KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – School for Kalamazoo-area students will resume on Monday, and while it means back to class for most students, there will be changes as the nation combats the COVID-19 Delta variant.
In most local schools, it will mean masks and some social distancing. There will also be physical changes to the schools to make them safer.
Kalamazoo Superintendent Rita Raichoudhuri says they will be requiring and providing masks, along with social distancing when possible. Hygiene will also be taught and encouraged.
“All of our classrooms and common areas in every single one of our buildings have been outfitted with a hand sanitizer station or a sink with water and soap,” Raichoudhuri said.
She adds that the facility heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have been updated with filters to create sanitary environments.
City of Portage
Portage Public Schools will return to class on Monday, as well.
Portage Assistant Superintendent Michael Pascoe says they will go beyond those guidelines to include masking in classrooms for Middle and High School Students, but make masks optional between classes.
“Passing time will allow students to get a mask break, we’re still recommending students wear them in the hallways, but we’ll allow our students to make decisions based off of what they feel is best,” Pascoe said. “Again, lunch time will be another opportunity for mask breaks, and students will have designated areas around the high school campuses, so we can kind of alleviate that pressure that we feel with so many kids accessing the cafeteria.”
They will quarantine students who are symptomatic, and will attempt contract tracing to see if it’s practical. He says the situation remains fluid, and so will their policies as the situation evolves.
Portage has more experience with open classes. They were taught in a hybrid format last year, but there will be many more students actually in the buildings this year.
Other school districts are coming up with their own rules based on their facilities and capabilities and whatever mandates they may face.
The level of air ventilation and filtration available in schools may vary widely, according to state environmental experts who have surveyed schools during the pandemic.
— Copy Written by John McNeil —
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