School districts are choosing from three plans given by the Mississippi Department of Education to meet the needs of students as the Coronavirus pandemic continues. The plans give options for traditional class settings, online distance learning, or a hybrid of the two. State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says schools holding traditional courses will need to take measures to slow the spread of the virus. "To not only prevent transmission, but to prevent those kids from getting sick and bringing it back to the home where sometimes these kids live in multigenerational homes where it can have an impact on those most vulnerable people, even if it doesn't have a severe impact on the child," says Dr. Byers.
Some districts are allowing parents to choose between traditional in-person lessons or online distance learning. Tupelo Public School District spokesperson Gregg Ellis says the district used the summer months to improve that online learning option. He says "Now we will take attendance. You will be required to do all your assignments. Grades will be taken. It's going to be far more rigorous and the expectation level has really risen for those that choose to stay at home."
DeSoto County Public School District plans to reopen on August 6th with an online option available to parents. Superintendent Cory Uselton says most parents will choose the traditional option, but because classrooms were built on efficency, it will be difficult to maintain social distancing. Uselton says "We want to make sure we take out as much excess classroom furniture as we possibly can that way we can spread the desks out more. We want to reduce the class sizes. We won't be able to reduce those tremendously but at the same time we do want to even those out and keep them as low as we possibly can under the circumstances."
Educators and healthcare professionals are asking parents to provide their children masks to wear during the school day, but depending on the district they may not be mandatory.
