By using this phased approach, we’ll be able to build on our successes as we add more grades and more students. We also can monitor public health trends throughout the reopening rollout to ensure community spread continues to move in the right direction.

In terms of which students return first, we were very intentional with those decisions.

• We are starting with our youngest students because educational research indicates that this is where learning losses are likely the greatest. And, elementary school practices make it easier to cohort students, thus further limiting exposure to a smaller, more consistent group of other students and adults. Public health research also indicates that younger students are less likely to transmit the virus to each other or to adults.
• We’re following with middle school students and dividing those students into cohorts. Those cohorts will attend in person on alternating schedules to reduce the number of students on campus.
• We are delaying high school students’ return to in-person instruction in order to allow those students to complete the first semester and to account for the complexity of their schedules and far greater potential transmission points. The exception will be the early return of students taking Career & Technical Education classes who require hands-on training. We also wanted the start of in-person classes to coincide with the start of the second semester to making the transition easier. High school students will be divided into cohorts following a schedule similar to middle school.
  
  

In education, the word “cohort” refers to one of multiple smaller groups that a class has been divided into. Cohorts are being used by schools as we return to in-person learning to reduce the number of children physically in the classroom and promote greater physical distancing. Students will be organized into cohorts by their schools and they should include all students within a household in the same cohort.

All students in grades Pre-K – 8 will have returned by mid-November providing a full month of some in-person learning. This will be an important time for them to learn the new school procedures as well as allowing for time to be with their teachers and peers. As was explained in our phased approach, we are delaying the return of high schoolers in order for them to complete the first semester.

Yes, we feel confident we will have enough teachers and staff returning to our schools.

WS/FCS will be using state and federal funds specifically designated for COVID-19 relief to cover the incremental costs associated with the phased reopening plan. Because of these funds, we have not made significant adjustments to our 2020/21 school budget.

Students who attend their residential/home schools will be provided bus transportation and we expect bus ride times to be similar to last year. The most significant change to transportation will be for students who attend choice or magnet schools. These students will not be provided bus transportation because of the costs and complexities associated with meeting existing safety requirements and eliminating the mixing of student populations from different schools. Students who attend choice or magnet schools live all over the district, so the bus routes are more complex, often with transfer points. Offering transportation to our choice and magnet school students with existing safety guidelines would require 252 additional buses which is not feasible from a cost and staffing standpoint.

Students who attend a magnet or choice school and do not have their own transportation, can either choose to continue with remote learning only or enroll in their residential school which will have transportation.

Our phased reopening plan enables us to bring students back to their schools in smaller numbers so we can manage the flow of students entering and exiting the building. At morning drop-off, there will be an entrance for bus riders and one for car riders/walkers, both with health screening stations. Students who are bus riders will proceed to designated entrances. Children arriving as car riders or walkers will do the same. Adults who are bringing children to school as car riders or walkers must stay on campus until every student with you has been successfully screened and allowed to enter the building. Students who do not pass the health screening will need to leave campus with you.

Families will receive information from your student’s school on specifics related to drop-off and pick-up procedures. Please follow all guidelines regarding face coverings, social distancing, and hand washing.

If a student shows up at school on the wrong day for his or her cohort, we will contact the parent or guardian to have that student returned home. It’s important that students stay in their assigned cohorts so we can reduce the number of children physically in the classroom and promote greater physical distancing. It also keeps smaller and more consistent groups of students and adults so as to minimize exposure.

Cafeterias will be providing students with breakfast and lunch. Food will be individually packed and distributed directly to the student. Meals will be eaten by the students in their classrooms at physically distanced desks. We also will continue with our remote meal sites to serve students who are not attending school in person. Those sites are distributing meals on Monday’s and Thursday’s and information about meals is available on the WS/FCS website.

Our Student Services teams are staying connected with seniors and supporting them with their post-graduate plans. Many activities and programs for seniors are continuing virtually, such as virtual visits by colleges or other post-secondary opportunities for students.  If your student has not been contacted by his or her counselor, please call your school.

