Buses among concerns in schools reopening

    Murphy – Although the state issued two documents last week laying out guidelines for schools when they reopen, Cherokee County Superintendent Jeana Conley said there are still a lot questions.
    “We’re finding a lot of the strategies will be expensive,” Conley told members of the board of education Thursday night.
    One positive is that masks will not be required for everyone, eliminating the cost of making sure each student has a new one every day.
    Guidance from the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services was released on June 8, while guidance from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction was released Thursday. The guidance from the Department of Public Instruction was created using input from the Schools Reopening Task Force, of which Conley was a member.
    Under the 115-page reopening guidance issued Thursday, schools are directed to plan for three different types of reopening – minimal social distancing, moderate social distancing and remote learning. Gov. Roy Cooper will decide by July 1 which of the three plans will be used when the school year begins in August.
    Conley said the biggest stress on the district will be transportation needs. Buses may only be filled to 50 percent capacity under the moderate social distancing requirements, and students must have their temperature checked as they board the bus in the morning under both in-school instruction plans.
    Conley said the temperature check was something she “vehemently” fought in serving on the task force. She was concerned about the challenge placed on drivers to keep students safe while parked on the side of a mountain road as they check a child’s temperature.
    She told the board they’ll have no choice but to hire people to be on the bus to take each child’s temperature. Another issue arises if a child is found to have a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher at the bus stop and the parent is already at work, Conley said.
    Any modification to buses must be approved by the state, and Plexiglas installation may be violation of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, the guidelines say.
    Guidance from the state also suggests that districts encourage walking, biking and carpooling. Conley told the board she would be able to provide more information on the expenses involved in July.
    The district did apply for and receive a grant with $913,959 in Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security (CARES) Act funding. That funding will go toward custodial needs, instructional teacher needs, meal delivery needs and custodial supplies, as specified in the grant application.