MEMPHIS, Tenn. — School leaders in Shelby County’s municipal districts are busy trying to plan their new school year.
District leaders in Lakeland, Millington, Germantown, Bartlett, Arlington and Collierville learned in a recent meeting what the county health department wants to see in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We felt really positive after the meeting. We got good guidance on social distancing, which is really going to be the big thing with the schools,” said Dr. Nancy Kelley, Collierville Safe Schools Supervisor.
Kelley said the health department director stressed things like hand-washing and making sure buildings are checked, but the main thing would be keeping students six feet apart.
In large schools like Collierville High School, that can be a challenge.
“We have the largest high school in the state. And we have a lot of students, granted, but the facility is large and you have to use your space,” she said.
Collierville is still working on its back-to-school plan and expects to have it released in a few weeks.
Other districts are laying out details of what they plan to do.
Arlington released models of what in-person, remote and 100% at-home learning would look like in the fall.
Lakeland posed a series of questions including the possibility that transportation may only be provided to certain groups of students as required by law.
All school plans must be approved by the health department.
One thing we are told that seemed certain in the meeting — school, in whatever form, should start as planned Aug. 10.
Beginning in July, all school districts in the state will also get training on how to handle emotions associated with the pandemic.
