PCSD readies for new year, new challenges

As the August 24th start date for Parkers Chapel School District draws closer, teachers and administrators are working hard to make sure everything is in order for when students return.

But even with all the preparation and hard work the staff is putting in, uncertainty looms. COVID-19 cases are ticking back up nationwide and schools across the country are having to maneuver how to best serve their students in the midst of this pandemic. Parkers Chapel School District is no exception.

“It is going to be a different year. We have been in the planning stages for some time now and we have been following the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines and the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) guidelines in preparation for the first day of school. We’re looking forward to that first day of school and having the kids back,” PCSD Superintendent Michael White said.

The district is offering different learning options for families to choose from for the academic year. The two main options are the PC Virtual Online school offered to K-12, and on-site blended learning.

Students in the PC Virtual school can remotely attend classes led by their teachers, and the idea is for them to receive the same amount of learning they would if in class while reducing their chances of contracting or spreading COVID19. These students would also still be able to participate in extracurricular activities. The only extracurricular event that the district will do away with this year are pep rallies before football games.

Trojans also have the option to do on-site learning. White said the majority of Parkers Chapel families have chosen this option. White noted that these students must be ready for some of the rule changes that come with on-site learning. The school district has provided parents with a detailed list of rules that will be required for attendance in each Parkers Chapel School building.

All of this year’s rule changes can be found at parkerschapelschool.com/ blendedlearning.

“We tried to keep the rules as simple as possible. Our goal is to not make this a scary situation for our students but at the same time, we want them to understand the seriousness of what we’re trying to do,” White explained.

Teachers and staff will be required to wear masks as well and follow the same social distancing protocols. According to White, classrooms are set up so that no students are directly facing each other to avoid the spread of respiratory particles.

One issue that has come to the surface with schools reopening are large numbers of students moving through the halls in between classes. It is hard for schools to maintain the social distancing protocol during situations like that and Parkers Chapel is also working through that dilemma.

“We’re going to try and manage them (hallways) in a way so that students are constantly moving and not congregating. It is going to be an education process because obviously we can’t monitor every single inch at all times,” White said.

But even with all of the new measures and guidelines, district administration realizes there is a margin for error; they hope to avoid having to shut down but White said he knows that possibility exists.

“Our goal is to not have to shut down because when you shut down it disrupts the education process. But we will be prepared for anything that happens and different possibilities that include the quarantining of students and short shutdowns,” White said.

Though there is a lot of uncertainty in the upcoming school year, White wants Trojan families to know that Parkers Chapel School District is going to work extremely hard to still provide an excellent education to all of its students.

“We’re going to always do the best that we know how to keep students and staff safe. But at the same time we want to make sure we deliver a solid education and experience here at Parkers Chapel,” Michael White said.