SCCPSS will be mask optional for students attending in-person

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Three weeks from Wednesday, Savannah-Chatham students will return to the classroom five days a week.

But what that looks like will be different than before. The headline is that students will be back to full in person learning in just a few weeks and masks will be optional.

Despite the return to more normal operations, they will have several mitigation strategies.

While it’s clear visitors to the schools will be limited, they will be screened before entry, though a decision on if students will be screened is still to be determined.

Social distancing will be efforted while at school, but with all students back that will be a challenge. Additionally, cleaning and disinfecting will continue to happen every day with regular sanitation and fogging.

Bussing is where things are a bit different this year. They will run at full capacity meaning no skipping of seats, though masks will be required due to transportation guidance.

The district did note during the meeting that the community transmission index is increasing and they will be watching the data closely.

Superintendent Dr. Ann Levett said their COVID response team will be in place and there’s several things parents need to keep in mind like potential for rolling closures.

“We recognize that that there will, there may be challenges in terms of persons contracting COVID. So our COVID response team will remain in place. We will continue to contact trace, we will continue to ensure that people are aware of quarantine protocols and that there may be closures based on threat level or actual contagion so please be aware,” Dr. Levett said.

District officials also mentioned that while most students will go back to the classroom, they do have a full virtual option with the Savannah-Chatham e-learning academy, which has 1,000 students registered.

While there are changes to the school year, arguably one of the biggest is transportation and the lack of it for thousands of students in just three weeks.

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