Return-to-Campus Plans Revolve Around Safety

The+PCS+Front+Office+now+has+plexiglass+shields+installed.+Photo+by+Cleo+Roberts

The PCS Front Office now has plexiglass shields installed. Photo by Cleo Roberts

Sophia Casaletto, Staff Writer

Eventually, we’re going to return to school. But there are certain precautions that PCS is taking to ensure that when we do return to school, we will return safely.The desks are at least 6 feet apart, and there are fewer desks in each room. There are decals all over the building with arrows pointing which way you should walk and reminding you to stay 6 feet apart. There’s also plexiglass between places that are hard to separate six feet apart, such as between you and a cafeteria worker, or between two people using the same desk. Masks will be a requirement! The drinking fountains will be turned off, and some sinks will be blocked off to ensure people are always at least 6 feet apart.There will be extra handwashing stations set up as needed and hand sanitizer in every classroom, and movement through hallways and stairways will be in one direction. Each day, you’ll go through a health screening. They’ll check your temperature and give you a short questionnaire, asking things like “Do you have a cough?” and “Have you been around anyone with COVID-19?” There’s also going to be a new schedule for when we’re in school. There would be two groups – an A group and a B group. There would be certain days where everyone is online, and on some days, the A group would go to school, and on others, the B group would go to school. While one group is in school, the other group would work on homework and assignments asynchronously. If there was a high risk while returning to school, there would be classes of no more than 12 students. They would be 6 feet apart, and everyone would go through a temperature check and a health screening before entering the building. Masks would be required, and large group gatherings would not be allowed. There would be signs to increase handwashing and masks. Cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing would be required on all surfaces. If there was a medium risk while returning to school, the classes would be 50% of their normal size. Everyone would be social distancing of at least 6 feet. There would be temperature checks for everyone before entering the building, and masks would be a requirement. Large group gatherings still wouldn’t be allowed, and there would be no off-campus privileges. There would be signs to increase handwashing and masks, and cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing would be required on all surfaces. If there was a low risk while returning to school, there would be no restrictions on class sizes, but there still might be restrictions regarding large group gatherings. There would still be signs to increase handwashing and masks, and cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing would still be a requirement on all surfaces. We’re all hoping that we can return to school soon! When we do return, we want to keep everyone safe!