Elementary school students in Richmond County and all students in Columbia County are back in physical classrooms for the 2021-2022 school year.
On Tuesday, Richmond County Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw spent part of his day at Sue Reynolds Elementary School. It was open house for parents and students to visit before the first day.
Keeping with the district’s mandate, everyone in the school was wearing masks. There were also numerous sanitizing stations, signs reminding everyone to wash their hands frequently and decals on the floor to help with social distancing.
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Bradshaw said, “We are ready. We have our PPE in place. Our custodians have done a wonderful job preparing our schools to receive our students.”
Citing the most recent guidance from the CDC, and in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health, RCSS will require masks for all K-12 students, staff and visitors to any district facility beginning Aug. 2. Masks will also be required on school buses.
Students will be allowed to remove masks during lunch and while outside the building.
The full RCSS plan can be read here.
Part of the focus on Tuesday was to spread the word on highway safety and sharing the roads with school buses.
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The district has partnered with AAA-Georgia Auto Club for the “School’s Open, Drive Carefully” campaign.
“We are aware of the risk to children in and around school zones, and that’s why we developed AAA’s School’s Open Drive Carefully awareness campaign designed to help curb unsafe driving behavior near schools,” said Garrett Townsend, Georgia Public Affairs Director, AAA-The Auto Club Group. “If Georgia motorists slow down and stay alert, they can save lives.”
Associate Superintendent Penny Jackson urged everyone to be patient and expect delays on the roads.
“We are going to have some bus delays. We’re going to have delays because of construction; we’re going to have delays because of increased traffic and we’re going to have delays with the carpool lines,” she said.
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The district is also taking note of the increasing number of new COVID-19 cases and has issued what it is calling Return to School Plan 2.0. It strongly encourages the use of face coverings by all students and staff, especially those who are unvaccinated.
The district’s full plan can be viewed here. It also encourages social distancing in building and on school grounds as much as possible. Masks will be required on school buses.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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