To help support our teachers and staff returning to school who have school-age children on different school schedules or who have school-age children who cannot be left at home, we are providing remote learning space for those children in the school. This may be a media center or some other space to maintain appropriate safety protocols. Each school is determining how best to support this program.  Please contact your student’s school and your principal for specific details.

Yes, students who prefer to continue learning remotely from their current school can do so using new technology that is being installed in every classroom. This option is also available for high school students as we move into second semester. Students who want to continue remote learning with their current class will need to coordinate with their individual schools.

Additionally, the Virtual Academy  is continuing to accept students in grades K-8, and you can find registration information on the Academy’s webpage on the WS/FCS website, https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/virtual.

There will be a COVID-19 Informational Dashboard on the WS/FCS website to keep families, staff and the community informed regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases and numbers of individuals in quarantine for our district. The data will be tracked by school, and the dashboard will be updated weekly by the Forsyth County Department of Public Health.

When a school has a confirmed COVID-19 case, we will follow Forsyth County Department of Public Health protocols for contact tracing, and those involved in that process will be notified accordingly. Working together with the Dept. of Public Health, we will reach those specific students and staff who’ve been identified as having been in contact with an individual testing positive for COVID-19 so they can follow the appropriate testing and quarantine procedures.

We will handle each situation of confirmed COVID-19 cases on an individual school basis in determining the appropriate action and messaging.

See our Communication Guidance for Positive COVID-19 Cases on the Our Safe Return page for additional details.

Students and families will experience several additional safety precautions with our return to school. Prior to a student stepping onto a school bus, he or she will be required to provide a quarterly form signed by a guardian attesting that the student has not had COVID-19 symptoms. Once bus riders arrive at school, just like students who walk to school or are car riders, they will be required to go through the daily screening process.

All students, teachers and staff will be required to wear face coverings on school property at all times. Signage will guide students and staff in maintaining physical distance in common areas such as entrances, hallways, etc. Classrooms have been reorganized so desks are appropriately distanced and cafeteria meals will be distributed individually and eaten in classrooms. Hand sanitizer will be available and used throughout the day, and students and staff will observe hand washing.

Throughout and after the school day, we will conduct extensive cleaning and on Wednesday’s and Friday evenings, janitorial teams will conduct deeper cleanings.

Schools also will have dedicated holding rooms should an individual begin to feel ill or develop symptoms during the school day. That individual will be monitored away from others (under supervision) until a guardian can take them home.

Each morning, we will conduct a brief health screening of every person at school including students and staff. The health screening is conducted near the entrance and includes an infrared temperature check (students must register below 100.4 to enter the school building) and brief health questions. Teachers will notify school administration if a student exhibits any symptoms during the day and that student will go to a designated holding area (see FAQ on students or staff feeling ill at school for additional info).

Additionally, all students must be current with mandatory Health Assessment Forms and Immunizations. There are no changes to these requirements due to COVID-19.  Information about those forms and immunizations can be found on the WS/FCS website.

Parents/guardians will be signing an attestation form, quarterly, ensuring that they will take responsibility to make sure their children are not exhibiting symptoms or feeling ill before sending them to the bus stop. A signature on the form affirms that they will not send a child to school who has a fever or other COVID symptoms. Once a student arrives at his or her bus stop, we are responsible for their safe transportation.  We will not leave a child at the bus stop nor can we hold the bus.  Students will sit safely distanced on the bus and be asked to wear a mask at all times.  Student temperatures be taken, and a screening performed once they arrive to the school campus.

Every school has established a designated holding space for students or staff members who begin feeling ill at school. There are very detailed guidelines for these isolated areas in order to keep them away from other individuals and limit exposure. We are hiring additional health personnel along with trained WS/FCS employees to staff the areas as needed. Parents will be notified immediately and expected to make arrangements for students to return home. Staff members will leave.

Yes, face coverings are required for all students of all ages and must be worn throughout the school day. Teachers and staff also will be required to wear face coverings and will be provided with PPE as needed.

We will be distributing the 5 masks provided by the State of North Carolina to every student on his/her first day of return to the classroom. Additionally, schools will have additional masks on hand to ensure every individual in the building is masked.

We are adding nurse support and training of our existing school staff to ensure we can properly handle any COVID-related concern that occurs at school.