District’s youngest students to start in-person full-time

Originally planning a soft opening to face-toface learning starting Oct. 19, Vermilion Local Schools has decided to bring elementary and middle school students back to their respective buildings full time.

The district’s original plan for the return to inperson schooling was to start the first week of school for all students on a hybrid plan based on alphabetical order of their last names.

Now, only Vermilion High School students will be in-person every other day, with Vermilion Elementary School and Sailorway Middle School students from kindergarten to seventh grade to attend in-person all five days, said Superintendent Phil Pempin Oct. 12 during a Board of Education meeting.

The Vermilion High hybrid schedule will run from Oct. 19-30, with two fully remote days for all students Nov. 2 and 3.

“We needed to do that to balance the number of days in the schedule on Nov. 2,” Pempin said. “And on Nov. 3, the building will be closed for Election Day.”

A fully online option will be available for the elementary and middle school students, where select teachers with the schools will conduct online learning.

Pempin said 220 students have opted for online learning, which frees up space on school buses for transportation.

“I do want to emphasize that buses will continue to run,” he said.

All students, regardless of grade level, are required to wear a mask at all times, with exceptions at eating breakfast and lunch, water breaks and mask breaks that will take place outside during the school day.

Kindergarten through third-grade students will be eating breakfast and lunch in their classrooms, while middle and high school students will be eating in the lunch rooms with assigned seating.

“Those students, when they do come to lunch, will be eating with their cohorts,” Pempin said. “We’ll make sure that we’re distancing as much as we possibly can.”

Staff will regularly sanitize bathrooms and desks and signs will be posted in hallways enforcing oneway traffic for students and staff.

“I’m sure it’s going to

Kindergarten through thirdgrade students will be eating breakfast and lunch in their classrooms, while middle and high school students will be eating in the lunch rooms with assigned seating.

take a little bit of getting used to,” Pempin said.

As far as novel coronavirus spreading in the schools, while it hasn’t been an issue so far, he said he doesn’t want the district to follow suit of other surrounding districts that have had to close buildings due to uncontrollable spreads.

If necessary, Pempin said the district is prepared to close buildings.

“We can’t over-emphasize the need for all students to be careful, to be safe, wear the masks,” he said. “Our staff will be working with you all to make sure that all happens.”