Tuesday, July 7, 2020 | 12:10 a.m.
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Recess for elementary school students in the Clark County School District might not include children climbing on playground equipment in the fall.
A proposal to reopen schools for partial in-person learning after coronavirus closures calls for recess to feature group activities with socially distanced participants instead of turning the children loose on playground gear. The equipment, out of pandemic concerns, will be locked.
The altered recess plan was one of the details discussed Monday by district officials, three days ahead of the Clark County School Board being asked to approve the plan. It would then be forwarded to the Nevada Department of Education for final approval with an eye on school returning in some form Aug. 24.
The plan includes mandatory face masks for students and teachers and splitting instructional time between live classrooms and online education. The proposal stresses “providing a clean, safe and healthy educational environment for students and staff.”
But no plan is perfect, and this one has its critics — everyone from parents, teachers and administrators.
Among the chief concerns is that some students may not have access to devices for distance learning. Although federal money will cover the cost of technology for families with limited resources, acquiring 100,000 Chromebooks in about a month could be challenging because of a supply shortage, officials said.
With schools only providing in-person learning two days a week under the proposal, concerns were also raised about families with working parents providing child care for younger children. Teachers also expressed concerns about returning to the frontlines of the classroom without proper personal protective equipment.
Clark County Schools Superintendent Jesus Jara said the plan “is the hard work of the team in collaboration with other districts.”
School board member Danielle Ford said, “I don’t care how hard anybody worked on a plan if it’s not adequate.”
The plan, regardless if it is approved, isn’t the only hurdle that needs to be cleared for in-person learning to come back. The state would have to transition to the third phase of its reopening, which won’t happen until at least Aug. 1.
As Gov. Steve Sisolak considers the next phase in reopening, Nevada has experienced more than two weeks of increases in positive virus test results.
“We were so optimistic that we would be returning to a normal school year. However, at this time, we remained in Nevada’s Phase 2 with extremely challenging requirements and restrictions,” said Brenda Larsen-Mitchell, the deputy superintendent.
Other specifics revealed include:
• It isn’t feasible to check the temperature of students and staff when they enter buildings. A high temperature is one of the signs of the virus.
• If an individual tests positive, everyone who came within 6 feet of them for 15 minutes or more would have to quarantine. The Southern Nevada Health District, the agency in charge of contact tracing and disease investigations, mandates people be notified if they came into close contact with someone who has coronavirus.
• Students will get staggered nutrition and restroom breaks in groups of no more than 50. Dismissals and arrivals will also be staggered and multiple doors will be open on campus for exiting and entering at specific times.
• Teachers will receive “professional learning” in terms of distance education and coronavirus safety protocols.
• Teachers must contact students studying remotely at least once per day. The district is required to outline how it will track student attendance. In the spring, attendance wasn’t required because some students couldn’t get online, and some were unreachable.
• Special education students will still follow individualized education programs. Students who need speech pathologists will have access to teletherapy services.
• English-language learners will have additional access to virtual reading centers and language camps on Zoom. CCSD will provide assistance for families in 13 languages.
• Individual schools won’t have much freedom to create independent policies and practices, because, as Jara said, autonomy can cause inequity.
• Custodians will have a significant amount of cleaning to do, especially on deep-clean Wednesdays at elementary schools. School board member Linda Young worried about low morale among custodians and bus drivers. “You’re asking them to do a lot,” she said.
