COVID protocols remain in place for new year
Like school districts across the country, the Strong-Huttig School District is preparing for the 2021/2022 school year amid another surge in the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Since the virus began to spread in Union County in early 2020, the SHSD has implemented and maintained a number of safety measures to protect the health of its students, faculty, staff and the entire Strong-Huttig community. SHSD Superintendent Kimberly Thomas said those efforts will continue for the upcoming school year, with students starting classes Aug. 16.
Upticks in new COVID cases in Arkansas have been reported over the past several weeks and variants of the virus — including Delta, Gamma and Lambda — have also cropped up, leading to more hospitalizations in Union County, the state and country.
As it has done for the last year and a half, SHSD will continue to look to the Arkansas Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for guidance and direction, Thomas said.
“Social distancing practices, enhanced cleaning and masks will be encouraged in the district for this upcoming school year,” she said. “We are committed to taking all necessary precautions to mitigate the spread of (coronavirus) in our community.” She said many SHSD faculty and staff members have been fully vaccinated and the district has hosted on-site vaccination clinics throughout 2021. “We plan to host additional clinics this fall, with upcoming dates to be announced,” said Thomas.
Strong-Huttig students will still have the option to participate in an approved digital/virtual learning program for the upcoming school year. The district will partner with the Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative for students in grades K-6 and Virtual Arkansas for grades 7-12 to host virtual classrooms.
The 2020/2021 academic year started off with nearly 32% of StrongHuttig students participating in virtual learning.
As the year progressed, almost half of the virtual learners shifted back to the classroom for on-site instruction, Thomas reported.
“We ended the year with 81% of our students back on campus and 18.7% (who) remained virtual the entire school year,” she said. Thomas said the SHSD instituted a district-wide closure for only one day in 2020/2021, having pivoted toward virtual learning for all students on Jan. 26 to allow faculty, staff and substitute teachers to receive the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccination.
The shutdown came during a period in which the district experienced its largest number of COVID-19 disruptions: the weeks between Christmas Break and a seven-day closure due to winter weather and water outages that occurred in mid-February.
“By Spring Break, our COVID numbers were very low and the requirements to quarantine and isolate were minimal,” said Thomas. “Based on survey data and parent feedback, our community was pleased with how we handled the COVID safety measures in our district.”
A poll showed that 78% of the SHSD and surrounding community voted in favor of maintaining a face-mask requirement, even after Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s Executive Order mandating face coverings in public was lifted in March. “Our community was very supportive of all measures that were in place to maintain a safe learning environment for our students, faculty and staff,” Thomas said. A third-quarter report in 2020/2021 showed an average daily membership of 293 out of a total of 308 students. “We did not experience a loss in student enrollment due to COVID and our current registration and enrollment data predicts that our enrollment will remain steady this school year,” said Thomas.