Dr. Rollo Talks Virtual Classrooms, Social Distancing, and More
Tuesday on KFYO Mornings with Dave King and Matt Martin, The Superintendent of the Lubbock Independent School District Dr. Kathy Rollo joined Dave and Matt to talk about their preparation for the next school year, virtual classrooms, social distancing and mask requirements, class sizes, equipment, and more.
Yesterday was the deadline for when students were supposed to have decided whether they would be attending classes in person or via virtual classrooms. Dr. Rollo started the discussion by saying that the principals have been calling any students who have not registered, but that they are having a bit of a grace period, and are extending the deadline until August 5th. When asked how many kids are currently planning to use virtual classrooms, Rollo explained that it is about 32% of students.
Dr. Rollo also discussed several aspects of how classes in building will operate. She explained that furniture will be spread out so kids can more easily follow social distancing rules. Cafeterias will be at 50% capacity with kids spread out properly. Masks will be required for kids in 4th grade and above, and all adults will be required to wear masks. Face shields will not be required, but will be provided for teachers who might be teaching higher risk kids. P.E. classes will still take place, and Lubbock ISD schools have bought sanitizing materials in preparation. Only 1 kid will be allowed to use a piece of equipment at a time, and the equipment will be sanitized afterwards. On top of all this, due to 32% of kids opting to instead take the online classes, in person classes have shrunk a bit, although Rollo was unable to say by exactly how much.
The Superintendent also discussed what will happen if a child tests positive. Dr. Rollo explained that if someone in a classroom tests positive, the rest of the class will shift to virtual classes for up to 5 days, and the school will have people who will work to find out who came into close contact with that child, so that they can make sure that they quarantine themselves for 14 days. In addition, Lubbock ISD is now a 1:1 school district when it comes to technology, meaning that every kid in both Pre-K and Kindergarten will have ipads, and every kid 1st grade through 12th grade will have Chromebooks. Everyone takes their devices home every night, so they would be prepared in the case that they are asked to stay home for remote learning the next day.
Dr. Rollo asks kids to register for school as soon as they can. School starts August 17th.
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