From Staff Reports
Schools in Piedmont have been reopened for in-person learning, and the first week has been completed.
For students in grades 7-12, in-person learning is two days a week. Pre-K to sixth grade classes are five days a week.
Masks are required in buildings, on buses and in classrooms, and motorists are urged to slow down in school zones.
COVID-19 precautions are being taken.
Total enrollment for the district after the first week is 4,555 students, a district spokeswoman reports.
Students in grades 7-12 are in two groups, A and B, who alternate days in class or at home. The A group had their first in-person day on Thursday, Aug. 20 and the B group on Friday, Aug. 21.
The first two days were set aside for welcome messages, procedures and expectations for the new school year, the district reported.
The A/B schedule with groups alternating days on campus will be evaluated over the course of four weeks until Friday, Sept. 18.
“We will determine the continuation of the A/B learning cycle on that date,” a statement on the district’s website reads.
“We will continue to monitor community spread of COVID-19 and the effect on our district.
According to information on the district website, middle school athletic practice schedules will take place outside of the school day. On their scheduled in-person instructional days, middle school students will focus on strength and conditioning during their athletic period.
Band and honors vocal students will continue to attend their band or vocal hour on their scheduled in-person instructional days. High school athletic practice schedules will continue as normal. Band and honors vocal students will continue to attend their band or honors vocal hour on their scheduled in-person instructional days. Students can attend on a volunteer basis if it is not their in-person instructional day. Transportation will not be provided outside of the normal schedule, the district reports.
The district has had only a few cases of COVID-19, school spokeswoman Riley Thomas reports.
“We have had very few instances of exposures and positive cases in our district so far. We are working directly with individuals and families to follow strict protocols outlined in our back-to-school guidelines document to protect the health and wellness of our students, staff, and school community,” Thomas said.
In the event a student or staff member has a verifiable, positive diagnosis of COVID-19, school officials will notify the parents or guardians and employees of the school site. District officials will also notify specific individuals who were determined to be in close contact with the positive student or staff member. Close contact is defined as contact with an individual for 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of that individual.
More information about how the district has handling COVID-19 at school sites can be found at www.piedmontschools.org
