All elementary students in Lindbergh Schools will be attending classes partially in person starting next week, as the district expands in-person classes to students in fourth and fifth grades.
The district started the school year in August under its “Green Light Plan” with K-3 students in school buildings for hybrid learning mixing virtual and in-person classes, with students in fourth through 12th grades starting all-virtual. Even with the latest expansion, grades 6-12 will stay all-virtual.
To “promote social distancing to the best of our ability,” the district said the expansion of in-person classes will begin with half of students returning Sept. 17 and half returning Sept. 18. Students will be divided by last names into two groups, which will rotate time in class just as the youngest students have. Those with last names A-K will attend in person Tuesdays and Thursdays, and last names L-Z will attend Wednesdays and Fridays. All students will virtually learn on Mondays.
The district warns that phases of the Green Light Plan will change throughout the year, with students in and out of school as needed.
All students and staff will be required to wear masks in school and on the bus. The district recommends packing an extra mask in your student’s backpack. Masks will have to be worn outdoors unless social distancing, but are not required to be worn during periods of physical exertion like physical education classes. The district and the Centers for Disease Control recommend against wearing masks with vents.
All students have the option to participate in the all-virtual learning academy ARC — Accelerated Remote Courses. It will continue with online classes throughout the year, whether students are attending in person or not.
“Creating a safe, healthy environment for Lindbergh students and staff is our shared responsibility, and Lindbergh Schools is dedicated to leading the way with a strong plan, dedicated resources and personnel, and a commitment to community involvement,” Superintendent Tony Lake said, adding, “It is important to understand that these precautions will not necessarily eliminate COVID-19 from our learning environments. What they WILL do is help us mitigate risk while allowing students to return to school. We are committed to doing our part in this shared responsibility to ensure all of our students and staff have a safe and healthy place to learn.”
District officials said they will expand in-person learning since the overall rate of cases in the district is now trending downward. St. Louis County released data Wednesday that showed that the number of new cases and positivity rates among the youngest students are much lower than the cases seen in preteens and teenagers.
In a letter to parents Thursday, Lake said the district has been monitoring daily the number of new cases per 100,000, the transmission rate and the positivity rate. The rate of new cases among the 15-19 age group remains high, but younger children are testing positive at much lower levels.
Families are required to sign up for bus service for each student.
All students and staff will also be required to conduct a daily health screening on students at home before sending them to school. The check is to ensure that everyone has not experienced any of the following symptoms in the last 14 days:
A fever of 100.4 or higher, sore throat, congestion/runny nose, headache, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, body aches, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste/smell, or close contact with anyone diagnosed or presumed diagnosed with COVID-19.
If students or staff answer “yes” to any of those questions, they must stay home.
The district is communicating in real time with parents through the FirstView bus information app.
See photos from Lindbergh’s first days of school Aug. 27 and Aug. 28:
