Kids return to school
Students in Siloam Springs returned to school on Monday for the first time since March.
The first day of school went exceptionally smoothly, according to Superintendent Jody Wiggins.
Students were back on campus wearing masks and trying to social distance. Teachers and administrators were in good spirits and excited to see students again, he said.
“We are happy to be in school,” Wiggins said. “If at some point we need to do something different, we are prepared for that, but right now we are excited to have kids back face-to-face.”
Implementation of new safety requirements went well for the most part, Wiggins said. Students participated in the new requirements and followed expectations, he said. There are some places in the buildings that make social distancing difficult and some areas at the high school in particular that were congested, but the district is working to alleviate traffic in those areas, he said.
Students at the elementary schools arrived at
staggered start times for the first day to establish procedures so they could learn what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to go, Wiggins said. They transitioned to the regular schedule on Tuesday, he said.
Official enrollment counts won’t take place until the 10th day of school, but attendance appeared to be down about 200 to approximately 4,200 students on Monday, Wiggins said. More than 600 students, or about 15 percent, signed up to attend the new virtual academy, Wiggins said. He said some families may have opted to home school their students because of the pandemic and emphasized the numbers may change over the next couple of weeks.