School district readies its fall reopen plans

Classes for students in the Royal Oak Schools district next month will be a blend of in-class and online learning based on recommendations following research by scores of administrators, staff and other officials.

Royal Oak Schools have conducted all classes online since mid March following the statewide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The plan for the high school, which won’t include regular school classes, is different from that which will be used at the middle and elementary schools, said Superintendent Mary Beth Fitzpatrick.

She emphasized that the changing nature of the pandemic, along with state and health recommendations, means the district will have to remain flexible in the face of any new developments.

The recommendations were presented during a four-hour Board of Education meeting last week. More than 450 people joined the virtual board meeting at some points Wednesday.

There are 1,520 high school students, 1,185 in the middle school, and about 2,500 students among the district’s preschool and six elementary school buildings.

Middle and elementary school students will follow a different plan than the high school.

Students in those schools will have two days of classes in school and three days of instruction online.

“This will allow us to work face-to-face with students, as well as coach them,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our students were forced to move to online learning in the spring without a lot of preparation.”

Half the student population in the middle and elementary schools will have classes on two days, with the other half attending on two different days. That schedule reduces the number of students in the building at once, and is necessary for the district to meet health guidelines on social distancing and other protocols for students and staff.

District officials are still examining how lunch hours will be conducted under the recommended plan. The district will continue to deliver meals daily to students.

Some parents are expected to opt for all online learning due to home situations where there may be students or family members with health considerations or other personal preferences, Fitzpatrick said.

School board trustees will next meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6 for another online special meeting for more discussion.

The plan is a collaborative effort and included a survey of more than 2,000 district residents and school officials.

“These are our recommendations at this time,” Fitzpatrick said, “but we have to be ready for this (plan) to be fluid if conditions change.”

To meet state and health guidelines, the district is spending an additional halfmillion dollars on cleaning school buildings, which is done through a contractor.

The increase covers more janitorial workers and cleaning supplies for repeated cleanings of everything from door knobs, desks, bathrooms, and classrooms to computer keyboards.

No decisions have been made yet on school sports programs. Royal Oak school officials are watching the guidelines from the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

“The MHSAA has come out with start dates for athletics,” Fitzpatrick said. “We expect to consider their recommendations and also talk to the other schools in our league.”