NORTHEAST WISCONSIN (NBC 26) -- For months, school districts have been working on their plans to bring children back to the classroom when school starts on September 1.
Now, a little more than 30 days away from that start, several districts have started to release their plans.
Many districts are ready to give families the option about sending their kids back to school or learning online. Some, like Appleton, are also offering a hybrid model. Kids in the district in grades 5-12 could be in class a few days a week. Ashwaubenon has a similar plan in place. Elsewhere, Kimberly's plan would have children in school five days a week. All of those districts are allowing families to learn fully online.
The Green Bay Area Public School District has not released a plan yet. Superintendent Stephen Murley said online learning will be an option, and district leaders are also working to welcome children back to the classroom in some capacity.
“You need to make the decision that’s best for your family and for your children, and that’s going to be different for everybody, and those answers aren’t right or wrong," Murley said.
Families who choose to return to the building will see many differences. Each district's plan varies a little bit, many of them are similar in the decision to make masks a requirement. Other common themes are social distancing in the classrooms, hand sanitizing stations set up, and deep cleaning inside the district.
Online learners will also likely see a different experience. Murley said the district is now more prepared for this method of instruction.
“I’m really confident that the fall experience for parents is going to look different and better than it did in March," he said.
Murley also noted that things change quickly in this pandemic. While the school year is set to start September 1, districts are planning for contingencies well beyond that date.
