A new safety feature in pandemic: Desk shields will be used in each Sumter School District classroom by all students moving forward this semester | The Sumter Item

In the Sumter School District during the COVID-19 pandemic, cleaning checklists, personal protective equipment supplies, and sanitation services are buzzwords and will be discussed at the board meeting on Monday.

The district administrator responsible for operations and student support services, the district’s chief nurse, external learning consultants on air quality issues, and others discussed current safety procedures with the school board.

After four weeks of completely virtual teaching in January, the school district will return to the mixed/mixed mode on Monday, which includes two days of face-to-face teaching for students each week.

According to Regional Operations Director Samuel Myers, when students return, the classroom desks will be equipped with desk covers.

Myers said that given the 6-foot social distancing agreement, classrooms will usually have 10 to 12 tables.

This school year, less than half of school district students chose to study in the classroom, and there have been no reports of the virus spreading in schools.

The classroom desks are also equipped with desk protective covers, and like other personal protective equipment supplies, the federal CARES Act stimulus funds provided to the school district also include the cost of protective covers, some of which are new.

Like autumn, teachers and students will wear masks in the classroom.

According to the board of directors, the air quality test conducted by the external consultant on the selected classrooms recently showed good indoor air quality. The board members are still considering various options for improving air quality, including purifiers and ionizers, but have not yet made a unified decision.

On Tuesday, the school district announced that it will resume the mixed/mixed learning model. The mixed curriculum will include face-to-face lectures in classrooms two days a week, for all students whose families decide they want them to return.

On the other three days of the week, students will continue to conduct virtual learning online at home.

As before, every Wednesday the staff will thoroughly clean the school facilities.

Importantly, parents can still choose to have their children receive completely virtual guidance throughout the spring semester.

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36 W Liberty St, Sumter, SC 29150