ELY – With just days before school is set to open here on the day after Labor Day, ISD 696 officials were busy this week putting the finishing touches on what can only be described as a “unique” beginning to the 2020-2021 school year.
Visitors to the campus buildings this week were greeted with posters and information sheets covering most of the entrance doors. Just inside the buildings a welcome station, complete with a gallon-sized jug of hand sanitizer, face masks, rubber gloves, instant-read thermometer, sign-in sheet, single-use pens and more posted information, was in position.
Stacks of unused equipment and downsized classroom materials were in the hallways ready to be put into storage trailers parked behind the school.
Plexiglass dividers in the school offices and library will help all staff and students maintain a safe yet social distance.
In the classrooms, desks are separated to keep students physically apart. Teachers and staff members wore face masks as they participated in Google Classroom training in the elementary media center.
Come Tuesday, Sept. 8, hundreds of Ely students will be filling the hallways and classrooms as the in-person learning scenario gets underway.
The Ely school district will open with in-person learning because it falls under the COVID-19 case rate data for Greater St. Louis County, which has significantly lower incidence numbers than the Duluth area.
The Ely school district’s COVID-19 Advisory Council developed a “Restart Blueprint” that outlines health and safety protocol and procedures in place for the start of the new school year. The “Restart Blueprint” can be found on the ISD 696 website: www. ely.k12.mn.us.
Some of those guidance measures include maintaining a distance of six feet between individuals, wearing face masks or coverings, screening for COVID-19 symptoms, practicing good hygiene protocols including handwashing, cleaning, and disinfecting, and limiting group gatherings.
Anne Oelke, K-5 principal, explained on Monday that starting on the first day of school, students will arrive per usual and proceed directly to their first class and desk. Teachers will conduct visual inspections of students for signs of illness, which could include flushed cheeks, rapid breathing/difficulty breathing, fatigue, or extreme fussiness.
“We will use non-contact thermometers to conduct temperature screening for all students,” Oelke said. If students have a temperature more than 100.4°F or any visual signs of illness, he/she will be sent to the building nurse for additional screening. Employees and visitors will self-screen, including temperature checks.
“Face coverings are required and there are few exceptions,” she said.
State executive orders require face coverings in schools. ISD 696 school board policy provides definitions, alternatives, and limited exceptions (children five and under, medical reasons).
“Temporary removal of face coverings ais allowed depending on the activity, like eating, drinking and going outdoors,” Oelke said.
The State of Minnesota is providing three masks for each student, and a limited supply of face shields will be available for students unable to wear a mask because of a documented condition.
During a “typical” school day to start the 2020-21 school year, students in the Washington building will not transition to the Memorial building as they have in the past. Breakfast and lunch will be in classrooms or other designated areas. Specialists will come to classrooms to minimize students having to be exposed to others in the building.
Students in the Memorial building will be grouped in cohorts that they remain with throughout the school day. Movement in the building will be controlled and monitored to limit exposure. Lunch will be eaten in a variety of settings to minimize large group gatherings.
If a child is in a classroom where a case of COVID-19 is present, parents or guardians will be notified as soon as possible and a 14-day quarantine period for students and the teacher will take effect, according to administration officials. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will be contacted immediately and provide guidance on what additional steps the district must take.
If the Ely school district needs to transition to a distance learning protocol, more than 500 Chromebooks were ordered to arrive this fall for students to use at home. In the meantime, iPads and some laptops are available that can be checked out to students.
Due to public safety concerns, no open house will be conducted prior to the start of the school year, Oelke said.
“We are looking at providing alternative options such as classroom videos or other communication for families,” she said.
New student and sixth grade orientation is being conducted in small groups by invitation.
For more information, call 218-365-6166 and choose the Washington or Memorial building extension. ISD 696 Superintendent Erik Erie can be contacted at 218-750-4564 or email him at eerie@ely.k12.mn.us.