PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

The road back to school during the coronavirus pandemic has not been without its hiccups. At least two teachers and one student at Wood River High School tested positive for the virus during the first week.

But the Blaine County School District has taken a number of steps to address school during the pandemic. Here’s a list recently provided by Superintendent GwenCarol Holmes:

·  Thoroughly cleaned buildings and implemented enhanced cleaning procedures. 

·  Put a ton of things in storage to have more space in our classrooms. 

·  Rearranged furniture for social distancing. 

·  Cut endless pieces of plexiglass and built safety dividers for more spaces than we can count. 

·  Cleaned air handlers, replaced filters, tested systems and put the air exchange on maximum speed. 

·  Pushed out at least weekly communication to parents and the community on food for students and BCSD’s re-entry plans. 

·  Made nine different videos on the safety measures being put in place to reduce the spread of COVID. 

·  Assigned seats on the bus for all riders to limit the spread of germs. 

·  Added isolation rooms for students/staff presenting with COVID symptoms in each building.

·  Stocked up on masks, desk shields, hand sanitizer, desk cleaning supplies, gloves, thermometers, and personal protective gear. 

·  Restarted the athletic programs with safety protocols in place to protect our students from COVID spread. 

·  Developed and implemented new schedules to reduce the mixing of students throughout the day.

·  Planned and prepared for lessons to be delivered both in person and online. 

·  Acquired cameras and trained staff to use them to facilitate and implement instruction both in person and online. 

·  Prepared for distributing new Chromebooks to grades three, six and nine. 

·  Learned about the symptoms of COVID, how to reduce spread, what to do if someone has symptoms.

·  Learned how to use new learning management platforms, applications, and document cameras. 

·  Replaced/repaired broken Chromebooks. 

·  Checked each student’s ability to connect to the Internet and access online learning. 

·  Fed students throughout the summer.  

·  Prepared to feed students Monday through Friday - both those physically in school and those at home.

·  Onboarded incredible new staff members despite the difficulties of hiring and moving (for some of them) during a pandemic. 

·  Welcomed our students back and jumped into learning. 

·  Taught students how to access their online lessons.

“It just goes to show it’s not your typical school year!” said Trustee Lara Stone.

PHOTO

The YMCA and BCRD are providing day camps for elementary school children at The Mint and Community Campus in Hailey and the Y in Ketchum while the Blaine County School District continues a hybrid of in-person and online classes.