponed the start of the fall semester until after Labor Day, and even then, only virtual education was offered. The district has provided WiFi through a series of mobile buses and mobile hotspots, as well as regular meals for students learning from home. The district also equipped thousands of students with laptops or tablets.
Earlier this fall, Superintendent Curtis Jones said the district would continue virtual education at least through the end of October, citing high coronavirus case and hospitalization numbers in Bibb County compared to neighboring counties.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
