Pulaski County’s schools expect to start the school year as scheduled on August 12. Eastern Pulaski Superintendent Dara Chezem and West Central Superintendent Dan Zylstra say they’re finalizing a countywide reopening plan for the 2020-2021 school year.
They’re not planning any changes to the published school calendars, but they say they’ll be implementing safety measures recommended by state and county health officials. That means students and staff will be encouraged to wear masks, especially when social distancing is difficult. There will also be more opportunities for them to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer.
Schools will be setting up separate spaces to treat students showing symptoms of COVID-19, and students and staff will have to follow protocol when returning to school after illness. Steps will also be taken to make sure students can spread out, both during class time and at lunch. Visitors will be restricted, and enhanced cleaning procedures will be put in place.
Eastern Pulaski and West Central plan to release more details in the next few weeks. The superintendents plan to continue making adjustments as conditions evolve.
