North Fork has multiple plans for reopening

The overall plan utilizes three smaller plans depending on where the county is at the time regarding the severity of the COVID-19 spread. Plan A would be a normal start to the school year. Plan B would see students on a hybrid form of instruction where students would rotate between one week of in-person instruction and one week of virtual instruction. The last plan, Plan C, would see the district move to 100 percent distance learning for all students.

Each student will have the option of starting the school year off attending school all online through North Fork’s K-12 virtual learning. Hartley said by doing this the schools can still provide education to all students, even if they, or their parents, don’t feel safe returning to school.

“Right now, we’re planning on full time,” Hartley said, with the first day of school being Aug. 19. “But we still have three, four weeks to go. A lot of things can change.”

A perfect example of this is how the plan started with face coverings being highly recommended for all students to wear. After the governor released the statewide face-covering mandate Wednesday, the school decided that students in grades 3-12 would be required to wear masks when 6-foot social distancing can’t be maintained. Students K-2 are only recommended to wear masks while in the school buildings. All students are required to wear masks while riding the bus.

Hartley emphasized that the schools will do their best to give the students breaks from wearing masks.

The rest of the daily protocols being put in place are similar to other schools, just with some small nuances that differ between what each school can do, according to Hartley. At North Fork, the social distancing of 3 to 6 feet will be maintained, along with daily health checks, limited visitation and daily sanitation measures.

Individual school building protocols for students —such things as how to arrive at school, where to enter and classroom procedures — can be found at the school’s website.

“But right now, we’re ‘so far, so good,’” Hartley said, adding that they’re going to let the mask requirement settle and start to answer those questions as they come in.

At their meeting Monday, the board also:

• Approved the revision of the 2020-2021 school year calendar. Students will now have Aug. 24 and Sept. 4 off (previously they were scheduled as school days) and must come on Sept. 16.

• Approved the volunteer list and a list of verified substitutes from the Licking County Educational Service Center for the 2020-21 school year.

• Approved a memorandum of understanding with New Horizons Mental Health Services for the period of Aug. 15, 2020, through May 31, 2021.