Chester County Schools increase in-person learning as COVID cases climb
Chester County School District’s plan to bring more students back in-person started Wednesday as kindergarten and pre-K students returned to four days a week.
Each Friday will be designated for “deep cleaning,” said Chris Christoff, CCSD’s public information officer.
The district also will continue its online academy.
The new plan comes from parent feedback, Christoff said.
“We had parents that were concerned (about the coronavirus),” he said. “And parents pushing for more in-person days.”
Students had been split in two cohorts who attended school in-person Monday and Wednesday, or Tuesday and Thursday.
To encourage safety as more students return, Plexiglas barriers have been installed between desks. The schools will be cleaned during the day and after school following Centers for Disease Control guidelines, Christoff said.
Depending on how smoothly the transition goes, Christoff said, there is a plan to bring the rest of CCSD’s hybrid students back to school four days a week.
The district will continue monitoring coronavirus cases through their online dashboard.
If the district elects to bring more students back, grades 3-5 will switch to the four-day schedule, starting Jan. 19.
Middle school and high school students will begin this schedule Feb. 8, giving the district just over a month to decide.
Coronavirus cases continue to climb
Despite the district moving forward with its in-person plan, its coronavirus cases continue to climb.
From Dec. 28 to Jan. 4, the district experienced its biggest jump in cases, with 14 reported cases on Dec. 28 and 28 reported cases Jan. 4. (Previously, the biggest jump was 9 cases, with 4 positive cases reported on Nov. 9 and 15 reported on Nov. 16.)
Now, 89 students and 47 faculty and staff have tested positive for COVID-19.
The school’s dashboard can be used to monitor the cases school-by-school.
When students or teachers have a confirmed a COVID-19 case, the school nurse or principal will be notified and the case will be added to the dashboard.
According to the dashboard website, a positive case is defined as “a lab-confirmed positive test.” The website also states that “Individuals who were in proximity to a positive case are notified and will be monitored for symptoms for 14 days.”
Cases are not removed as people recover, Christoff said.
CCSD makes efforts to stop the spread
In September, CCSD announced a pilot program to use UV-lights to sanitize schools, beginning with installation at Lewisville Elementary in Richburg.
Christoff said Wednesday that the lights are being installed. The project will be completed in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re extremely honored to be among the first to utilize this technology,” said Chester County School District Superintendent Antwon Sutton when the plan was announced. “We’ve chosen Lewisville Elementary based on the fact that elementary schools have been identified as more high risk when it comes to exposure.”
The lights being used in Chester are called Germicidal Ultraviolet lights, also known as GUV. As long as installed correctly, experts say the technology will be effective against COVID-19 and students will not experience side effects.
CCSD also has received a supply of rapid COVID-19 tests, as ordered by S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, Christoff said. The nursing staff is working on developing a plan to test students and quickly detect positive cases.
