MIDDLETON — The Middleton school board approved the superintendent’s plan for reopening the school amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The plan includes precautions for three stages of reopening. The stage of the school’s reopening will be determined by Southwest District Health, the governor’s office and Canyon County, Superintendent Kristin Beck said in a Tuesday board meeting.
The plan also includes an option for students to enroll in school fully online. Students in the online school will be issued a district device at no charge and a limited number of hotspots to access the internet.
The stages of the plan are identified as green, yellow and red.
Green: Little to no community or school spread of COVID-19. Schools will open with precautions:
Students must stay home or will be sent home if they have a fever.
Students and staff will be encouraged to wear personal protective equipment.
Staff will be required to enforce physical distancing.
Hand-washing.
Yellow: Moderate community or school spread is occurring. Schools will move to a hybrid model, with student groups alternating days of learning at home and coming to class.
Red: The spread of COVID-19 is severe enough to close schools and switch fully to online learning.
Beck said the district is still working to equip teachers with the materials needed for a hybrid model. The hybrid model will mean the teacher is teaching some students in the classroom and some students online.
She said the district needs some kind of web camera that allows the teacher to move about the classroom.
The board approved the plan and agreed that any decisions from the governor’s office or Southwest Health District would override what the school has set up.
Rachel Spacek is the Latino Affairs and Canyon County reporter for the Idaho Press. You can reach her at rspacek@idahopress.com. Follow her on twitter @RachelSpacek.
