ELDRED — Otto-Eldred School board has approved a school reopening and safety plan.

Superintendent Matthew Splain has been holding combined meetings of parents, staff and administration while navigating the guidance given by the state and addressing concerns.

Splain commented, “we will hold another Community Zoom Meeting to review the start of school planning. We expect additional guidance to come from the state that may result in a few adjustments. The plan for restarting school and summer pre-season activities will be available on the district website by end of day on Thursday (www.ottoeldred.org).

“In short, students and staff can expect to have temperatures taken as they enter the building, while we are in green — no masks will be required, and we will social distance as much as possible. Self-contained elementary classrooms and the high school block scheduling will assist with maintaining student groups and limiting student interactions.”

Splain also noted that they will open the weight room on June 22 and coaches can start summer open gyms and skills trainings on July 1. Students will undergo temperature screening as they enter and will need to abide by common sense measures to minimize contact between students and staff. Students intending to utilize the weight room will need to sign up for sessions in advance. All high school students will receive an email with the summer guidelines for their review prior to attending any session.

During administrative reports, Ramsey reported that the new block schedule has been completed and all students are scheduled for the 2020-2021 academic year. This includes scheduling of new course offerings. There is still some room to increase enrollment in some electives, but most are at capacity prior to allowing students to make changes. Schedules should be available to print/mail by July 1.

Also, the 2020-2021 phased reopening plan is serving as a guide for the 90-minute lunch/flex period that has been built into the new schedule. Ramsey will work with the new principal and Splain to develop an appropriate transition that honors the safety requirements demanded of a reopening given the current COVID context. Ramsey also noted that given the new schedule format and course offerings, some changes will need to be made to the district calendar/administrative guidelines. This includes graduation requirements. Proposed options will be given to the new principal for consideration. Updates may need to be approved at the August meeting.

Principal of Elementary and Special Education, Lindsay Burns reported that schedules are complete at the elementary. The biggest addition is a ten-minute scheduled time for all classrooms to hold a morning meeting, which helps establish a positive classroom community built upon trust and respect. Continued planning for return to school procedures are in place (hallway traffic patterns, alterations to classroom environments, strategic scheduling of non-specified homerooms, nurse procedures, staff expectations, etc.).

Other announcements include Pre-K orientation to be held on August 18th, Kindergarten Camp followed by orientation to be held on August 19th and 20th . Face to Face summer school will start on July 6th with 40 registered students.

During new business, Covid 19 related updates included a stipend begin given to the meal staff for going above and beyond during the crisis. The board approved to give hazard pay with an approximate amount of $7,000 total.